The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan has launched its new official website (www.sud.uz), developed through the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The fully-interactive site provides comprehensive information and interactive services, and enhanced user data security for Uzbekistan’s citizens.

Launched today, the new interactive website of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan will play a major role in further enhancing the accessibility and transparency of the national courts system. It represents the latest collaboration between USAID, UNDP and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan in incorporating ICT into the national justice system.

The website has been designed as a one-stop portal for legal services, and as such it is fully incorporated with the existing legal system and compatible with the on-going reform processes. It has been linked to the E-SUD case management and E-XSUD document exchange systems meaning that submitted documents can be directly shared with relevant legal professionals.

Significantly, the website will also allow for the online broadcasting of all categories of cases. This service is so far only available to 12 pilot courts in remote areas but plans are in place to make the service, and the resulting transparency, more broadly available. It is noteworthy that visitors will be able to watch recorded videos of trials on the site’s video archive.

As international experience indicates, sound and video recordings of court sessions have been successfully implemented in many countries around the world. However, only a few countries have managed to launch online broadcasting of trials through open access. In this context a new interactive tool is the best illustration of Uzbekistan’s commitment to making courts more transparent and accessible to judicial system end-users. This will contribute to the successful implementation of the Actions Strategy and Agenda 2030 in terms of access and quality of rule of law, access to justice for all, respect, protection and fulfillment of human rights. These kind of interactive tools are also very important in improving ranking of Uzbekistan in Doing Business.

Other key, public-facing website features include:

• An interactive map of Uzbekistan’s courts, containing location and contact information, and the banking information necessary for paying state fees.
• A court decision bank, allowing for the searching of court cases by case number, names of parties involved and case categories, with all updating processes being fully automated.
• A schedule and calendar of court sessions with date, time and venue information, and case category details.
• Examples of lawsuits and court applications, giving citizens examples of what successful applications and lawsuits look like, and thereby improving their legal knowledge and awareness.
• A state fee calculator, allowing visitors to calculate their expected fees without needing to call or visit courts or legal offices.

The website is expected to be updated and enhanced on a regular basis, with upcoming changes being announced through its communication channels.