Through a long-standing practice of providing legal aid assistance and other forms of activities aimed at upgrading human rights in Serbia, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM has realized the significance of observing and studying corruptive behaviour and its influence on sustaining fundamental rights and the rule of law within society.
After having organised series of discussions with judges, prosecutors and police representatives, independent regulative bodies, media and relevant non-governmental organisations in cities all over Serbia, we have identified several systematic disadvantages affecting criminal proceedings with to corruptive elements as well as regulations applying to them.
However, in order to compare the situation in this area of justice in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina YUCOM has started the cooperation with partner organisations Youth Initiative for Human Rights BH and Youth Initiative for Human Rights Croatia, and this way has expanded the network for monitoring trials with corruptive elements. Networking and strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and individuals is an attempt to create tenable and strong “front” which will, through the monitoring of trails, analyses of criminal procedures and objective and professional reports, give a powerful incentive to justice in suppressing corruption and enhancing the rule of law in the region.
We have realized that the monitoring of the work of the judiciary representatives and incitement to close communication and coordinated action of all engaged subjects in combating corruption, is a scope in which civil society can be a corrective factor and a partner to judiciary as well as to other state mechanisms in the fight against corruption. As a result of our efforts we wanted to present to the broader public a different, more professional data base in order to create a legitimate attitude about the responsibility of representatives of the judiciary, which would reduce sensationalistic, popular and politically motivated reporting within the media. Nevertheless, as the main contribution, we also consider the urge to motivate the ones who have the responsibility to detect, prosecute, trail and punish these corruptive deeds. We want to remind them that they are allies in the process of supressing corruption and that they enjoy a strong support by civil society.
