CYIL vol. 15 (2024)

CYIL 15 ȍ2024Ȏ THE RIGHT OF APPEAL IN CRIMINAL MATTERS ȃ CASEǧLAW OF ECtHR … THE RIGHT OF APPEAL IN CRIMINAL MATTERS – CASE-LAW OF ECtHR TO OFFENCE OF A MINOR CHARACTER Jiří Mulák Abstract: This study 1 deals with the right to appeal in criminal cases within the meaning of Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as well as the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in relation to the conclusions it has reached in relation to the category of offences of a minor character, as prescribed by law. In particular, this paper aims to highlight recent ECtHR case-law on the interpretation of one of the exceptions to the right of appeal in criminal cases. Twenty ECtHR decisions are analysed in the paper. Resumé: Tato studie se zabývá právem na odvolání ve věcech trestních ve smyslu čl. 2 Pro tokolu č. 7 k Evropské úmluvě o lidských právech (EÚLP) a rovněž judikaturou Evropského soudu pro lidská práva (ESLP), pokud jde o závěry, které učinil ve vztahu ke kategorii méně závažných trestných činů. Cílem tohoto příspěvku je především upozornit na recentní roz hodovací praxi ESLP k výkladu jedné z výjimek z práva na odvolání ve věcech trestních. V příspěvku je analyzováno dvacet rozhodnutí ESLP. Keywords: right to appeal in criminal matters; right to a fair trial; European Court of Human Rights; Protocol No. 7 to ECHR; appellate procedure; offences of a minor character; conviction; sentence About the Author: JUDr. Jiří Mulák, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer at the Department of Criminal Law of Faculty of Law of the Charles University (Prague). 1. Introduction – the right of appeal in criminal cases The constitutional basis for the right to appeal in criminal cases can be found in Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to the ECHR (§ 1: Everyone convicted of a criminal offence by a tribunal shall have the right to have his conviction or sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal. The exercise of this right, including the grounds on which it may be exercised, shall be governed by law. § 2: This right may be subject to exceptions in regard to offences of a minor character, as prescribed by law, or in cases in which the person concerned was tried in the first instance by the highest tribunal or was convicted following an appeal against acquittal) and also in Article 14(5) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (‘ Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law .’). Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to the ECHR is traditionally understood as complementary to Article 6(1) of the ECHR (its “criminal part”). The term “appeal” has an autonomous meaning, but it must be an effective remedy (without limitation). At this point, it should be said that there is very little case-law on the provisions of Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to

1 The study is published within the framework of the programme of Faculty of Law of the Charles University known as Cooperatio/LAWS.

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