Judge Matthew Williams gave a lecture to students of AUCA on Capital Punishment

September 23, 2014

Judge Matthew Williams gave a lecture to students of AUCA sharing his experience of conducting jury trials in the United States with Kyrgyz judges and court officials, law students, law professors, and the Ministry of Justice. He met with key members of the legal community, gave presentations to student groups and legal professionals, and conduct a mock trial demonstrating U.S. jury trial procedures at the American University in Central Asia on September 25th.

Judge Williams is a King County District Court Judge in Washington State, which includes the city of Seattle. He has over 20 years of experience in U.S. law as a judge, prosecutor, private attorney, and law professor.

Jury trials for certain crimes will commence in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2015. Drawing on his extensive background, Judge Williams will seek to encourage a constructive dialogue among the Kyrgyz legal community that will facilitate successful implementation of jury trials that respect the rights of all citizens while serving justice with fairness, transparency, and equality.

At the lecture students of AUCA had a Q&A session with Judge Matthew Williams, and at the end of the lecture students of AUCA had the opportunity to make a group photo with Judge Williams.