scholarly journals Torture as a ground for inadmissibility of evidence

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Maryna HRYTSENKO

The European Court of Human Rights, which focuses on the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, points to the importance of the prohibition of torture. The Court has formed its position based on the importance of Article 3 of the Convention and, consequently, the inadmissibility of the evidence obtained in violation of that article by the prosecution. This paper analyzes the practice of the European Court of Human Rights on the implementation of evidence-based activities in national legal systems, and in particular examines the requirements of the Court on the admissibility of evidence-based exercise and activity obtained in the course of work results. The paper demonstrates the ECHR's practice on the issue of torture in obtaining evidence and the consequences of using such a «method», its significance for the practice of national courts and the modernization of the position of courts in relation to the dynamics of this issue. As a result, problematic areas of Ukrainian legislation and justice were identified. The reasons for the use of torture by the authorities and the safeguards introduced by Ukraine to combat the use of such inhuman treatment by the authorities were identified. Changes in the opinion of the European Court of Human Rights on this issue and its significance for Ukraine are analyzed. The possibilities of application of the ECHR for evaluation of admissibility of evidence in criminal proceedings in Ukraine are examined. The patterns characterizing the legal positions of the ECHR in assessing the admissibility of evidence are discovered and singled out. Ukraine should take into account that the responsibilities of the state, in addition to refraining from the use of torture to obtain evidence, include the protection of people from these encroachments by third parties.

Author(s):  
Alina Harkusha ◽  
Violeta Rets

The article deals with problems of application of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights by national courts and criminal proceedings parties during the preparation of requests for temporary access to items and documents. The authors have established that the application of the case law of the European Court and compliance with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms has a positive impact on the efficiency and fairness of pre-trial investigation and justice in the consideration of such requests.


2019 ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
MILENA SLAVEYKOVA-RUKOVA

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) plays a crucial role in the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals. The goal of this Court is to resolve complaints in which these individuals allege that the State of their citizenship fails to perform the obligations arising from the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950 (the Convention). The ECtHR assesses the reasonableness of the term for “final” resolution of a legal conflict, and includes therein the time needed to implement the judgment. Currently, excessively long periods needed to implement the judgments which award payments of certain amounts to plaintiffs at the expense of budgetary funds is still a sensitive issue for Bulgaria as well as for Ukraine. As a respective confirmation of such a situation for Ukraine, the author mentions ECtHR’s judgment passed in 2017 in the case of Burmych and Others v. Ukraine, which actually determined the fate of 12,148 applications filed to the Court by Ukrainian citizens who complained of the violation of their right to a fair trial because of the failure to implement final judgments passed by national courts. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of ECtHR’s judgments on the rulemaking and practice of national courts. The experience of Bulgaria is taken as the object of study. The author analyzes two pilot ECtHR judgments which found that Bulgarian courts breached the requirements of Art. 6, § 1 of the Convention. After these judgments became final, the Bulgarian Parliament amended the laws “On the Judiciary” and “On the Liability of the State and Communities for Damage Caused” to incorporate the provisions which are aimed at avoiding any future violations similar to those found by ECtHR. The author studies these legislative changes and the practice of their application with the aim of illustrating that ECtHR judgments have an efficient impact on the improvement of national legal rules. In summary, the author maintains that the mechanisms of compensation described in the article – the administrative one (after amendments to the Law “On the Judiciary”) and the judicial one (after amendments to the Law “On Liability of the State and Communities for Damage Caused”) precisely meet the ECHR criteria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 334-339
Author(s):  
Zubrytska M. V.

The legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights contain clear criteria for distinguishing provocation of a crime that violates the requirements of paragraph 1 of Art. 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, from lawful conduct in the use of secret methods in criminal proceedings: 1) verification of the validity of the provocation (material criterion of provocation); 2) the procedure for reviewing the complaint on provocation (procedural criterion of provocation); 3) methodology of assessment of the European Court of Human Rights. When considering a defendant's complaint about the presence of signs of provocation in the actions of law enforcement agencies, national courts must establish the following procedural criteria: 1) whether there were grounds for monitoring the commission of the crime; 2) what is the measure of interference of law enforcement officers in the commission of a crime; 3) the nature of the actions to which the accused was subjected. In the legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights, examples of provocation to commit a crime are, in particular, the following: law enforcement on its own initiative contact with the applicant in the absence of objective suspicion of his involvement in criminal activity or propensity to commit a criminal offense; 2) renewal of the proposal by law enforcement officers, despite the previous refusal, to insist, exerting pressure. Based on the analysis of the legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights, it was concluded that a new presumption has actually appeared in the criminal law of Ukraine - provocation of a crime. The basis for it is Art. 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, as well as the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in cases of provocation. The presumption of provocation of a crime is that an accused who has stated that he committed a crime under the influence of provocative actions of law enforcement officers cannot be prosecuted unless the investigation and the court establish otherwise. In national jurisprudence, courts most often considered the following situations as provocation of a crime: detection of a crime in the absence of objective information about the preparation for the commission of a crime or the beginning of its commission; inciting (pushing) a person to commit a crime through active and persistent actions; violation of the procedural order of conducting procedural actions. Keywords: provocation of a crime, provocation of bribery, incitement, initiative, exposing a crime.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-385
Author(s):  
Yana Litins’ka ◽  
Oleksandra Karpenko

Abstract COVID-19 became a stress-test for many legal systems because it required that a balance be found between rapid action to prevent the spread of the disease, and continued respect for human rights. Many states in Europe, including Ukraine, chose to enforce an obligation to self-isolate. In this article we review what the obligation to self-isolate entails in the case of Ukraine. We also analyse whether such an obligation should be viewed as a deprivation or a mere restriction of liberty, and if it is permissible under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.


The article is devoted to the study of such sources of electoral law in Ukraine as the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the first Protocol to the Convention and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. The legal nature of these international sources of suffrage in Ukraine is considered. Attention is drawn to the peculiarities of the wording of the right to free election in Article 3 the first Protocol to the Convention. The peculiarities of the application of the above article by the European Court of Human Rights are disclosed. The importance the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights as a source of suffrage in Ukraine is emphasized. This assertion is justified by the fact that the rules of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its Protocols are of a general and abstract nature and are interpreted and filled with real meaning in judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which are of precedent nature. A number of legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights concerning the obligation of the state to organize and hold democratic elections, enshrined in the specific decisions of this international judicial institution, have been analyzed. In the article were covered such legal positions as: the possibility of limiting the suffrage of citizens, provided that such conditions do not interfere with the free expression of the people's opinion on the election of the legislative body; evaluation of the electoral legislation in the light of the political development of the country, taking into account national characteristics; wide discretion of the state in the choice of the electoral system, which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people, etc. There are a number of unresolved issues regarding the application of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in judicial and administrative practice in Ukraine, one of which is the possible conflict between the case-law of the Court and the rules of Ukrainian law. It is proposed to resolve this conflict at the legislative level. The conclusions focus on the peculiarities of the legal nature of these sources of suffrage in Ukraine. KEY WORDS: sources of suffrage, Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, right to free elections.


2020 ◽  
pp. 174-177
Author(s):  
O. A. Tymoshenko

The article deals with analyzing the state of the civil claim scientific research in criminal proceedings in Ukraine and summarizing it. It was determined the relevance of scientific rethinking of the phenomenological foundations of a civil claim in criminal proceedings. It is proved that the importance of the mechanism of criminal justice has the issue of legal support of the institute of civil claim, as an important component of guaranteeing and protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. First of all, this is explained by the importance of a civil claim in criminal proceedings, its actual role that a civil claim plays in the justice system, ensuring the protection of the violated rights of citizens. On the basis of the state critical analysis of a civil claim legal support in criminal proceedings in Ukraine, it was determined its components and given their characteristics, which include: 1) the subjective component of the legal relations relating to civil claim in criminal proceedings in Ukraine; 2) the procedural issues of filing and considering a civil claim; 3) legal and technical requirements relating to the form and content of the civil claim. It was made and justified the provisions concerning the prospects of improving the civil claim mechanism functioning in criminal proceedings in Ukraine. Transformation of scientific understanding and practical perception of civil claim in criminal proceedings as a means of securing and protecting human rights and freedoms has been proved, on the basis of which the directions of improving the functioning of the said legal institute in Ukraine are distinguished, namely: 1) enhancing the role and importance of the European Court of Justice’ s activities human rights in extending his practice to litigation in criminal proceedings in Ukraine; 2) strengthening the mechanisms of human rights protection at the domestic (national) level in accordance with the requirements of international law, which are a component of civil claim in criminal proceedings; 3) improve the procedure for enforcement of the decisions of the national courts of Ukraine in the part related to civil claim in criminal proceedings, etc.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-90
Author(s):  
Alla Demyda

The article focuses on the principle of impartiality and independence of judiciary as a part of the right to a fair trial according to Article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In particular, an account will be taken of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in matters of applications from national judges. The article considers the reflection of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the amendment of national legislations and the amendment of the provisions of the national constitutions regarding the principles of justice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6(75)) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Taisa Tomlyak

The article considers the legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter - Сourt). In particular, the decision of the Сourt in cases of legality of interference with property rights was examined in the light of the provisions of Protocol № 1 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (hereinafter Protocol №1 to the Convention). Also, the article specifies the principles that, in the opinion of the Сourt, the state must adhere to when interfering in property rights. In addition, it is established that the concept of "property" within the meaning of Part 1 of Art. 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention has an independent meaning. That is, this concept cannot depend on its legal classification in national law and cannot be limited to ownership of things. Also, we considered a broad understanding in the practice of the Сourt "interests of society" in the application of measures of deprivation of property rights and ensuring a proportional relationship between the goal and the means used. In addition, the relationship between Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 and other articles of the Convention is considered, as issues arising in connection with the use of one's "property" may also relate to other articles of the Convention. Some decisions of the Court of Human Rights and its interpretation of the concepts of "property", "property" and "property rights" are analyzed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
R. O. Nepyipa

The article analyzes the problems of implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights by Ukraine. In this context, too, the key problems and peculiarities of the current state of implementation of Ukraine’s judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are highlighted. It is emphasized that the enforcement of judgments by Ukraine is an important guarantee of ensuring the right to a fair trial. However, the lack of proper enforcement is recognized by the European Court of Human Rights as a violation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. It is emphasized that the problematic issue in the implementation of ECHR decisions is that the state executor, as a representative of the public authority, receives a salary from the State Budget of Ukraine, but is obliged, according to executive documents, to act against his state. Thanks to the planned reform of the State Bailiffs’ Service of Ukraine, it is envisaged to create a private system of enforcement of court decisions, since a non-governmental institution would not be more effective in this case. The problem of determining the location of the collector by the ECtHR is considered. It is suggested that in order to find out the location (location) of the collector, in accordance with the ECtHR decision, a special procedure should be provided, a list of necessary actions to be taken by a state body. In particular, such actions may be sending requests to the last known place of work. It is emphasized that legal and political risks for Ukraine are that the violating state may be subject to various sanctions, such as deprivation of voting rights or suspension of membership, up to and including exclusion from the Council of Europe. It is proved that the source of inefficient work of the executive service should be sought, first of all, in imperfect legal regulation, numerous legislative restrictions, and insufficient state costs for the implementation of ECtHR decisions. The experience of Germany on the practice of implementing ECtHR decisions is considered and it is proposed to borrow the experience of foreign countries in the current situation. It is noted that an important step of Ukraine towards European statehood is to increase the level of national protection of citizens and to adopt a law that provides for the accountability of public authorities and their officials for inaction in the implementation of ECtHR decisions. Keywords: European Court of Human Rights, Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, judgment, enforcement, general measures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-132
Author(s):  
Gabrijela Mihelčić ◽  
Maša Marochini Zrinski ◽  
Renata Šantek

The authors discuss and analyse case law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the right to respect for home under Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and with respect the issue of proportionality. In the paper, the proportionality category was viewed as a criterion for securing protection and as a material precondition for deciding whether the State party's interference with the right to respect for home was proportionate. The cases in which the applicant's eviction occurred after national proceedings for the enforcement of mortgages were addressed. In this context, the genesis of the proportionality category was analysed, from the cases where the Court found it necessary to examine the proportionality to the cases where the Court did not consider the proportionality test necessary.


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