Czech Yearbook Vol. 4 2013

SOME GUARANTEES REGARDING CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS APPLICABLE …

SOME GUARANTEES REGARDING

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS APPLICABLE

TO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:

PROTOCOL NO. 7 TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION

ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Alla Tymofeyeva

Abstract:

The paper deals with the rights and guarantees of non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) in criminal proceedings under Protocol No. 7 to the

European Convention on Human Rights. The author comes to the conclusion that

the Convention has an autonomous concept of the term “NGO” which includes

a whole range of legal persons, from non-profit making organizations to business

corporations. In its case law the European Court gives a special connotation to

“criminal matters” and, therefore, applies Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Protocol No. 7 as

well as to administrative and disciplinary proceedings. Analysis of the practise of

the Court shows that it did not issue any judgment in which a member state was

held liable for a violation of guarantees in the criminal procedures under Protocol

No. 7 with respect to NGOs. Such a situation can be explained, firstly, by the fact

that corporate criminal liability is a new phenomenon in the doctrine of criminal

law, and many contracting parties have adopted legislation on the subject only a few

years ago. Secondly, those states which have a long tradition of criminal liability

of legal persons, such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, did not ratify

this Protocol. Thirdly, those countries holding the first and the second place in the

number of applications submitted to the Court, namely Russia and Turkey, do not

possess national legislation on the criminal liability of legal entities. Nevertheless,

the situation is to be changed, as Ukraine, which is always among the four leading

countries in the number of applications lodged with the European Court, adopted

the legislation at issue in May 2013, and a draft law on corporate criminal liability

was elaborated in the Russian Federation.

Resumé:

Článek se zabývá právy a zárukami nevládních organizací v trestním říze-

ní dle Protokolu č. 7 k Evropské úmluvě o lidských právech. Autorka dospívá k závě-

ru, že Úmluva má autonomní pojem „nevládní organizace“, který zahrnuje veškeré

možné druhy právnických osob, od neziskových organizací po obchodní společ-

nosti. Evropský soud ve své judikatuře přikládá zvláštní význam výrazu „trestní

věci“, a proto články 2, 3 a 4 Protokolu č. 7 aplikuje také na správní a disciplinární

řízení. Analýza praxe Soudu ukázala, že nevydal ještě žádný rozsudek, ve kterém

by členský stát byl odsouzen za porušení záruk v trestním řízení podle Protoko-

lu č. 7, pokud jde o nevládní organizace. Taková situace se dá vysvětlit, za prvé,

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Donald Adams and Eva Hubálková for their assistance

with revision of the manuscript.