At a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation of the Jogorku Kenesh, Deputy Nurlanbek Azygaliev raised a question about the availability of state lawyers in each district. Deputy Minister of Justice Orozbek Sydykov reported that currently, there are 460 lawyers in the country providing guaranteed state legal assistance.
Sydykov noted that lawyers should actively work in the regions, but this depends on their personal desire. For example, in some districts, such as Jumgal and Ak-Taal, there are not even private lawyers. In Chon-Alai, there are also no lawyers, while in densely populated areas like Nookat and Alai, there is only one lawyer for each. According to him, in international practice, there is 1 lawyer for every 300 people in the USA, while in Europe this figure ranges from 500 to 2000 people. In Kyrgyzstan, however, this number is 1 lawyer for every 27,000 residents.
According to Sydykov, in 2025, 140 million soms were allocated from the budget for lawyers to participate in detentions, interrogations, and other procedural actions.
“There are rates approved by the state, which include daytime, evening, and weekend rates. The state pays fees to lawyers, and although people say they are unpaid, in reality, their fees are paid by the Ministry of Justice from the state budget. At the same time, the fee amounts correspond to market prices. If a lawyer acts in the interests of the opposing party, they may be removed from the register and held accountable by the ethics commission, up to losing their license,” the deputy minister added.
