GENEVA, April 20 (RIA Novosti) - The United Nations Human Rights Commission passed Monday a draft resolution on the judicial system's integrity. The resolution, proposed by Russia and adopted by the Commission's 53 members in a unanimous vote, calls on the UN member states to make sure that all individuals whose cases are being considered by courts and tribunals under their jurisdiction are guaranteed the right to defend themselves and to choose a defense lawyer to represent them.
The resolution obliges the UN member states to obey the principles of equality before court and before the law within the framework of their national judiciaries. It also urges countries running courts-martial or special military tribunals to integrate these into the general judicial system and to have them follow all internationally accepted norms of legal procedure, such as the guarantee of a fair trial, including the right to appeal, conviction, and sentence.
