Trial in absentia explained

Trial in absentia is a criminal proceeding in a court of law in which the person being tried is not present. Latin: In absentia is Latin for "in (the) absence". Its interpretation varies by jurisdiction and legal system.

In common law legal systems, the phrase is more than a spatial description. In these systems, it suggests a recognition of a violation of a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial. Conviction in a trial in which a defendant is not present to answer the charges is held to be a violation of natural justice.[1] Specifically, it violates the second principle of natural justice, Latin: [[audi alteram partem]] (hear the other party).

In some civil law legal systems, such as that of Italy, Latin: absentia is a recognized and accepted defense strategy. Such trials may require the presence of the defendant's lawyer, depending on the country.

Europe

Member states of the Council of Europe that are party to the European Convention on Human Rights are bound to adhere to Article 6 of the convention, which protects the right to a fair trial.

Trials in absentia are banned in some member states of the EU and permitted in others, posing significant problems for the fluidity of mutual recognition of these judicial judgments. The executing member state possesses some degree of discretion, and is not obliged to execute a European Arrest Warrant if the country that is making the request has already tried that person in absentia.

Conditions under which trials in absentia must be recognised include: if the person can be said to have been aware of the trial; if a counsellor took their place at the trial; if they do not request an appeal in due time; and if they are to be offered an appeal.[2]

The framework decision on the European Arrest Warrant provides for the legal guarantees relevant to trials in absentia. While the framework decision explicitly refers to Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, its purpose is not to harmonise national laws on trials in absentia but to provide terms for the non-recognition of a European Arrest Warrant and other cooperative tools. The framework decision provides detailed conditions and requirements on which a trial in absentia can be considered compatible with Article 6, the right to a fair trial.[3]

According to Pieter Cleppe of the think-tank Open Europe, in parts of Europe, in absentia trials essentially give defendants the ability to appeal twice—asking for a retrial at which they would be present and then potentially appealing the second verdict.

The Council of Europe has made commentary on judgments that are made in absentia. The Committee of Ministers, in Resolution (75) 11, of 21 May 1975, stated that an individual must first be effectively served with a summons prior to being tried. In this sense, the ministers are emphasizing that it is not the presence of the accused at the hearing that is of importance, rather the focus should be on whether or not the individual was informed of the trial in time.

In a 1985 judgement in the case Colozza v Italy, the European Court of Human Rights stressed that a person charged with a criminal offence is entitled to take part in the hearings. This entitlement is based on the right to a fair trial and the right to a defence, both of which are required by the convention (articles 6(1) and 6(3)). Furthermore, the court stressed that a person convicted in absentia shall be entitled to a fresh trial once he becomes aware of the proceedings:

Belgium

The Human Rights Committee (HRC) examined Monguya Mbenge v. Zaire (1990) in which the applicant was sentenced to death while exiled in Belgium and was only able to learn of the case against him through the media. Due to these circumstances, the committee found that a number of the applicant's procedural rights had been violated, especially in consideration of the fact that the Zairean authorities had hardly attempted to contact the applicant despite possible knowledge of the applicant's address. This highly impeded the applicant's capacity to prepare any form of defense. Failed evidence to support the case that a court had tried to inform the accused of proceedings against him/her provides the committee with the opinion that the right to be tried in one's presence was violated.[4]

Czech Republic

Under Article 8(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms of the Czech Republic, which has the same legal standing as the Czech Constitution, no one may be prosecuted or deprived of their liberty except on grounds and in a manner specified by law.[5]

In general, the Czech Criminal Procedural Code requires the presence of the defendant in any criminal proceedings. The code recognizes the following exemptions from this rule, when criminal proceedings may be conducted without the presence of the person charged:[6]

Apart from the aforementioned cases of in absentia proceedings in the narrow sense, the defendant may also be absent during the trial under following circumstances:

Italy

Italy is one of several countries in Europe that allow trials in absentia,[16] and they are a regular occurrence.[17]

In Maleki v Italy (1997), the United Nations Human Rights Committee held that the Italian policy on trials in absentia was a breach of the right to fair trial under Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Italy argued that where a defendant in absentia is represented by court-appointed counsel and where he or she has an opportunity to be re-tried, the right to a fair trial will not be violated. The committee disagreed, describing Italy's position as:

In 2009, a former CIA station chief and two other Americans were tried and convicted in absentia by a Milan appeals court for the abduction of Egyptian terror suspect Osama Hassan Mustafa Nasr. The decision meant that 26 Americans tried in absentia for the abduction were found guilty.[18]

The trial of American Amanda Knox for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher highlighted the issue of Italy's willingness to try defendants in absentia. In 2013 Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation, decided to annul Knox's appeal (alongside the co-accused, Italian Raffaele Sollecito), thus overturning their previous acquittals, declaring the acquittal as "full of deficiencies, contradictions and illogical conclusions".[19]

As Amanda Knox remained at her home in the United States, her appeal was heard in absentia, in Florence, Italy. On 30 January 2014 her guilty verdict was re-instated for the murder of Kercher and her sentence set at 28 years and six months imprisonment.[20]

In the case of Goddi v. Italy, the European Court of Human Rights held that the failure of Italy's judiciary to inform the officially appointed lawyer of the applicant in regards to the correct date of the trial hearing deprived the applicant of an effective defence, and therefore Article 6 (3) (c) had been violated.[21]

Certain case law supports the notion that in some circumstances representation by counsel at the trial will not be enough to make an in absentia conviction conclusive enough for the establishment of probable cause. In Gallina v Fraser, the appellant Vincenzo Gallina was convicted in absentia according to established Italian procedure for two robberies. The verdict in Gallina has been since interpreted to suggest that the presence of legal counsel alone is, in certain cases, insufficient to give an in absentia conviction that establishes probable cause.

United States

For more than 100 years, courts in the United States have held that the United States Constitution protects a criminal defendant's right to appear in person at their trial, as a matter of due process, under the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

In 1884, the Supreme Court of the United States held that

A similar holding was announced by the Arizona Court of Appeals in 2004 (based on Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure):

Although United States Congress codified this right by approving Rule 43 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure in 1946 and amended the Rule in 1973, the right is not absolute.

Rule 43 provides that a defendant shall be present

However, the following exceptions are included in the Rule:

Indeed, several U.S. Supreme Court decisions have recognized that a defendant may forfeit the right to be present at trial through disruptive behavior,[22] or through his or her voluntary absence after trial has begun.[23]

In 1993, the Supreme Court revisited Rule 43 in the case of Crosby v. United States.[24] The Court unanimously held, in an opinion written by Justice Harry Blackmun, that Rule 43 does not permit the trial in absentia of a defendant who is absent at the beginning of trial.

However, in Crosby, the Rehnquist Court reiterated an 80-year-old precedent that

Examples

Examples of people convicted in absentia are:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Primus . Eve Brensike . Jerold Israel . Jerold . King . Nancy J. . Kerr . Orin . LaFave . Wayne R . Kamisar . Yale . Modern Criminal Procedure, Cases, Comments, and Questions . May 25, 2015 . West Academic Publishing . 978-1634595315 .
  2. Web site: Briefing note: EU strengthens trials in absentia – Framework Decision could lead to miscarriages of justice . 2014-07-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120905121759/http://www.openeurope.org.uk/Content/Documents/PDFs/tia.pdf . 2012-09-05 . Open Europe.
  3. Web site: Harmonizing procedural rights indirectly: The Framework Decision on trials in absentia . Martin . Bose . Law.unc.edu . 2016-09-18 . 28 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140728123344/http://www.law.unc.edu/documents/faculty/adversaryconference/profboesepaper.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Goodman . Ryan . Trials in Absentia Under International, Domestic and Lebanese Law . Just Security . 2014-01-18 . 2016-09-07 . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215184441/http://justsecurity.org/5839/trials-absentia/ . live .
  5. Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 2 . 1993 . Prague . en . July 9, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140420210802/http://www.psp.cz/cgi-bin/eng/docs/laws/1993/2.html . April 20, 2014.
  6. Book: Císařová, Dagmar . Trestní právo procesní . Criminal procedural law . Linde Praha a.s. . Prague . 2006 . cs.
  7. Book: Šámal, Pavel . Trestní řád I., II., III. . Criminal Procedure Code I., II., III. . C. H. Beck . Prague . 7th . 2013 . 1977–1983 . cs.
  8. Book: Šámal, Pavel . Trestní zákoník . Criminal Code . C. H. Beck . Prague . cs . 2nd . 1195–1209.
  9. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 8, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090556/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=4&idBiblio=30139&recShow=430&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §302
  10. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 8, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091320/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=4&idBiblio=30139&recShow=431&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §303
  11. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 8, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091345/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=4&idBiblio=30139&recShow=432&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §304
  12. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 8, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091431/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=4&idBiblio=30139&recShow=434&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §306
  13. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 8, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090924/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=4&idBiblio=30139&recShow=435&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §306a
  14. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 12, 2013 . 18 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091502/https://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=3&idBiblio=30139&recShow=308&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . live . §202
  15. Criminal Procedural Code of the Czech Republic . Collection of the Laws of the Czech Republic . 141 . 1961 . Prague . cs . July 12, 2013 . 3 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160203145405/http://portal.gov.cz/app/zakony/zakonPar.jsp?page=3&idBiblio=30139&recShow=310&fulltext=trestn~C3~AD~20z~C3~A1kon~C3~ADk&nr=141~2F1961&part=&name=&rpp=100#parCnt . dead . §204
  16. Web site: General Information . Prisoners Abroad . 2016-09-07 . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215190404/http://www.prisonersabroad.org.uk/uploads/documents/prisoners/Trials_in_absentia.pdf . live .
  17. Web site: Trials in Absentia . Washington College of Law . American University . 2016-09-07 . 23 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130623004403/http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/v4i1/schwar41.htm . live .
  18. Web site: Italian court convicts CIA trio in kidnap . February 2013 . NY Daily News . 2016-09-07 . 7 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141207071111/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/italian-court-convicts-cia-trio-kidnap-article-1.1253324 . live .
  19. Web site: Amanda Knox is a no-show as new trial for murder begins in Italy . NBC News . September 30, 2013 . Henry . Austin . 2016-09-07 . 5 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105190147/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/amanda-knox-no-show-new-trial-murder-begins-italy-f8C11294149 . live .
  20. Web site: Natanson . Phoebe . Amanda Knox 'Frightened' By Guilty Verdict and 28 Year Sentence . ABC News . 2016-09-07 . 30 January 2014 . 9 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200809135831/https://abcnews.go.com/International/amanda-knox-jury-prepared-announce-verdict/story?id=22295682 . live .
  21. Web site: Right to a Fair Trial in Criminal Matters Under Article 6 ECHR . Paul . Mahoney . Judicial Studies Institute Journal . 2016-09-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170517023958/http://www.jsijournal.ie/html/Volume%204%20No.%202/4[2]_Mahoney_Right%20to%20a%20Fair%20Trial%20in%20Criminal%20Matters.pdf . 2017-05-17.
  22. Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337 (1970)
  23. Taylor v. United States (1973), 414 U.S. 17 (1973)
  24. 506 U.S. 255
  25. News: Extradited ex-militant arrives in Italy. BBC News. 2019-01-14. 22 December 2019. 5 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205081554/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46853465. live.
  26. Web site: Gaffney . Sharon . Bailey convicted of murder in absentia by French court . RTE News . 10 July 2021 . en . 31 May 2019 . 10 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210710060545/https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2019/0531/1052791-ian-bailey-paris-trial/ . live .
  27. Book: Bartrop . Paul R. . Jacobs . Steven Leonard . Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection [4 volumes]

    The Definitive Resource and Document Collection ]

    . 2014 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-61069-364-6 . 284 . en . 3 November 2020 . 29 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429141856/https://books.google.com/books?id=JB4UBgAAQBAJ&q=Adem+Jashari+2007&pg=PA284 . live .
  28. Web site: Assassinat de Krim Belkacem : cet autre crime d'État: Toute l'actualité sur liberte-algerie.com . www.liberte-algerie.com . FR . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222221034/https://www.liberte-algerie.com/contribution/assassinat-de-krim-belkacem-cet-autre-crime-detat-279523 . live .
  29. Web site: Heinrich Boere . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222215751/https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/heinrich-boere/ . live .
  30. Web site: Martin Bormann . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222215945/https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/martin-bormann/ . live .
  31. Web site: Desiré Delano Bouterse . TRIAL International . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222215938/https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/desire-delano-bouterse/ . live .
  32. News: Ahmad Chalabi, Iraqi Politician Who Pushed for U.S. Invasion, Dies at 71. The New York Times. 2015-11-03. Chan. Sewell. 22 December 2019. 21 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521182551/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/world/middleeast/ahmad-chalabi-iraq-dead.html. live.
  33. Web site: Craxi: Fallen kingpin . 20 January 2000 . BBC News . 27 June 2012 . 3 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121203005211/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/610659.stm . live .
  34. Book: Encyclopedia of the New Order - Special Issue - Wallonia (Part I). 9780244450595. Bouysse. Gregory. 15 January 2019. Lulu.com. 6 January 2022. 29 April 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240429142003/https://books.google.com/books?id=P0qFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT59#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  35. Web site: Ryszard Kukliński, the man who saved the world from War World III. 2018-11-02. 22 December 2019. 22 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191222221238/https://polanddaily.com/22-ryszard-kuklinski-the-man-who-saved-the-world-from-war-world-iii. live.
  36. Web site: Happy Earth Day! (FYI Earth Day was founded by a US girlfriend killer who hid out in Dublin) . 22 April 2011 . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222221420/https://www.thejournal.ie/happy-earth-day-fyi-earth-day-was-founded-by-a-us-girlfriend-killer-who-hid-out-in-dublin-125483-Apr2011/ . live .
  37. Web site: Britain recognizes General Charles de Gaulle as the leader of the Free French . 22 December 2019 . 22 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222221957/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/britain-recognizes-general-charles-de-gaulle-as-the-leader-of-the-free-french . live .
  38. Thomas, Robert McG. "Boleslavs Maikovskis, 92; Fled War-Crimes Investigation". The New York Times. 8 May 1996. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  39. News: U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber. Michael. Ware. CNN. 7 September 2016. 11 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150311140216/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/05/iraq.lawmaker/index.html. live.
  40. News: Militants sentenced to death . . 22 December 2019 . 27 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200927105936/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/militants-sentenced-to-death-1.1016154 . live .
  41. News: Agent of Chilean Secret Service Convicted of Murder Attempt . . 11 March 1993.
  42. News: Michael . Ware . U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber . CNN.com . 22 February 2007 . 8 November 2010 . 11 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150311140216/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/05/iraq.lawmaker/index.html . live .
  43. Web site: Blair . David . Embassy bomber given Iraq coalition seat . https://web.archive.org/web/20070222102843/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/06/wiraqmp106.xml . dead . 22 February 2007 . Telegraph . 12 April 2008 . 8 November 2010.
  44. [Russia Today]
  45. Web site: Eugène Koffi Adoboli condamné à 5 ans de prison. republicoftogo.com. République Togolaise. fr. 2019-10-15. 15 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191015130804/https://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Justice/Eugene-Koffi-Adoboli-condamne-a-5-ans-de-prison. live.
  46. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39962939 "Yemen charges U.S.-born cleric with plot to kill foreigners"
  47. http://www.bt.dk/udland/dansker-naegtes-medicin-i-rumaensk-faengsel Dansker nægtes medicin i rumænsk fængsel
  48. News: Lithuania convicts Russians of war crimes under Soviet rule . 28 March 2019 . BBC News . 27 March 2019 . 28 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190328013147/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47725239 . live .
  49. Web site: Obituary: Abu Abbas. Lawrence. Joffe. The Guardian. 2004-03-11. 2023-03-23. 23 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230323033354/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/mar/11/guardianobituaries.israel. live.
  50. Web site: Ex-El Salvador President Mauricio Funes Sentenced to 14 Years for Negotiating with Gangs. en. 30 May 2023. 30 May 2023. Associated Press. Marcos. Alemán. San Salvador, El Salvador. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530192843/https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-president-mauricio-funes-sentenced-70a77555aa50ac517be659b65cab6d1a. 30 May 2023. live.
  51. News: 11 September 2023. Dutch court sentences Pakistani ex-cricketer who threatened Geert Wilders. Al Jazeera English. 20 March 2024. 20 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240320104651/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/11/pakistani-ex-cricketer-sentenced-to-12-years-for-threatening-dutch-mp. live.
  52. News: Russia Jails State TV Protester 8.5 Years in Absentia . The Moscow Times . 4 October 2023.