Tashkent, September 25, 2018 – The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, with assistance from the United States, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has launched a new interactive website that will serve as a one-stop portal for legal services related to divorce, the payment of alimony, property rights, and business issues. The United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Pamela Spratlen opened an event to launch the website.
Speaking at the event, the Ambassador Spratlen noted: “Ensuring transparency and citizens’ access to Uzbekistan’s judicial institutions promotes accountability, combats corruption, facilitates judicial independence, and builds public trust in government bodies.”
The court website is linked to the E-SUD (an Uzbek name for electronic courts) case management and E-XSUD document exchange systems that now allow citizens in Uzbekistan to electronically file legal documents. Supported by the United States, through the U.S. Agency for international Development (USAID) and UNDP, this system has increased transparency and independence in the judicial sector and reduced the number of courthouse visits, saved court personnel time, and reduced paperwork.
Users of the new website will be able to watch recorded videos of trials and utilize an interactive map of Uzbekistan’s courts with contact information. The site also includes a searchable bank of prior court cases, a calendar of court sessions with date, time, venue and case details, as well as samples of lawsuits and court applications and a state fee calculator, allowing website users to estimate their expenses. In addition to serving as a portal for legal services, the website will also begin broadcasting court proceedings in courts located in 12 remote pilot areas, with plans to expand the service to additional courts.
USAID has been working with UNDP and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan through the Rule of Law Project since 2014 to strengthen public access to and trust in Uzbekistan’s civil court system.
