NEW YORK (15 October 2020) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Diego García-Sayán, presented a report to the UN General Assembly today on the disciplinary proceedings against judges for alleged misconduct in the exercise of their functions.
The report also examined “disguised” sanctions imposed on judges with the aim of intimidating, harassing or otherwise interfering with the professional activities of judges. García-Sayán’s report was based on 57 responses to a questionnaire issued in 2020.
“Disciplinary proceedings against judges must be carried out in accordance with certain basic principles aimed at safeguarding judicial independence, but sanctions can never be imposed on judges to harass, punish or otherwise interfere with the legitimate exercise of a judge’s professional activities,” he said.