Fair trial rights in criminal justice topic of ODIHR event in Belarus

Fair trial rights in criminal justice topic of ODIHR event in Belarus

International rule of law standards related to the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings was the topic of a training seminar organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) together with Belarusian judicial institutions on 6 June 2019 in Minsk.

International standards on procedural requirements, guarantees of the right to a fair trial, the principles of equality of arms in criminal proceedings and the right of victims and injured parties to legal assistance were the focus of this sixth in a series of seminars on rule of law issues. The seminars are part of the two-year, European Union-funded project Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus.

“The right to a fair trial is a crucial element of criminal justice based on the rule of law,” said Ghenadie Barba, Chief of the Rule of Law Unit at ODIHR. “The sharing of international standards and good practices of OSCE participating States in this regard plays an important role in promoting effective and human rights compliant criminal justice systems.”

The seminar was organized with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus and the Institute for Re-training and Continuing Education of Judges and Personnel of Prosecutor’s Offices, Courts and Justice Institutions (IRCE) at the Belarusian State University.

“Improving and strengthening the fairness of the national justice system is inextricably linked with the implementation of generally recognized international standards in this area,” said Ludmila Zaitseva, Head of the Prosecution Activity Department at IRCE.

The training event involved 30 participants (17 women and 13 men), most of them judges. In addition to the training of some 200 legal professionals during thematic seminars, the project’s activities will also include exchange visits on rule of law and other justice-related issues.