A/HRC/33/39
with international human rights law. The structural concerns highlighted by human rights
mechanisms, however, remained valid.
30.
The Ministry of Justice continued its efforts to implement the three organic
“fundamental laws” on the judiciary adopted in 2014. In accordance with the law on the
organization and functioning of the courts, an administrative unit was established in each
court, officially separating administrative from adjudicative duties. OHCHR and the
Ministry jointly organized a national conference on court administration and case
management in December, which addressed the current status of implementation of the law
and served as a forum for discussion on key reform issues among judges, prosecutors and
court administrators. The issues raised by the participants included the general lack of
understanding of the existing disciplinary proceedings.
31.
OHCHR and the Supreme Council of Magistracy organized regional workshops in
March, May and June 2016 to disseminate the Code of Ethics for Judges and Prosecutors
(2007). The three workshops convened 264 judges and prosecutors from the Supreme
Court, the Appeal Court and all provincial and municipal courts of first instance. With the
last workshop to be held in August 2016, all judges and prosecutors country-wide will have
been exposed to the Code of Ethics.
32.
The Ministry of Justice took important steps to increase the salaries of judges and
prosecutors in an effort to combat corruption. Towards that end, it invited the AntiCorruption Unit to monitor the entrance exams to the Royal Academy of Judicial
Professions. OHCHR was invited by the Unit to provide technical assistance in drafting
whistleblower and witness protection legislation. Consultations are being held with the
Ministry of Justice on the undertaking of a joint study on judicial integrity, to be conducted
in 2016 and 2017, subject to funding. The aim of the study would be to go beyond
perception surveys by informing on the rules, procedures and practices that affect judicial
integrity, measuring the incidence of corruption in the judicial sector, and making
recommendations to strengthen integrity.
33.
OHCHR supported the roll-out of an expanded criminal case database in six courts
of first instance in 2015, although funding constraints prevented its installation in additional
courts in 2016. The database was designed to address blockages in the flow of
communication regarding court proceedings, which affects, inter alia, the enforcement of
court decisions. OHCHR provided a technical expert to design the database and to train
dedicated staff from the Ministry of Justice and the courts to enter data and to maintain the
database. While the database alone cannot solve all problems related to access to
information on court cases, it has proven to be a significant improvement over the previous
paper-based method of recording court case developments. It has strengthened the ability of
beneficiary courts to store and search case documents, to generate case reports and regular
statistics, and to provide such information to the parties in court cases.
34.
Another important initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Justice was the
establishment of a working group to revise the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal
Procedure. OHCHR compiled and submitted the recommendations for amendments to the
two laws made at several round tables and conferences organized by OHCHR in previous
years.
35.
OHCHR continued to serve as the donor partner facilitator of the technical working
group on legal and judicial reform, one of the 19 sectoral working groups by means of
which the Government and donor partners coordinate international assistance. OHCHR
worked with the Ministry of Justice, which serves as the governmental chair of the working
group, in conducting the annual revision of the joint monitoring indicators on the judicial
sector, with the aim of ensuring that progress is adequately measured and that donor
initiatives are in line with key government priorities.
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