OSCE Mission to Serbia supports an independent judiciary
Judicial independence in Serbia was the main topic of discussion at the OSCE Mission to Serbia conference held in Belgrade on 18 June 2014.
Some 60 international and Serbian senior-level judicial officials exchanged views on international standards of judicial independence, its visibility in the everyday work of judges, and ways to guarantee it.
“An individual’s basic human right to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial can only be assured if the case is adjudicated by independent and impartial judges,” said Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard. “This conference forms part of the efforts the OSCE is undertaking, together with our Serbian partners, to strengthen judicial independence, so that this right becomes a reality for all people in Serbia.”
President of the Supreme Court of Cassation, Dragomir Milojevic said: “We are in the process of adopting key rules to ensure an independent judiciary and establish an evaluation system for judges. This will decrease the influence of the executive branch, because judicial independence is the foundation of democracy which is based on the principle of division of power into the legislative, executive and judicial branches. In that I see the importance of this conference.”
UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul underlined that judicial independence is an indispensable element of the right to due process, the rule of law and democracy. “In their decision making, judges should be independent and impartial and able to act without any restriction, improper influence, pressure, threat or interference, direct or indirect, from any authority, including authorities internal to the judiciary,” said Knaul.