TRANSPARENCY OF JUDICIARY IN AZERBAIJAN IS ONLY 30%
20:37, 20 December, 2012
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: On-line transparency of the
judiciary in Azerbaijan is only 30%. As reports Armenpress, referring
to contact.az, this is evidenced by the results of the monitoring
sites courts of Azerbaijan held the Media Rights Institute.
All courts in Azerbaijan have their web resources, but they exhibit
only about a third of the information, said the director of MRI
Rashid Hajili. Compared with other state agencies, monitored by
MRI, on-line-transparency of courts is above 5-7%. However, this
superiority is achieved through general information, but not much
information services.
As the head of the monitoring group of MRI Khalid Agaliyev said, on
the degree of transparency in the lead are three appellate courts
– Sheki, Baku and Sumgait, whose index is greater than 36%. 35%
transparency is in the Supreme and Constitutional Courts.
Sites of trial courts are merged into a single portal of the
Judicial Council (JC). This contributed to unification of the sites
and information about the judges of the courts, but did not lead to
the set of court decisions in the Internet. On the contrary, in some
cases the situation is even worse. Among the shortcomings the expert
also mentioned the lack of information about the income of judges,
although by law they have to declare their earnings. In democratic
countries, judges declare their fees even with appearances at seminars
and conferences.
According to Hajili, courts are required to disclose all of the
information other than for closed processes, state secrets, commercial,
personal and family secrets. Court verdicts after closed trials also
must be placed on the Internet. Courts must also disclose information
about upcoming trials.
An expert in media law, representative of IREX-Azerbaijan Alasgar
Mammadli criticized the situation with low transparency and
accountability of information services for vessels that make up
only 8% and 2%. This effectively means failure by the courts of the
law “On receiving information,” adopted in 2005. Even the Supreme
Court, designed to safeguard the rule of law, on its website has
not got a section on responding to requests. Mammadov said that
the courts should have authorized judges or officials responsible
for providing information to the press. If not, the chairmen of the
courts themselves, by law, must provide information to the media.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
