During the meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, State Structure, Local Self-Government, and Regulations of the Jogorku Kenesh, Deputy Nurlanbek Azygaliev asked about the availability of state lawyers in every region of the country. Deputy Minister of Justice Orozbek Sydykov reported that currently, 460 lawyers provide guaranteed state legal assistance in Kyrgyzstan.
“We strongly encourage lawyers to work in the regions; however, this depends on their personal desire. For example, in areas such as Jumgal and Ak-Talaa, there are even no private lawyers. There are also no lawyers in Chon-Alai. In densely populated areas like Nookat and Alai, there is only one lawyer for the entire district. For comparison, in the USA, there is one lawyer for every 300 people, while in Europe, this figure ranges from 500 to 2000 people, whereas in Kyrgyzstan, there is one lawyer for every 27,000 citizens,” he noted.
According to Sydykov's information, in 2025, 140 million soms were allocated from the budget for lawyers to participate in detentions and interrogations.
“There are state tariffs that include daily, evening, and holiday rates. It is the Ministry of Justice that pays lawyers' fees from the state budget. People sometimes say that lawyers work for free, but this is not true — their services are paid for, and the fee amounts are at market price levels. If a lawyer acts in the interests of the opposing party, they may be removed from the register and held accountable before the ethics commission, up to losing their license,” added the Deputy Minister.
