In close collaboration with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Academy of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department held a training on seeking electronic evidence across borders from October 24 to 27 in Tashkent, says a press release from OSCE.
The United Nations Practical Guide on Requesting Electronic Evidence across Borders served as the foundation for the training, which was collaboratively developed by the UNODC, Interpol, and the OSCE with funding assistance from the European Union.
Participants represented the Supreme Court, National Cybersecurity Centre, State Security Service, General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and their respective Academies.
The modules of the course covered the avenues for police-to-police cooperation as well as the methods for requesting digital evidence from service providers centered in foreign states, including queries for preservation, voluntary disclosure, emergency disclosure, and reciprocal legal assistance. The significance of upholding fundamental liberties and human rights across all of these processes was also covered in the training.
Following the three-day workshop, there was a one-day roundtable where participants and specialists addressed potential adjustments to the operational processes of the criminal justice institutions of Uzbekistan to enhance their ability to receive electronic evidence from outside.
The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan’s Deputy Director of the International Legal Department, Nosim Hodzhaev, explained that an increasing number of illegal operations are now either totally committed through or helped by digital technology. As a result, electronic evidence is growing to be an essential component of all criminal investigations. The ability to access electronic evidence from overseas is crucial for Uzbekistan’s capacity to effectively handle crime and uphold the rule of law, given the majority of Internet service providers are headquartered in foreign nations.
Evgeniy Kolenko, the head of the General Prosecutor’s Office Academy, also mentioned this and emphasized the value of the training.
The OSCE and UNODC had conducted a similar training in Kyrgyzstan last month, and other sessions are scheduled in other OSCE member states in Central Asia. The United States of America, Germany, and the Republic of Korea provided funding for the “Capacity Building on Combating Cybercrime in Central Asia” extra-budgetary initiative, which included this training.
