Print Beijing, 19 August, 1995
Whereasin theCharter of the United Nationsthe peoples of the world affirm,inter alia,their determination to establish conditions under which justice can be maintained to achieve international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination,
WhereastheUniversal Declaration of Human Rightsenshrines in particular the principles of equality before the law, of the presumption of innocence and of the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by the law,
WhereastheInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rightsand theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rightsboth guarantee the exercise of those rights,and in addition theCovenant on Civil and Political Rightsfurther guarantees the right to be tried without undue delay,
Whereasthe Organisation and administration of justice in every country should be inspired by those principles, and efforts should be undertaken to translate them fully into reality,
Whereasrules concerning the exercise of judicial office should aim at enabling judges to act in accordancewith those principles,
Whereasjudges are charged with the ultimate decision over life, freedoms, rights, duties and property of citizens,
Whereasthe Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the treatment of Offenders, by its resolution 16, called upon the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control to include among its priorities the elaboration of guidelines relating to the independence of judges and the selection, professional training and status of judges and prosecutors,
Whereasthe Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, at its meeting in Milan, Italy, from 26 August to 6 September 1985, adopted theBasic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciaryby consensus,
Whereasthe Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders recommended theBasic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciaryfor national, regional and interregional action and implementation, taking into account the political, economic, social and cultural circumstances and traditions of each country,
Whereason 17-18 July 1982 the LAWASIA Human Rights Standing Committee met in Tokyo, Japan and in consultation with members of the Judiciary formulated aStatement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary in the LAWASIA Region ("the Tokyo Principles")in the context of the history and culture of the region,
Whereasthe 5th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific at Colombo, Sri Lanka on 13-15 September 1993 recognised that it was desirable to revise theTokyo Principlesin the light of subsequent developments with a view to adopting a clear statement of principles of the independence of the Judiciary, and consideredafirst draft of aRevised Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciaryand requested the Acting Chairman of the Judicial Section of LAWASIA to prepare a second draft of theRevised Statementtaking into account the views expressed at the 5th Conference of Chief Justices and comments and suggestions to be made by the Chief Justices or their representatives, and
Notingthat the 6th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific is being held inBeijing in conjunction with the 14th Conference of LAWASIA, the primary object of which is:
"To promote the administration of justice, the protection of human rights and the maintenance of the rule of law within the region."
The 6th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific:
AdoptstheStatement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciarycontained in the annex to this resolution to be known as theBeijing Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary in the LAWASIA Region.
ANNEXBEIJING STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY IN THE LAWASIA REGIONJudicial Independence
1. The Judiciary is an institution of the highest value in every society.
2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 10) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 14(l)) proclaim that everyone should be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.
An independent Judiciary is indispensable to the implementation of this right.
3. Independence of the Judiciary requires that;
(a) the Judiciary shall decide matters before it in accordance with its impartial assessment of the facts and its understanding of the law without improper influences, direct or indirect, from any source; and(b) the Judiciary has jurisdiction, directly or by way of review, over all issues of a justiciable nature.
4. The maintenance of the independence of the Judiciary is essential to the attainment of its objectives and the proper performance of its functions in a free society observing the Rule of Law. It is essential that such independence be guaranteed by the State and enshrined in the Constitution or the law.
5. It is the duty of the Judiciary to respect and observe the proper objectives and functions of the other institutions of government. It is the duty of those institutions to respect and observe the proper objectives and functions of the Judiciary.
6. In the decision-making process, any hierarchical organisation of the Judiciary and any difference in grade orrank shall in no way interfere with the duty of the judge exercising jurisdiction individually or judges acting collectively to pronounce judgment in accordance with article 3 (a). The Judiciary, on its part, individually and collectively, shall exercise its functions in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
7. Judges shall uphold the integrity and independence of the Judiciary by avoiding impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all their activities.
8. To the extent consistent with their duties as members of the Judiciary, judges, like other citizens, are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly.
9. Judges shall be free subject to any applicable law to form and join an association of judges to represent their interests and promote their professional training and to take such other action to protect their independence as may be appropriate.
Objectives of the Judiciary
10.The objectives and functions of the Judiciary include the following:
(a) to ensure that all persons are able to live securely under the Rule of Law;(b) to promote, within the proper limits of the judicial function, the observance and the attainment of human rights; and(c) to administerthe law impartially among persons and between persons andthe State.
Appointment of Judges
11. To enable the Judiciary to achieve its objectives and perform its functions, it is essential that judges be chosen on the basis of proven competence, integrity and independence.
12. The mode of appointment of judges must be such as will ensure the appointment of persons who are best qualified for judicial office. It must provide safeguards against improper influences being taken into account so that only persons of competence, integrity and independence are appointed.
13. In the selection judges there must be no discrimination against a person on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, marital status, sexual orientation, property, birth or status, except that a requirement that a candidate for judicial office must be a national of the country concerned shall not be considered discriminatory.
14. The structure of the legal profession, and the sources from which judges are drawn within the legal profession, differ in different societies. In some societies, the Judiciary is a career service; in other, judges are chosen from the practising profession. Therefore, it is accepted that in different societies, different procedures and safeguards may be adopted to ensure the proper appointment of judges.
15. In some societies, the appointment of judges, by, with the consent of, or after consultation with a Judicial Services Commission has been seen as a means of ensuring that those chosen as judges are appropriate for the purpose. Where a Judicial Services Commission is adopted, it should include representatives of the higher Judiciary and the independent legal profession as a means of ensuring that judicial competence, integrity and independence are maintained.
16. In the absence of a Judicial Services Commission, the procedures for appointment of judges should be clearly defined and formalised and information about them should be available to the public.
17. Promotion of judges must be based on an objective assessment of factors such as competence, integrity, independence and experience.
Tenure
18. Judges must have security of tenure.
19. It is recognised that, in some countries, the tenure of judges is subject to confirmation from time to time by vote of the people or other formal procedure.
20. However, it is recommended that all judges exercising the same Jurisdiction be appointed for a period to expire upon the attainment of a particular age.
21. A judge's tenure must not be altered to the disadvantage of the judge during her or his term of office.
22. Judges should be subject to removal from office only for proved incapacity, conviction of a crime, or conduct which makes the judge unfit to be a judge.
23. It is recognised that, by reason of differences in history and culture, the procedures adopted for the removal of judges may differ in different societies. Removal by parliamentary procedures has traditionally been adopted in some societies. In other societies, that procedure is unsuitable: it is not appropriate for dealing with some grounds for removal; it is rarely if ever used; and its use other than for the most serious of reasons is apt to lead to misuse.
24. Where parliamentary procedures or procedures for the removal of a judge by vote of the people do not apply, procedures for the removal of judges must be under the control of the judiciary.
25. Where parliamentary procedures or procedures for the removal of a judge by vote of the people do not apply and it is proposed to take steps to secure the removal of a judge, there should, in the first instance, be an examination of the reasons suggested for the removal, for the purpose of determining whether formal proceedings should be commenced. Formal proceedings should be commenced only if the preliminary examination indicates that there are adequate reasons for taking them.
26, In any event, the judge who is sought to be removed must have the right to a fair hearing.
27. All disciplinary, suspension or removal proceedings must be determined in accordance with established standards of judicial conduct.
28. Judgments in disciplinary proceedings, whether heldin cameraor in public, should be published.
29. The abolition of the court of which a judge is a member must not be accepted as a reason or an occasion for the removal of a judge. Where a court is abolished or restructured, all existing members of the court must be reappointed to its replacement or appointed to another judicial office of equivalent status and tenure. Members of the court for whom no alternative position can be found must be fully compensated.
30. Judges must not be transferred by the Executive from one Jurisdiction or function to another without their consent, but when a transfer is in pursuance of a uniform policy formulated by the Executive after due consultation with the Judiciary, such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld by an individual judge.
Judicial Conditions
31. Judges must receive adequate remuneration and be given appropriate terms and conditions of service. The remuneration and conditions of service of judges should not be altered to their disadvantage during their term of office, except as part of a uniform public economic measure to which the judges of a relevant court, or a majority of them, have agreed.
32. Without prejudice to any disciplinary procedure or to any right of appeal or to compensation from the State in accordance with national law, judges should enjoy personal immunity from civil suits for monetary damages for improper acts or omissions in the exercise of their judicial functions.
Jurisdiction
33. The Judiciary must have jurisdiction over all issues of a justiciable nature and exclusive authority to decide whether an issue submitted for its decision is within its competence as defined by law.
34. The jurisdiction of the highest court in a society should not be limited or restricted without the consent of the members of the court.
Judicial Administration
35. The assignment of cases to judges is a matter of judicial administration over which ultimate control must belong to the chief judicial officer of the relevant court.
36. The principal responsibility for court administration, including appointment, supervision and disciplinary control of administrative personnel and support staff must vest in the Judiciary, or in a body in which the Judiciary is represented and has an effective role.
37. The budget of the courts should be prepared by the courts or a competent authority in collaboration with the Judiciary having regard to the needs of judicial independence and administration. The amount allotted should be sufficient to enable each court to function without an excessive workload.
Relationship with the Executive
38. Executive powers which may affect judges in their office, their remuneration or conditions or theirresources, must not be used so as to threaten or bring pressure upon a particular judge or judges.
39. Inducements or benefits should not be offered to or accepted by judges if they affect, or might affect, the performance of their judicial functions.
40. The Executive authorities must at all times ensure the security and physical protection of judges and their families.
Resources
41. It is essential that judges be provided with the resources necessary to enable them to perform their functions.
42. Where economic constraints make it difficult to allocate to the court system facilities and resources which judges consider adequate to enable them to perform their functions, the essential maintenance of the Rule of Law and the protection of human rights nevertheless require that the needs of the judiciary and the court system be accorded a high level of priority in the allocation of resources.
Emergency
43. Some derogations from judicial independence may be permitted in times of grave public emergency which threaten the life of the society but only for the period of time strictly required by the exigencies of the situation and under conditions prescribed by law, only to the extent strictly consistent with internationally recognised minimum standards and subject to review by the courts. In such times of emergency the State shall endeavour to provide that civilians charged with criminal offences of any kind shall be tried by ordinary civilian courts and detention of persons administratively without charge shall be subject to review by courts or other independent authority by way ofhabeas corpusor similar procedures.
44. The jurisdiction of military tribunals must be confined to military offences. There must always be a right of appeal from such tribunals to a legally qualified appellate court or tribunal or other remedy by way of an application for annulment.
It is the conclusion of the Chief Justices and other judges of Asia and the Pacific listed below that these represent the minimum standards necessary to be observed in order to maintain the independence and effective functioning of the Judiciary.
The Hon Sir Gerard Brennan AC KBE Chief Justice of Australia
The Hon Mr Justice A. T. M. Afzal Chief Justice of Bangladesh
HE Mr Wang Jingrong Vice-President Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China (Representing HE President Ren Jianxin, President of the Supreme People's Court)
The Hon Sir Ti Liang Yang Chief Justice of Hong Kong
The Hon Shri Justice S. C. Agrawal Justice of the Supreme Court of India (Representing The Hon Mr Justice A. M. Ahmadi, Chief Justice of India)
The Hon Justice S. H. Soerjono Chief Justice of Indonesia
The Hon Yun Kwan Chief Justice of the Republic of Korea
The Hon D. Dembereltseren Chief Justice of Mongolia
The Hon U Aung Toe Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of The Union of Myanmar (Burma)
The Rt Hon Mr Justice Biswanath Upadhyaya Chief Justice of Nepal
Monsieur Le Premier Président Olivier Aimot Premier Président of the Court of Appeal of New Caledonia
The Rt Hon Sir Thomas Eichelbaum GBE Chief Justice of New Zealand
The Hon Mr Justice Sajjad Ali Shah Chief Justice of Pakistan
The Hon Sir Arnold K. Amet Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea
The Hon Andres R. Narvasa Chief Justice of the Philippines
The Hon Justice Yong Pung How Chief Justice of Singapore
The Hon Mr Justice P. R. P. Perera Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (Representing The Hon Mr Justice G. P. S. De Silva, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka)
The Hon Charles Vaudin D'Imecourt Chief Justice of Vanuatu
The Hon Mr Justice Pham Hung Chief Justice of Vietnam
Tiavaasue Falefatu Maka Sapolu Chief Justice of Western Samoa