Judges and Prosecutors Warn EU That Judicial Independence Is Under Threat in Serbia

court gavel (Photo: Pixabay.com)

An informal group of judges and prosecutors known as Odbrana Struke (In Defense of the Profession) addressed European institutions on Dec. 26 to share concerns over political pressures and a number of other problems which, they said were affecting the judiciary in Serbia.

“We have sent a letter to Members of the European Parliament, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, the European Union’s enlargement commissioner, the European Commission, the Venice Commission, and the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia regarding the existence of serious risks to the independence of the judiciary and the autonomy of prosecutors in Serbia, including continuous political pressure, public attacks and attempts to intimidate holders of judicial office, and to notify them of the normative and institutional strategies that deviate from constitutional guarantees and European standards,” the judges and prosecutors said.

The group cautioned that five judicial laws had fast-tracked to Parliament at the proposal of Serbian Progressive Party MP Ugljesa Mrdic, without being made available to the public. They warned that “the proposed amendments have been designed to covertly strengthen the position of certain judicial offices, primarily the offices of court presidents and chief prosecutors, through which control is exercised over the work of the judiciary which, by extension, undermines judicial independence and integrity and the autonomy of the prosecution service.”

“It is important to note that the new amendments are directed at the constitutional reforms in 2022 that were implemented as part of the European integration process to establish the independence of the judiciary from the executive branch, and to guarantee the autonomy of the prosecution service,” Odbrana Struke warned.