Two Serbian Radical Party politicians are refusing to travel to The Hague to face contempt-of-court proceedings after the UN court revoked its decision to allow a trial in Belgrade because witnesses said they feared for their safety.
In a letter, published today, that the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights addressed on May 7, 2019, to the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, Nela Kuburovic, the authorities have been recalled to reconsider the Draft law introducing a sentence of lifelong imprisonment eligibility for conditional release for persons convicted of some of the gravest crimes.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights YUCOM organized the conference “Challenges of Integrating the Judiciary in Kosovo – The Effects of the Agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on Access to Justice” with the aim of presenting the publication “Integration of the Judiciary in the Context of Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and the EU Accession Process”. The publication has presented a unique overview of the implementation and effects of the Justice Agreement reached within the Brussels dialogue, as well as the fulfillment of all related activities that Serbia has undertaken in the process of accession to the European Union, through Chapters 23 and 35. The publication is the result of the project “Towards Stronger Judiciary through Citizens’ Monitoring” which has been implemented with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade and the Balkan Trust for Democracy.
The publication “Integration of the Judiciary in the Context of Belgrade-Prishtina Dialogue and the Process of Joining the European Union – Report on the Implementation and Effects of the Justice Agreement” represents the first comprehensive findings on the implementation of the Justice Agreement that resulted from the dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina, under the auspices of the European Union. The report is a result of the project “Towards Stronger Judiciary through Citizens’ Monitoring”, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade and the Balkan Trust for Democracy.
The “Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan for Chapter 23 – Implementation of Measures related to the Judiciary” includes the monitoring of the implementation of those measures contained within the Action Plan that relate to constitutional changes, budget competencies of judicial councils, the disciplinary and ethical responsibility of judges and public prosecutors, and the automatic allocation of cases. This report is the result of the project “Towards Stronger Judiciary through Citizens’ Monitoring”, supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade and the Balkan Trust for Democracy.
Marija Maljan and Momcilo Zivadinovic from Lawyers Committee for Human Rights YUCOM and Bogdan Krasic from Belgrade Center for Human Rights are taking part in the final DRIM conference in Zagreb, which gathered representatives of institutions and organizations from 8 countries of the Danube region: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights expresses concern over the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia, published on the website of the Ministry of Justice, which, as it was announced in the media, will be presented at the spring sitting of the National Assembly. The representatives of the legal profession in all areas – judges, prosecutors, lawyers, NGOs have come out in a clear and public opposition…
Legal capacity is a basic precondition for exercising other rights, and deprivation of legal capacity brings with it huge consequences for the daily life and freedom of persons with disabilities. Deprivation of legal capacity practically leads to “civil death” and deprives a person of basic human rights, which endangers his autonomy. Complete deprivation of legal capacity completely excludes any possibility of deciding and disposing of one’s rights.
Legal capacity is the fundamental prerequisite to realizing all other rights, and deprivation of legal capacity carries with itself enormous consequences to the everyday life and freedom of persons with disabilities. Deprivation of legal capacity practically leads to “civil death”, and deprives basic human rights to a person, thus endangering his/her autonomy. Complete deprivation of legal capacity fully excludes any possibility for decision making and enjoying of someone’s rights.
Developed, democratic countries, where media freedom exists, don’t have media strategies. The fact that there are problems in Serbia today when it comes to introducing the Media strategy also speaks to the fact that a big change is necessary, the President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Katarina Golubovic, pointed out.