EIT: Asianajajan tuomitseminen kunnianloukkauksesta ei loukannut sananvapautta

Euroopan ihmisoikeustuomiosituin (EIT) on tuomiossaan Ranskaa vastaan katsonut, että asianajajan tuomitseminen tuomariin kohdistuneesta kunnianloukkauksesta oli perusteltua, kun asianajaja oli voimakkain sanankääntein kritisoinut tutkintatuomaria julkisuudessa vielä sen jälkeen, kun tutkinnasta vastaavaksi tuomariksi jo oli valitustuomioistuimen toimesta määrätty toinen tuomari.

EIT:n lehdistötiedotteesta:

The case concerned the conviction of a lawyer for public defamation of the judges responsible for investigating the death of Judge Bernard Borrel in Djibouti, following the publication of an article in the daily newspaper Le Monde.

The case raised two issues: firstly, a member of the Court of Cassation which ruled on Mr Morice’s appeal on points of law had previously expressed his support for a judge who was a party to the proceedings against him. The Court concluded that serious doubts could be raised as to the Court of Cassation’s impartiality and that Mr Morice’s fears could be held to be objectively justified.

The Court also considered that the domestic courts could have been satisfied that the comments made by Mr Morice in Le Monde were serious and insulting to the judge in question, that they were capable of unnecessarily undermining public confidence in the judicial system and, lastly, that there were sufficient grounds to convict Mr Morice of public defamation.

Koko lehdistötiedote, josta löytyy myös linkki koko tuomioon, löytyy täältä: here