Sovereignty and rule of law – the role of the courts in postpandemic era
30th of March 2022
moderator: judge Bogdan Jędrys (Association of Polish Judges „Iustitia”)
Zoom link below!
7:00 – 7:10 PM, CET OPENING SPEECH
Continue reading TONIGHT ONLINE – The March of a Thousand Gowns two years later
Together with basically the rest of the world we are deeply shocked by the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The human rights of people across Ukraine are put at grave risk.
Judges for Judges specifically expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian colleagues and Ukrainian citizens who have contributed to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine over the last years.
We encourage everybody to help and support the victims of this war in any way possible. Continue reading Solidarity with the Ukrainian colleagues and Ukrainian citizens
The Board of the Polish Judges Association Iustitia has received with highest indignation the news on the suspension of Judge Joanna Hetnarowicz-Sikora for a judicial decision. This action, undertaken during court session, when she was forbidden to enter the courtroom, has placed the judge alongisde criminals, insulting her dignity and undermining her professional credibility. Initiation of disciplinary proceedings for a judicial decision by the deputy Disciplinary Prosecutor Michał Lasota and the order to suspend the judge issued by the Minister of Justice-Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro, executed by the president of the District Court in Słupsk Agnieszka Leszkiewicz constitute a direct infringement of the decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 14 July 2021 (case C-204/21) and of 15 July 2021 (case C-791/19), stating that it is forbidden to hold judges responsible for their judicial decisions, including the examination of a status of a judge, as disciplinary delicts. Continue reading Resolution of the Board of the Polish Judges Association Iustitia of 9 February 2022, concerning the suspension of Judge Joanna Hetnarowicz-Sikora
Ofschoon op het eerste gezicht de zorgen van onze Franse collega’s in het niet vallen bij wat er in bedreigde rechtsstaten als Polen gaande is, is ook daar de situatie verre van rooskleurig.
Op 23 augustus 2021 pleegde een jonge rechter, Charlotte G., zelfmoord. Zij maakte deel uit van wat wij de vliegende brigade zouden noemen. Haar naaste collega’s twijfelden er niet aan dat het de aanhoudende werkdruk was geweest die haar had doen besluiten om uit het leven te stappen. De verontwaardiging hierover werd allengs breder gedeeld. Charlotte was immers bepaald niet de enige voor wie doorwerken in de weekenden en vakanties eerder regel dan uitzondering was. Continue reading Ondertussen in Frankrijk
Murat Arslan, the President of YARSAV (the dissolved Turkish Association of Judges and Prosecutors) and awarded with the Václav-Havel Human Rights prize in 2017, has written this letter to the President of Judges for Judges. He has been detained since October 2016 and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. His case is now pending before the Constitutional Court in Turkey. Continue reading Letter from Judge Murat Arslan
On 3rd January 2022, the Platform for Turkey, represented by the Presidents of the 4 main European Associations of Judges (Association of European Administrative Judges, AEAJ; the European Association of Judges, EAJ; Judges for Judges and Magistrates Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés, MEDEL), addressed a Letter to the members of the European Commission and European Council, demanding action to restore the Rule of Law in Turkey and to end the witch-hunt against judges. Continue reading Letter to the members of the European Commission and European Council
On December 21st, the Presidents of the 4 European Associations of Judges (Association of European Administrative Judges, AEAJ; the European Association of Judges, EAJ; Judges for Judges and Magistrates Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés, MEDEL) drafted a letter concerning the precarious situation – with specific risk of death – of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and human rights activists in Afghanistan.
The letter was sent to the German Federal Minister of Justice. Continue reading Letter to German Federal Minister of Justice
The Kharkiv Court of Appeal has overturned the acquittal of a former Poltava deputy mayor who offered a bribe to Oktyabrsky District Court Judge Larysa Holnyk. The victory for those fighting corruption is partial and belated, but important, nonetheless, since up till now it was Judge Holnyk who suffered persecution for blowing the whistle on high-level corruption.
The events in question were back in 2014, when the then president of the Oktyabrsky District Court, Oleksandr Strukov passed a case to Holnyk involving an alleged administrative offence (under Article 172-7 of the Code of Administrative Offences) by the Mayor of Poltava Oleksandr Mamay. He was accused of having concealed a conflict of interest over a decision by the City Council on land distribution (in which the beneficiary was his step-daughter). Continue reading Ukraine finally stops persecuting whistle-blower judge, and rules against corruption
Polish judges Maciej Ferek of the Regional Court in Kraków and Agnieszka Niklas-Bibik of the Regional Court in Słupsk were suspended, because they refused to recognise decisions made by judges appointed with involvement of the politicised National Council of the Judiciary.
The Good Lobby Profs have written letters of support to Judge Ferek and to Judge Niklas-Bibik, which Judges for Judges is proud to share and endorse.
Continue reading Letters of support for suspended Polish judges
The Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court of Poland is to be liquidated at the insistence of the European Union. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has seized this opportunity to propose a revolutionary reform of the entire Supreme Court. In a quartet of articles, Rzeczpospolita explains and criticizes this plan – that in its wake may reshuffle the judiciary as a whole.
Continue reading Drastic overhaul of Polish Supreme Court proposed