Prosecutors perform an active role in criminal proceedings, including the institution of prosecution and, in some instances, in the investigation of crime, supervision over the legality of such investigations, supervision of the execution of court decisions and the exercise of other functions as representatives of the public interest.[1]
International standards set out guidelines and safeguards for the impartiality, functional independence, and accountability of prosecutors; they are described in greater detail in the sections that follow.[2]
- 1. UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors, Guideline 11.↵
Prosecutors shall perform an active role in criminal proceedings, including institution of prosecution and, where authorized by law or consistent with local practice, in the investigation of crime, supervision over the legality of these investigations, supervision of the execution of court decisions and the exercise of other functions as representatives of the public interest.
- 2. See for example UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors. See also International Commission of Jurists, International principles on the independence and accountability of judges, lawyers and prosecutors – Practitioners’ guide, no. 1 (2007), pp. 71-77.↵
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