Safeguarding human rights through a more transparent and accountable criminal justice system

Project Goal – Introduction of higher statutory safeguards for the respect of human rights in the criminal investigation procedure. The project will seek to limit the confidentiality of criminal investigation, to increase the transparency of activity of investigative judges, to exclude the possibility of appointing as investigative judge former prosecutors or investigative officers, as well as judges without experience, as well as to grant the defense and the victim of the crime access to materials of criminal investigation in the most of cases

Objectives:
– Advocate for amending the Code of criminal procedure and the Law on the organization of the judiciary concerning the guarantees for the protection of human rights and the conditions for becoming investigative judges;
– Strengthen the capacity of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers to apply the promoted amendments .

Activities:
– Sign an Agreement of cooperation/partnership with the Ministry of Justice to design the legislation;
– Create an expert group composed of judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and civil society representatives, coordinated by the Ministry of Justice;
– Elaborate the concept for amending the Code of criminal procedure and the Law on the organization of the judiciary;
– Elaborate the draft law for amending the Code of criminal procedure and the Law on the organization of the judiciary;
– Organize a public event to discuss the draft law;
– Advocacy for the adoption of the draft law;
– Advocacy for amending the Superior Council of Magistracy Regulations related to the activity of investigative judges;
– Comment the new amendments and the explanatory decision of the Supreme Court of Justice;
– Conduct trainings for judges, prosecutors, and lawyers on new amendments;
– Monitoring the process of changing the composition of investigative judges after the amendments will enter into force,
– Organize the final Conference on the impact evaluation of the new amendments.

– The Agreement of cooperation/partnership with the Ministry of Justice to design the legislation.