In order to monitor the observance of the procedural rights of participants in the trial, authorized representatives of the Human Rights Ombudsman in the Donetsk People’s Republic continue to attend court hearings.
On January 31, 2019, representatives of the Ombudsman were present at the court hearing of the Voroshilovskiy Inter-District Court of Donetsk, where a criminal case against Mr Sh. was considered. As a result of the court hearing, a verdict was pronounced against the above-mentioned person, which may be appealed in the appellate instance.
We remind that under the current legislation, the Human Rights Ombudsman, as well as authorized staff of the Ombudsman Office, have the right to attend meetings of courts of all instances, subject to the agreement of the legal person in whose interests the trial has been declared closed.
At the same time, we note that the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman’s representatives are not the subjects of trial. Their presence at a hearing does not and shall not influence the court’s decision on a case since any interference in the work of judges in administering justice is prohibited.
