Rape Case Puts Kyrgyz 'Courts Of Elders' In Spotlight

When the family of an alleged rapist was expelled from a Kyrgyz village, the case cast a spotlight on the role of a special judicial institution -- the Courts of Elders. The suspect is in police custody while a regular criminal investigation continues, but a gathering of elders has already reached its own verdict. These local village courts were instituted by a law passed in 2002 and have been increasingly active in recent years.