Judges’ Association of Serbia: Government Not Allowed to Interfere with Work of Prosecutors

Judiciary (Pixabay)

The Judges’ Association of Serbia announced on Jan. 20, in response to recurrent media appearances of the highest governmental officials, that it is forbidden to, in any way, influence the work of the public prosecutors’ offices and procedures involving executive and legislative authorities, using one’s position and the media.

The association believes that this interference is done in the most debasing way, which leads the public to think that the judiciary system in Serbia is the exclusive culprit for crime and that the judges lack legal knowledge.

In addition, the announcement said, what is being pushed to the background is that the executive and legislative authorities are responsible for ensuring the appropriate technical and material equipment for the public prosecutors offices and courts; that the cases are equally distributed between the courts; that there are enough prosecution and judicial interns and assistants who would be paid for their work, and the passing of laws and acts which would establish a suitable functional link between the public prosecutors offices and the police.

“It is forbidden to use one’s position as a public official and make public statements that influence the course and outcome of judicial proceedings, or to influence and pressure, in any way, the participants in such proceedings; it is the duty of state officials to, with their actions and behavior, maintain trust in the judges’ and judicial system’s independence and impartiality,” the announcement said.

According to the association, these actions represent an unlawful undermining of trust and threaten the judiciary and public prosecutors’ independence and objectivity, while the judges and prosecutors are being intimidated and discouraged from doing their job professionally and without bias, while the citizens are urged to mistrust one of the three main government branches.

The Judges’ Association of Serbia demanded that the High Court Council, the State Prosecutors’ Council and the Serbian public prosecutor stop neglecting their constitutional duties pertaining to ensuring judges’ and prosecutors’ independence and begin performing their duties in accordance with the Constitution and laws.