MINSK, 17 January (BelTA) – For the time being we see no need in setting up specialized juvenile courts in Belarus because the number of such criminal cases is insignificant, Chairman of Belarus' Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo said as he met with representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, BelTA learned from the press service of the court.
Nearly 1,100 such criminal cases are considered a year. Every court has judges who specialize in cases involving juvenile offences. They got special training in pedagogy, sociology, psychology. Criminal cases are tried by a court panel consisting of a judge and two people's assessors.
It was also noted that Belarus seeks to minimize the number of addresses of Belarusian citizens to the UN Human Rights Committee under the individual complaint procedure under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966 and to resolve the issues of human rights protection at the national level.
Equally important, according to Valentin Sukalo, is to further expand the scope of alternative methods of dispute resolution in all types of proceedings.
Valentin Sukalo briefed the diplomats on the reforms in the judicial system, noting that they were fully compliant with the international standards.
Valentin Sukalo also noted the importance of improving the procedure of review of the judicial decisions not yet in force through the introduction of appeals in civil proceedings. This will help reach settlements in the civil cases which were appealed in the court of second instance without them being referred to the lower instance courts.
At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed the appreciation for the willingness to cooperate.
