Issued by
The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
Presented
To the HRC at its 47th session
Background
The report focuses on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the administration of justice
Statement of the Special Rapporteur at the 47th session of the HRC: English
Summary
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has severely undermined the functioning of judicial systems, increasing the risk that States will be left without a functioning, accessible and independent system of justice. Its impact has been uneven, differing from country to country, but has tended to be disproportionately severe for vulnerable groups. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers examines the effects of this new situation and the main challenges that it raises for the administration of justice.
In the report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 44/8, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on judicial systems and their independence and on access to justice, and makes a number of recommendations intended to help State authorities to guarantee access to justice and a functioning and independent system that is open to the people.
Inputs received
The Special Rapporteur prepared a questionnaire calling for contributions from States, international and regional human rights bodies, professional associations of judges and lawyers, and civil society organizations.
The questionnaire was available in
English |
Français |
Español.
The following States and non-State actors provided written contributions to the preparation of the report.
States
1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Andorra
4. Argentina
5. Armenia
6. Austria
7. Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina
9. Brazil
10. Brunei Darussalam
11. Chile
12. Croatia
13. Ecuador
14. Estonia
15. Fiji
16. Finland
17. Georgia
18. Greece
19. Guatemala
20. Guyana
21. Honduras
22. Hungary
23. Ireland
24. Italy
25. Kazakhstan
26. Kyrgyzstan
27. Latvia
28. Lebanon: 1, 2
29. Macao, China
30. Malaysia
31. Maldives: 1, 2
32. Malta
33. Morocco
34. Mozambique
35. North Macedonia
36. Qatar
37. Republic of Moldova
38. Romania: 1, 2
39. Russian Federation
40. Rwanda
41. Saudi Arabia
42. Singapore
43. Slovenia: 1, 2
44. South Africa
45. Switzerland
46. Syrian Arab Republic
47. Turkey
48. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
49. United States of America
Associations of judges and magistrates
50. Association of Brazilian Magistrates
51. Association of European Administrative Judges (Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy,
Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and the United Kingdom)
52. Association of judges in Finland/Association of Finnish lawyers
53. Association of judges of the Republic of Armenia
54. Cyprus Judges Association
55. German judges' association
56. Judges' association of Serbia
57. Latvian association of judges
58. Asociación Profesional de la Magistratura (Spain)
59. Swedish judges association
60. Union of judges of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Civil society organizations
61. Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Ciudad de México
62. International Bar Association, Human Rights Institute
63. International Commission of Jurists
64. Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights (Middle East)
65. Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders
66. Partners for Transparency (Turkey)
67. Women's Link Worldwide
68. Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
69. Castan Center for Human Rights Law
Intergovernmental organizations
70. Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
72. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
73. European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)
