Ak Sakaldar Sotu

I just want to start off by saying two things. First, the video I have posted has absolutely nothing to do with what I am writing about. I just discovered I have a movie making feature on my laptop and I am going to start using it and now that I have a decent internet connection, I will try and put up more videos, if anybody still reads this thing, anyway. Second, I really don’t have any problem with old people, regardless of what the next few paragraphs might lead one to believe. I think old people can be or do anything they want to be or do when they grow up.
Kyrgyzstan is a land of tradition. Unscathed by wrath of war, religion, and technology, it has become a society that is struggling to merge the old and the new. The skyscrapers of Bishkek clash with yurts right next door. One of the places that this striking dichotomy can be seen is, strangely enough, in the legal system. All lawyer jokes aside (even the one about the penguin and gonorrhea), Kyrgyzstan is having a serious problem bringing its traditional legal system up to date with the demands of a modern, market economy.
The tradition that can be said to be the microcosm of Kyrgyzstan’s growing pains is the Ak Sakaldar Cotu. Literally translated it means “White Beard’s Court” (I guess that requires some explaining. “Ak Sakal” or white beard is a respected term given to elderly men). This court is used primarily in rural villages where access to professional legal service, either public or private, is extremely limited. In the system, villages select an old sage to help settle legal disputes among members of the community. Usually the judge is elected, though sometimes successors are handpicked. Often these “judges” have absolutely no legal training or knowledge, though they do have legitimate power in the Kyrgyz judicial system.
The problems that can arise are pretty obvious from the start: How does this judge know the law? What happens if he makes a mistake? How can you be a judge when you are related to everyone in the village? These are all excellent questions and that is the heart of what Peace Corps would refer to as my “Secondary Project.”
Along with a local lawyer friend named Ak Jol, I am organizing a training session for these men to help them understand the intricacies of Kyrgyz law, or at least all that can be taught in a three day seminar. In addition to state and county judges, I will be having legal experts from Bishkek coming to speak about important issues facing the Ak Sakaldar Sotu court and how to make the system better. We are also setting up a small resource center (a couple of books at the most) in each one of the rayon’s (think county) eleven government offices. With any luck, these wise, old men will have a little knowledge next time they enter a court/living room to make their judgements.