Current State and Ways to Improve Mediation in Criminal Proceedings of the Kyrgyz Republic
Anisimov V.F., Lapshin V.F., Shamurzaev T.T. Current state and ways to improve mediation in criminal proceedings of the Kyrgyz Republic. Penitentiary Science, 2025, vol. 19, no. 2 (70), pp. 157–164. doi 10.46741/2686-9764.2025.70.2.005.
It has now been proven that the use of mediation procedures in various spheres of public life, as a rule, is characterized by a high degree of effectiveness in conflict resolution. The sphere of criminal proceedings is no exception, which also needs additional measures to reconcile representatives of the prosecution and defense sides, with mandatory respect for the rights and legitimate interests of each of them. The problem of regulation in the criminal procedure legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic of mediation as an alternative and restorative method of resolving a criminal case, as well as the specifics of its application in a specific criminal case, is the subject of this study. Purpose: based on the analysis of normative acts of Kyrgyzstan and Russia, the practice of using mediation in the criminal process of individual states, the works of legal scholars, official statistical data, to develop proposals aimed at improving the criminal procedure legislation of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan on the issues under study. Methods: dialectical, comparative-legal, system-structural, induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis, etc. The results of the study confirm the existence of shortcomings in the current legislation of Kyrgyzstan in terms of certain features of the regulation of mediation procedures in criminal proceedings. The identified shortcomings are of a private nature, and therefore can be eliminated without reviewing the system-forming institutions of criminal law and the process. Conclusions: 1) one of the conditions for confirming necessary qualifications of a mediator is the availability of higher legal education; 2) mediation functions, along with a professional mediator, may be performed by a law enforcement official and (or) judicial authorities conducting criminal proceedings; 3) the conclusion of a mediation agreement does not prevent the accused / defendant from refusing to recognize certain legally significant circumstances and facts established in the case.
Keywords: alternative method; restorative justice; defense; mediation; mediator; suspect; the accused; victim; conflict resolution; court.
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