Judges hide their income and more

On-line transparency of the judiciary in Azerbaijan is only 30%. This is evidenced by the results of the monitoring sites courts of Azerbaijan held the Media Rights Institute (MRI).

All courts in Azerbaijan have their web resources, but they exhibit only about a third of the information, said the director of MRI Rashid Hajili.

Compared with other state agencies, monitored by MRI, on-line-transparency of courts is above 5-7%. However, this superiority is achieved through general information, but not much information services.

As the head of the monitoring group of MRI Khalid Agaliyev said, on the degree of transparency in the lead are three appellate courts - Sheki, Baku and Sumgait, whose index is greater than 36%. 35% transparency is in the Supreme and Constitutional Courts.

Sites of trial courts are merged into a single portal of the Judicial Council (JC). This contributed to unification of the sites and information about the judges of the courts, but did not lead to the set of court decisions in the Internet. On the contrary, in some cases the situation is even worse.

Among the shortcomings the expert also mentioned the lack of information about the income of judges, although by law they have to declare their earnings. In democratic countries, judges declare their fees even with appearances at seminars and conferences.

According to Hajili, courts are required to disclose all of the information other than for closed processes, state secrets, commercial, personal and family secrets. Court verdicts after closed trials also must be placed on the Internet. Courts must also disclose information about upcoming trials.

An expert in media law, representative of IREX-Azerbaijan Alasgar Mammadli criticized the situation with low transparency and accountability of information services for vessels that make up only 8% and 2%.

This effectively means failure by the courts of the law "On receiving information," adopted in 2005. Even the Supreme Court, designed to safeguard the rule of law, on its website has not got a section on responding to requests.

Mammadov said that the courts should have authorized judges or officials responsible for providing information to the press. If not, the chairmen of the courts themselves, by law, must provide information to the media.

Note that members of the Judicial Council, in spite of the invitation, did not attend the event. -06B-