International Commission of Jurists
The immunity of judges in Italy

The immunity of judges in Italy

Nov 13, 1987 | News

Following the 8 November 1987 referendum abolishing the law limiting the civil responsibility of judges, the ICJ have urged the Italian authorities in drafting new legislation to respect UN standards of judicial independence.

In a letter to Mr. GIuliano Vassalli, Italian Minister of Justice, the two organisations drew attention to the U.N. Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, which the General Assembly has called on governments to respect and to take into account in their national legislation. The Principles provide that while a judge may be subject to appropriate disciplinary procedure for wrongful acts, and while an aggrieved individual may seek compensation from the state, “judges should enjoy personal immunity from civil suits for monetary damages for improper acts or omissions in the exercise of their judicial functions.”

The two organisations, which work with judges and lawyers worldwide to promote the Rule of Law and the independence of the judiciary, consider that the immunity of Judges from personal liability is an essential safeguard of judicial independence.

ICJ concerned by recent events in Ghana

ICJ concerned by recent events in Ghana

Oct 11, 1961 | Advocacy, Open letters

The ICJ has sent a cable to President Nkrumah of Ghana concerning reports of arrests, it was announced today.

Sir Leslie Munro, the Secretary-General of the Commission, stated that the Commission has learned with “profound concern” of recent reports of the arrest of leading lawyers and a large number of other persons and “in view of the disquiet these reports are having on the world legal community” requested information concerning the charges against those arrested.

The Rule of law in the Federal Republic of Germany

The Rule of law in the Federal Republic of Germany

Dec 1, 1958 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions

A statement by the German national section of the International Commission of Jurists, published by the ICJ.

The statement consists of answers to a series of questions. The questions were posed by the ICJ and answered on behalf of the German section by ten of its prominent members.

The questions cover the following themes:

  1. Administrative authorities and the law
  2. The legislative and the law
  3. The judiciary and the law
  4. The legal profession and the law
  5. The individual and the legal process.

Germany-rule of law-non-legal submission-1958-eng (full text in English, PDF)

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