Judicial Accountability In Developing Countries PDF Download

"On 8 and 9 October 2015, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) held a consultation meeting in Tunis on the topic of judicial accountability. The focus was on mechanisms and procedures for holding judges to account for involvement in violations of human rights, judicial corruption or similar judicial misconduct, in developing countries. The meeting was organised by the ICJ Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) in the context of a broader project on accountability of judges. The forms of accountability covered by the project include among other things, procedures that can impose professional, civil or criminal consequences for individual judges, mechanisms for truth-seeking, remedy and reparation for victims, and ensuring compliance of domestic law with international obligations. The ICJ will publish a Practitioners' Guide on Judicial Accountability in 2016. The Practitioners Guide will draw on the Tunis consultation, the 2015 Geneva Forum of Judges and Lawyers (to be convened 14-15 December), as well as research conducted by the ICJ. The Guide will document selected national practices and international standards and make recommendations for effective accountability mechanisms and procedures, capable of securing both judicial independence and judicial integrity. While all countries have responsibilities to combat corruption and prevent and respond to human rights violations, it is widely recognised that the negative impacts of corruption on human rights are deepest and most widespread in developing countries. Similarly, many countries undergoing or which have recently undergone a transition from repressive to democratic regimes--a situation with particular relevance to judicial accountability--are developing countries. The Tunis meeting offered the opportunity for judges, researchers and other professionals with expertise in justice systems in a wide range of developing countries from Africa, South America and the MENA region, to exchange views and experiences on the topic. Drawing from their professional experience, knowledge and personal opinion, the participants discussed types of accountability mechanisms, their efficiency, and the main challenges faced in pursuing judicial accountability and potential ways to overcome them in developing countries. The discussions took place on the understanding that the views expressed were personal and would not be attributed to particular participants; some country identification has also been excluded from this summary report where it would be likely to indirectly identify the speaker. This report offers a thematic summary of the discussions held over the course of the two days meeting, and also includes annexes with the list of participants (annex I), and questions for reflection, provided to the participants in advance of the meeting (annex II)."--Page 1.