Category Archives: Activiteiten

Disciplinary proceedings against Bulgarian judge Miroslava Todorova: implications for judicial independence

In a report published today, Judges for Judges and the ICJ analyze disciplinary proceedings against Bulgarian Judge Miroslava Todorova in relation to international standards on judicial independence and accountability.

On 12 July 2012, the Supreme Judicial Council of Bulgaria dismissed Judge Miroslava Todorova, at that time a judge of the Sofia City Court and Chairperson of the Bulgarian Judges Association, on the grounds that she was responsible for delays in a number of cases. Subsequently, Judges for Judges and the ICJ followed the disciplinary proceedings against Todorova and sent trial observers to Sofia on two occasions, in May 2013 and November 2014.

In their findings, the ICJ and Judges for Judges do not address whether, and if so which, disciplinary sanctions may have been appropriate in this case. They note, however, that the disciplinary proceedings concerned delays, constituting judicial misconduct, in a context where according to many internal and external observers the workload between the courts is divided unevenly and may be very high for some.

The two organizations also note that, as the second three-judge panel pointed out, the overall organization of the workflow was never properly considered in considering and reaching a determination in the disciplinary case. With the quashing of the second three-judge panel’s decision, likewise other relevant circumstances were not taken into account. Furthermore, the report finds, disciplinary practice in Bulgaria is deficient in respect of its lack of predictability and consistency, and doubts expressed by many observers as to the independence of the Judicial Service Council muddy the waters further. The 2013 amendments to the legal framework only partially served to remedy the disciplinary practice’s deficiencies. In particular, a full right of defence that includes the opportunity for the defendant to address all arguments and evidence remained wanting at the time of the Todorova proceedings.

In the report, the ICJ and Judges for Judges also note the animosity towards Todorova from certain quarters in the Executive and SJC for her activities as the chair of the BJA in defence of judicial independence. Under the circumstances, there is an appearance that the disciplinary proceedings against Todorova were instituted and pursued selectively, and the system of the disciplinary proceedings in Bulgaria does not provide sufficient safeguards to dispel this appearance.
The disciplinary proceedings against Todorova demonstrate why it is crucial that accountability mechanisms be independent not only in theory but in practice, and for such mechanisms to be in some way themselves publicly accountable.

Bulgaria-The case of Todorova-Publications-Reports-Trial observation reports (full report, in PDF).

For additional background, see:

ICJ Practitioners Guide no 13, Judicial Accountability (2016, in PDF)

and more generally:

ICJ Practitioners Guide No 1, International Principles on the Independence and Accountability of Judges, Lawyers and Prosecutors (2007, in PDF)

Platform for an Independent Judiciary in Turkey: “Independence of the judiciary is abolished.”

 

 

The assessment of the status of the justice system in Turkey clearly proves that the independence of the judiciary is abolished. The Platform for an Independent Judiciary in Turkey refers to its previous declarations and to the attached summary on the developments and their results. It is urgent to return to the rule of law and to bring back to the Turkish people the fundamental rights of which they had been deprived.

The Platform urges

I.) the Turkish authorities
• to end the pressure which is directly exercised on Turkish judges and prosecutors, who are in charge of the procedures subsequent to the terrible attempt of the coup d´etat, and indirectly by influencing the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors;
• to reestablish the procedural rules, which are necessary to guarantee a fair procedure;
• to make the observation of the court hearings by international observers possible;
• to guarantee that the European Prison Rules (CM Rec(2006)2) are obeyed in all detention centres and to hold accountable those who have violated them;
• release the unduly detained judges and prosecutors and to return the unduly seized assets of these persons;
• to annul the dissolution of the only independent judges association: YARSAV;

II.) the Council of Europe and the European Union
• to convince the Turkish authorities to fulfill the above mentioned requirements, which are based on common European values;
• to carefully follow the developments regarding the Turkish justice system;
• to establish mechanism and support initiatives which make international trial-observation missions possible.

Edith Zeller m.p.
President of the Association of European Administrative Judges (AEAJ)

José Igreja Matos m.p.
President of the European Association of Judges (EAJ)

Tamara Trotman m.p.
President of Judges for Judges

Gualtiero Michelini m.p.
President of Magistrats Européens pour la Democratie et les Libertés (MEDEL)

Chair Judges for Judges interviewed for Bulgarian newspaper

Interview CapitalDuring the last weekend of November 2016 the Bulgarian Judges Association organised a conference within the framework of the Project ‘Creating a favourable environment for an independent judiciary in Bulgaria’.

Our chair was invited as a guest speaker and was interviewed afterwards by journalist Mirela Veselinova of the newspaper Capital.

This interview was published on the website of Capital (click here) and on the Legalworld website (click here).

The final conference will be held on March 17th 2017 in Sofia.

Problems in Bulgaria are not dissimilar to those in Swaziland

Tamara Trotman is a judge at the Appellate Court of The Hague in the Netherlands and Chair of the Dutch-based foundation Judges for Judges.
At the end of November, Tamara Trotman visited Bulgaria as a guest speaker at a conference organised by the Bulgarian Judges Association within the framework of the Project ‘Creating a favourable environment for an independent judiciary in Bulgaria’, implemented in co-operation with the Dutch Association for the Judiciary (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Rechtspraak, NvvR). In her presentation, dedicated to judicial solidarity, Justice Trotman spoke about several cases of pressure being put on judges in different countries in Europe which have come to the attention of the foundation Judges for Judges.

Read more: click here to read the full interview and click here to read the additional text (both in English, translation: Boryana DESHEVA).

Word actief!

Rechters voor Rechters zoekt nieuwe mensen om een aantal landenteams te versterken en om vertaalwerk te verrichten. Word nu actief!

Inmiddels is het aantal landen waar RR zich mee bezig houdt flink uitgebreid. Dit betekent een groei aan activiteiten voor de stichting. Om zich actief te kunnen blijven inzetten voor de rechters-in-problemen in de verschillende landen heeft RR meer menskracht nodig.

RR zoekt op dit moment specifiek naar:

  • iemand die het (met name virtuele) secretariaat kan komen versterken;
  • mensen die zich willen bezighouden met de situatie van de rechterlijke macht in Polen;
  • mensen die het (zo mogelijk ook juridisch) Arabisch machtig zijn;
  • mensen die het (zo mogelijk ook juridisch) Turks machtig zijn;
  • mensen die het (zo mogelijk ook juridisch) Georgisch machtig zijn;
  • zij zullen met name worden gevraagd om artikelen op internet/tweets te scannen op interessante informatie voor onze Stichting en deze zo nodig te vertalen. Ook mensen die (slechts) incidenteel vertaalwerk willen verrichten worden van harte uitgenodigd om zich aan te melden. U hoeft geen officiële opleiding te hebben genoten.

Als hier iets bij zit dat u aanspreekt of als u zich anderszins actief zou willen inzetten voor RR, dan kunt u ons een berichtje sturen via het emailadres [info@rechtersvoorrechters.nl], zo mogelijk onder vermelding van kennis over, ervaring met of interesse in een land of regio waaraan u aandacht zou willen besteden.
Indien u rechters en/of raadsheren kent die geïnteresseerd (zouden kunnen) zijn in het werk van de Stichting, schroomt u dan ook niet om hen over ons werk in te lichten.

Interview met Tamara Trotman in Hofplein

Rechters zijn er voor iedereen. Daar weten we alles van… Maar zijn zij er ook voor rechters?

Een aantal bevlogen rechters is dat in elk geval wel. Zij zetten zich in voor collega’s in het buitenland, die in moeilijkheden zijn of dreigen te komen vanwege hun werk. Wij weten allemaal wat er in Turkije is gebeurd, waar na de mislukte coup in juli – onder meer – duizenden rechters zonder enige vorm van proces zijn ontslagen en vastgezet. Maar ook in Venezuela, in Oekraïne, in Servië, in Swaziland, in Suriname (om een helemaal niet uitputtende opsomming te geven) is het nog niet zo eenvoudig, ja zelfs gevaarlijk gebleken om het rechterlijk vak onafhankelijk en onpartijdig uit te oefenen…


Klik hier
om het hele interview in Hofplein (nieuwsbulletin van het Gerechtshof Den Haag) te lezen.

Open letter of the European Judges Associations to the Turkish Society (Avrupa Yargıç Derneklerinden Türk kamuoyuna açık mektup)

AEAJ

European Association of JudgesR4RMedel

 

On 7th of November 2016 the Turkish newspaper Sabah wrote that the European Association of Judges and named European national judges associations and individual European judges were supporting terrorists.

Nothing could be further away from the truth: The European Association of Judges and its national member associations have condemned the failed coup right after it occurred and continued to do so. A military coup can never be acceptable in a democratic society and in a state under the rule of law. Those responsible for the coup must be brought to justice.

Continue reading Open letter of the European Judges Associations to the Turkish Society (Avrupa Yargıç Derneklerinden Türk kamuoyuna açık mektup)

Press conference Platform for an independent Judiciary in Turkey

AEAJ

European Association of JudgesR4RMedel

 

 

Europe, 30th September, 2016

Press Release

The « Platform for an independent Judiciary in Turkey » composed of all four European judges associations invites the members of the international press to a press conference on:

The situation of the Turkish justice system before and after the coup d’etat
How to restore the rule of law in Turkey?

This press conference will take

on 11th October 2016 at 14:00
in the Palais de Justice of Brussels
Place Poelaert
1000 Brussels – BELGIUM

Edith Zeller, President of the European Association of Administrative Judges
Christophe Régnard, President of the European Association of Judges (EAJ)
Tamara Trotman, President of Judges for Judges
Gualtiero Michelini, President of Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés (MEDEL)

Contacts:

AEAJ:Vlag Turkije
AEM: secretariat@iaj-uim.org; c.regnard@union-syndicale-magistrats.org
J4J:
MEDEL:

Platform for an Independent Judiciary in Turkey sent letter to HSYK

The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (HSYK) is currently dealing with the removal and dismissal of 3.500 judges and prosecutors who are suspended and under criminal investigation. A majority of this group is presently detained.

The Platform for an Independent Judiciary sent out a letter to the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey urging the Council to apply and to observe the relevant international and European standards on judicial independence when it decides on the question of dismissal on the judges.

After all any sanctions taken without first properly investigating and evidencing allegations of wrong doing of each concerned judge are not in line with these standards.