CYIL vol. 13 (2022)

MONIKA FOREJTOVÁ CYIL 13 ȍ2022Ȏ These two concepts also interact with that of a “ tribunal established by law ” within the meaning of Article 6 (1) of the ECHR. 7 The right to a fair trial [Article 6(1) of the ECHR] has two integral components, namely the right of access to a court (independence and impartiality of the court, right to a lawful judge) and the right to a trial of a certain quality (finding of facts beyond reasonable doubt, free evaluation of evidence, immediacy, orality). In the field of criminal proceedings, there is also the issue of presumption of innocence [Article 6(2) of the ECHR], 8 minimum rights of the accused person [Article 6(3) of the ECHR], 9 the right to appeal in criminal cases (Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to the ECHR), 10 the right not to be tried or punished twice (the ne bis in idem principle; Article 4 of Protocol No. 7 to the ECHR) and many others. 1.1 Independence Judicial independence refers to the courts as institutions, where this independence requires independence in particular in terms of the budget and also in terms of the internal organisation of the court. While the independence of courts is institutional in nature, the independence of the judge is individual in nature and relates to the question of the judge’s discretion. Therefore, one of the fundamental principles of criminal proceedings, 11 civil proceedings 12 as well as proceedings under the Administrative Procedure Code 13 is the principle of the free evaluation of evidence. 14 The ECtHR has also commented on the issue of the independence of courts and judges in many of its judgments, 15 whose decision-making practice 16 is in many respects followed and referred to by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic. In the context of the independence and impartiality of courts, a part of the decision-making practice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic has been 7 See Judgment of the ECtHR in Guðmundur Andri Ástráðsson v. Iceland [GC], of 1 December 2020, application no. 26374/18, §§ 218, 231, 295. 8 MULÁK, J. The principle of the presumption of innocence in the European and international context. Czech Yearbook of Public and Private International Law , 2018, Volume 9, p. 199–202. 9 For example the contradictory principle in criminal matters – MULÁK, J. The contradictory principle in the Czech criminal process and its manifestations before court. The Lawyer Quarterly , 2021, no. 1, pp. 104–125; MULÁK, J. The contradictory principle of criminal proceedings in case law of the ECHR. Czech Yearbook of Public & Private International Law . Prague 2020, pp. 41–58. 10 See more FANEGO, C. A. The Right to a Double Degree of Jurisdiction in Criminal Offences (Art. 2 P7) In: GARCÍA ROCA, J., SANTOLAYA, P. (eds.). Europe of Rights: A Compendium on the European Convention of Human Rights . Leiden/Boston: Brill | Nijhoff, 2012, pp. 167–176. 11 Concerning the basic principles of criminal proceedings, for more details see MULÁK, J. Základní zásady trestního řízení a právo na spravedlivý proces. ( Basic principles of criminal proceedings and the right to a fair trial .) Prague: Leges, 2019, pp. 118 an. 12 ZAHRADNÍKOVÁ, R. Civilní právo procesní. ( Civil procedural law .) Plzeň: Aleš Čeněk, pp. 71–72. 13 KOPECKÝ, Martin. Správní právo. Obecná část ( Administrative law. General Part ) Prague: C. H. Beck, 2019, p. 481 an. 14 MULÁK, J. Základní zásady trestního řízení a právo na spravedlivý proces. ( Basic principles of criminal proceedings and the right to a fair trial .) Prague: Leges, 2019, p. 218–222. 15 McBRIDE, J. Human Rights and Criminal Procedure. The case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2018, pp. 197–202. 16 KMEC, J., KOSAŘ, D., KRATOCHVÍL, J., BOBEK, M. Evropská úmluva o lidských právech. Komentář. ( European Convention on Human Rights. Commentary. ) Prague: C. H. Beck, 2012, pp. 673–675; REPÍK, B. Evropská úmluva o lidských právech a trestní právo. (European Convention on Human Rights and criminal law). Prague: Orac, 2002, p. 123–124.

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