Jun 17, 2015 | Events, News
Head of ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges & Lawyers, Matt Pollard, today moderated a side event on “Securing the independence and effectiveness of the Judiciary: European initiatives and perspectives in global context” at the UN Human Rights Council.
At the event, representatives of the Council of Europe highlighted the work of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE). The UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Ms Gabriela Knaul (from Brazil) reflected on the global relevance of European initiatives and institutions during her six years in the mandate.
Matt Pollard discussed the impact of Council of Europe standards and jurisprudence, both within Europe and in terms of global influence, from the perspective of civil society, as well as highlighting that standards and jurisprudence developed in other regions also present a rich source that European institutions should do more to draw on in their own work.
The interactive Panel discussion included extensive questions and comments from state delegations and civil society representatives in attendance at the event.
Panelists:
Mr. Georg Stawa, President of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, Council of Europe
Mr. Bart van Lierop, President of the Consultative Council of European Judges
Mrs. Gabriela Knaul, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers
Mr. Matt Pollard, Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, International Commission of Jurists (moderator)
This side event was organised by the Permanent Delegation of the Council of Europe to the UN Office in Geneva, with the co-sponsorship of Australia, Botswana, Hungary, Mexico as the main sponsors of the resolution on the independence of judges and lawyers
Jun 16, 2015 | News
On 17 June, the ICJ will observe proceedings before the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic concerning searches of the workplace and homes of lawyers Valerian Vakhitov and Khusanbay Salieyv by law enforcement agents.
The case concerns confidentiality of lawyer-client communications and seizure of lawyers’ files, in light of the prohibition of arbitrary interference with privacy, correspondence, and home.
The Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic is to consider the challenge of the Prosecutor’s Office to the decision of the Regional Osh Court of 30 April 2015.
The prosecutor also seeks disciplinary measures against the judges of the Regional Court who decided in favour of the protection of the professional guarantees of lawyers, ruling that the searches and seizures of documents were illegal.
The ICJ trial observation mission includes Olga Zimareva, a lawyer practicing in the Russian Federation and Almaz Osmanova, a lawyer in the Kyrgyz Republic and chair of the Central Asian League of Lawyers.
Following the conclusion of the case, the ICJ will publish its analysis of the proceedings and the judgment of the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic in light of international human rights law and international standards on the independence of the judiciary and the role of lawyers.
Contact:
Róisín Pillay, Director, Europe Programme, roisin.pillay(a)icj.org
Temur Shakirov, Legal Adviser, Europe Programme, temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Kyrgyzstan-Trial observation-News-Web story-2015-RUS (full text in PDF, Russian)
Jun 16, 2015
The ICJ presented a legal submission in the case Annagi Hajibeyli v. Azerbaijan and 28 other applications (Application no. 2204/11) to the European Court of Human Rights.
The submission concerns seizure of a lawyer’s documents of cases of his clients.
The submission focuses on international standards on the role of lawyers, including the obligation of non-interference with the work of lawyers and respect for lawyer-client confidentiality, as well as application of article 34 of the European Convention to the hindrance of the existence of the right to petition through interference with lawyers’ activities.
Azerbaijan-Hajibeyli v Azerbaijan final160615-Advocacy-legal submission-2015-ENG (full text in PDF)
Jun 10, 2015 | News
The ICJ today welcomed the decision of a Tunisian constitutional commission declaring a new law on the High Judicial Council (HJC) to be unconstitutional
Jun 10, 2015 | Communiqués de presse, Nouvelles
La CIJ s’est félicitée aujourd’hui de la décision d’une commission constitutionnelle tunisienne déclarant la nouvelle loi sur le Conseil supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM) inconstitutionnelle.
La CIJ a appelé en outre les autorités à saisir cette opportunité pour amender cette loi, la Loi Organique No. 16/2015 sur le CSM, afin de la mettre en pleine conformité avec les standards internationaux sur l’indépendance judiciaire.
Contact:
Theo Boutruche, Conseillé juridique à la CIJ pour le Moyen Orient et l’Afrique du Nord, tel: +96 170 888 961, e-mail: theo.boutruche(a)icj.org
Tunisia-Constitutionality of HJC law-News-Pressreleases 2015-FRE (Communiqué de presse complet en PDF)
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