It is no coincidence that all the reliable reports that follow the development of democracy in general and the justice system in particular, from the reports of the US State Department, the progress reports from the European Union but also from many other reports from local and international organizations identify the justice system as the weakest link of the governing system. And there is no way that crime and corruption cannot flourish when the mechanisms that are supposed to track and fight it are almost completely politicized to serve the political masters, almost completely corrupted to be bought by criminals and almost completely incompetent reaching their position through nepotism, familialism or party patronage
Author: Sefer Selimi Jr.
The Lady of Justice in North Macedonia was raped once again in the eyes of the citizens who should be served by those who are placed in a position to protect her. The games of thrones in the Judicial Council also gave a show that reflects the state of justice and to what degree it is the same. You can hardly find a citizen who can see the recent developments within this separate and independent body in the judicial power as an effort to improve its work in the service of justice and to protect the interests of citizens. Confidence in the judiciary continues to decline and has reached a historic low, where only 4% of citizens trust their work. This result is not at all unexpected and does not surprise anyone, while the recent events within this body only confirm the perception of the citizens. Imagine that these shameful acts are done by the members, who must decide: to elect and dismiss judges; elect and dismiss court presidents; determine the end of the judge’s duty; to elect and dismiss jury judges; to monitor and evaluate the work of judges; to decide on the disciplinary responsibility of a member of the Council; to decide on the determination of the responsibility of the judge and the president of the court; to decide on the removal of the judge’s immunity; to decide on the request for approving the detention of the judge; to propose from among the judges two judges of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of North Macedonia and a series of powers that breathe life into the justice system.
It is no coincidence that all the reliable reports that follow the development of democracy in general and the justice system in particular, from the reports of the US State Department, the progress reports from the European Union but also from many other reports from local and international organizations identify the justice system as the weakest link of the governing system. And there is no way that crime and corruption cannot flourish when the mechanisms that are supposed to follow and fight it are almost completely politicized to serve political patrons, almost completely corrupt to be bought by criminals and almost completely incompetent reaching their position through nepotism, familialism or party patronage. The cases of failure of justice are glaring and happen before the eyes of the citizens even in those special cases when the interest of the public and the opinion is extremely great, with a contemptuous arrogance sending the message that: we do what we want, we are inviolable!
Of course, the rulers and political parties have the magic word for justification: we did not interfere in the independence of the judiciary! However, this axiom and principle is only valid as long as it does not affect any of their group or individual interests, especially as long as they are in government. In fact, almost all the members of this “separate and independent” Council are delegated, installed and controlled by political parties and this is a public secret that even they know that we know!
Unfortunately, the solution to this problem is very complicated and not at all easy, especially not with this political will and not with these politicians who have a lot to lose from true justice. This Judicial Council must be reformed, completely separating it from politics and politicians, and this can only be achieved with a strong intervention by international experts who will filter judges and prosecutors independently and impartially, based on their professional credentials and the justice they have shared over the years. Otherwise, this vicious circle will continue to rape the “Lady of Justice” by keeping only her eyes closed, while the sword and scales are hidden under the quilt filled with dirty money.