30 November 2004, 23:30
Human rights activist reports on violations in judicial system
Lawyer Iskhak Kuchukov addressed a letter to the members of the congress of judges that began in Moscow today, the Caucasian Knot correspondent was told in the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center. Violations existing in the judicial system of Kabardino-Balkaria are first connected with the forming of the judiciary. Majority of people who put on the mantle of a judge in recent years are prosecutors, police officers, and bank clerks, the lawyer wrote. It, as he believes, has lead to the loss of prestige of judges and lack of confidence in the judicial system. Another fact is that the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has considered 200 criminal and civil cases in spite of the lack of a quorum. And the law provides that all of these decisions must be reversed.
Commenting on the situation in the judicial system of Kabardino-Balkaria, Mr Khatazhukov said: "Unlike Russia, where the judicial system works somehow, we have our specificity, which is in the fact that there's no separation of powers and no judicial power at all. I can give a lot of examples of the court's making decisions in order to please the authorities. The court in Kabardino-Balkaria can make any illegal decision and satisfy any whim of the authorities."
Author: Lyudmila Maratova, CK correspondent Source: Caucasian Knot
