TRIAL MONITORING REPORT AZERBAIJAN 2010 © OSCE Office in Baku Table of Contents Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................ii List of Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables........................................................................................................................................... v I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 The 2010 Trial Monitoring Report ......................................................................................................... 1 Multi-year Trial Monitoring Programme of the OSCE Office in Baku.................................................. 2 OSCE principles and commitments related to the Trial Monitoring Programme.................................. 2 Contents of the Report ............................................................................................................................ 3 II. Scope and Methodology.................................................................................................................... 4 Advances of 2010 Trial Monitoring Programme over prior years......................................................... 4 Co-operation with the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan......................................................... 4 Selection and assignment of Project Team of trial monitors.................................................................. 5 Format and other provisions for consistency of monitoring and reporting ........................................... 5 Selection of cases and court proceedings ............................................................................................... 5 Basis for analysis of monitor report ....................................................................................................... 5 Scope of cases and hearings monitored.................................................................................................. 6 Additional limited information about preliminary proceedings ............................................................. 6 III. Findings and Analysis of Trends ................................................................................................. 12 General observance of Fair Trial Standards and Compliance with the Rights of the Accused............. 12 Overview: effective legal representation, equality of arms and overall public trust in the administration of justice ....................................................................................................................... 12 1. The Right to a Public Hearing.......................................................................................................... 16 Public hearings are the core safeguard of fair trials ........................................................................... 16 The right to a public hearing is generally observed with a few exceptions.......................................... 16 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 16 2. Delays in the Commencement of Court Hearings........................................................................... 16 Delays in hearings as a court management issue................................................................................. 16 Multiplier effect of delayed start times in heavily scheduled court rooms ........................................... 17 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 18 3. Provisional release pending trial...................................................................................................... 18 Foundation of the right.......................................................................................................................... 18 Criteria for the selection of preventive measures.................................................................................. 19 Summary of positive and negative trends.............................................................................................. 19 4. The Right to a Trial by an Independent and Impartial Tribunal...................................................... 25 Foundations of the right........................................................................................................................ 25 Judges behaviour can raise reasonable doubts about their independence and impartiality ............... 25 Judges conduct raises questions of independence and impartiality of tribunal ................................... 26 Defendant’s right to have evidence considered fairly in the adversarial system of trial ..................... 26 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 27 i 5. Presumption of Innocence ................................................................................................................ 27 The presumption of innocence is one of the most fundamental aspects of a fair trial.......................... 27 Excessive use of metal cages and handcuffs......................................................................................... 28 Prosecutors use inappropriate conduct and language ........................................................................... 28 Summary of positive and negative trends............................................................................................. 28 6. Equality of Arms .............................................................................................................................. 29 Equality of arms in the sense of “fair balance” is one of the core elements of a fair trial.................. 29 ECtHR relevant case law...................................................................................................................... 29 Judges’ equal consideration of defendants’ motions, witnesses and right to cross examine.............. 30 Judges create advantageous conditions for prosecution...................................................................... 30 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 31 7. The Right to Effective Legal Representation ................................................................................... 32 Basic definition of right to effective legal representation..................................................................... 32 Judges are responsible for ensuring the defendant’s effective legal representation............................ 32 Waiving the right to legal representation ............................................................................................. 32 Barriers to effective state-appointed defence counsel and “free” legal aid ........................................ 33 Procedural problems with the assignment of State-appointed defence counsel................................... 33 Legal representation and delays of court proceedings......................................................................... 33 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 34 8. The Effective Investigation of Ill-treatment Allegations.................................................................. 39 Legal obligations related to torture and other forms of ill treatment .................................................. 39 Judges often fail to provide for investigations of ill-treatment allegations.......................................... 40 Use of potentially inadmissible evidence and questionable forensic evidence .................................... 40 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 41 9. The Right to Reasoned Decisions..................................................................................................... 41 Legal obligation of judges to provided reasoning ................................................................................ 41 Judges fail to provide reasoning........................................................................................................... 42 Failure to provide written reasoning as an obstacle to appeal............................................................ 42 Summary of positive and negative trends ............................................................................................. 42 IV. Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 45 ii Acknowledgements The OSCE Office in Baku (The Office) would like to thank all those involved in the 2010 Trial Monitoring Programme (The Programme) from January through December 2010, as well as those who contributed to the preparation of this report. An Azerbaijani NGO, the “Tender Monitoring Centre,” led by Mr. Alovsat Aliyev, implemented the Programme in close consultation with the Office’s Rule of Law and Human Rights Unit’s Trial Monitoring Team, including Ms. Gumral