If Moldova continues to be fined by ECHR it could cause disappointment in the judicial system – Vladmir Ristovski

The Government of Moldova, until now has been fined by the European Court of Human Rights in over 55 cases and obliged to pay pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages of about EUR 700 thousand. If this trend continues, it could cause disappointment and lack of confidence in the judicial system, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Chisinau, Vladimir Ristovski told the roundtable “Instruction in the field of human rights: achievements, problems, prospects” on April 19, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ristovski expressed his conviction that only the permanent commitment to create an impartial and efficient judicial system can contribute to the proper implementation of the right to fair trial, as laid down in the article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights. According to the European official, the judicial independence presumes legal contacts which prevent influence on judges and prosecutors but also accountable behaviour. “In this sense, apart from the training aspect, I would like to mention the crucial importance of the procedure and criteria for selection and appointment of judges and prosecutors, the system for their evaluation and promotion, the random distribution of cases etc. The appropriate functioning of the judicial institutions based on the principles of independence and accountability is recognised all over Europe as a prerequisite for consolidation of peoples’ confidence in justice”, Ristovski added. The participants to the roundtable evaluated the impact of the training courses for the representatives of the judicial system in human rights, organised last year and supported by the CoE and the European Commission (EC). Minister of Justice Vitalie Parlog, former representative of Moldova to the ECHR, emphasised the importance of training in the field of justice, mentioning that the laws of Moldova are good, but their implementation could be better. According to Parlog, all the cases lost at the ECHR prove that there are gaps in the process of instructing judges who, according to the ministry, “are not applying the laws correctly”. At the same time, Parlog hopes that the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which was recently created, will prove its efficiency in short time and will contribute, together with the Ministry of Justice, to “teaching professionalism among judges”. The roundtable brought together judges, lawyers, CoE experts, representatives of the NGOs and international projects. The roundtable “Instruction in the field of human rights: achievements, problems, prospects” was organised by NIJ in concert with the Ministry of Justice and with financial support of the Council of Europe.