Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 13 July 2020, a report on the outcome of his visit to Uzbekistan was made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Diego Garcia-Sayan.

The report was presented during the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in Geneva (Switzerland) in the form of video-conference, in which, among others, the delegation of Uzbekistan also participated.

Garcia-Sayan paid an official visit to Uzbekistan on 19-25 September 2019 in order to assess the current reform of the justice system, initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The report presented noted that the Special Rapporteur welcomes the progress made by Uzbekistan to date in strengthening the independence of the judiciary and the free exercise of professional activities by lawyers.

It was emphasized that the creation of the High Judicial Council, the reorganization of the judicial system, new procedures for the selection and appointment of candidates for judicial posts, as well as the adoption of a number of measures to improve the training and guarantee the tenure of judges can be considered as positive steps towards creating a truly independent and impartial system justice.

The Special Rapporteur also notes that much remains to be done to ensure that the judiciary is truly independent from other branches of government and that judges, prosecutors and lawyers are free to carry out their professional activities without any undue interference or pressure.

Following the report, the Special Rapporteur made a number of recommendations to further improve judicial reform, which include:

- fixing at the constitutional level the priority of international law over national;

- ensuring the true independence of the judiciary;

- strengthening the independence of the High Judicial Council and reviewing the procedure for its formation;

- improving the selection process for candidates for judges;

- review of the term of office of judges;

- increasing the representation of women in the justice system;

- restriction of powers of prosecution authorities;

- strengthening the status and independence of lawyers;

- ensuring access to the courts and to qualified legal assistance.

During the session, the Uzbek delegation also heard comments on the reforms already being implemented in the country following the initial recommendations submitted by the Special Rapporteur during his visit, as well as before the presentation of the current report.