This cooperation suggests [en effet] trust and respect for international law, “said French Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti after a meeting in Brussels.
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Posted on 04/03/2022 19:53 Updated on 04/03/2022 19:56
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European justice ministers have decided not to process more extradition requests in criminal cases from Russia or Belarus, French Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti announced on Friday (March 4th). “We have reached a broad agreement not to process any more requests for criminal-judicial cooperation in matters of mutual assistance and extradition” from these two countries, because “this cooperation presupposes trust and respect for international law,” he added. he said after a meeting of ministers in Brussels about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“A number of requests will no longer be processed. This will be on a case-by-case basis, “but civil judicial cooperation (international child abductions, etc.) is not a concern and states will not denounce non-existent extradition treaties,” said Eric Dupont-Moretti.
In addition, the 27 will “redouble our vigilance against abuses of court proceedings, such as international arrest warrants. [par Moscou ou Minsk] against Polish and Lithuanian magistrates, instrumentalizing justice for purposes that have nothing to do with it, “he warned. In particular, Russia has issued arrest warrants against judges and prosecutors from a Vilnius court that sentenced former servicemen and Soviet officials in absentia. war crimes in a deadly attack on Lithuania’s independence in 1991
Ministers also decided to mobilize the Eurojust Judicial Cooperation Agency to “collect” evidence of possible war crimes as part of an investigation launched by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Friday’s meeting is also expected to allow ministers to reach a common position on including hate and speech crime, especially online, in the EU’s list of crimes, a priority project for the French EU presidency that requires unanimity. According to Eric Dupont-Moretti, 23 countries currently support this expansion of “Eurocrime” (which includes ten crimes considered “particularly serious”: terrorism, human trafficking, arms and drug trafficking, etc.). A compromise is expected in March with a view to a final agreement with MEPs by the end of June.
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