ZAGREB, 9 May 2022 - It is questionable if the expanded application of audio recordings of court hearings will contribute to making proceedings faster, Supreme Court judge Damir Kos said at a two-day seminar on novelties in Croatian criminal legislation in Opatija on Monday.

Addressing the seminar, Kos spoke about the latest changes to the Criminal Procedure Act, including the expanded application of audio recordings of hearings, communication via video link and increased use of electronic communication in delivering documents to parties in criminal proceedings.

He said, among other things, that those changes were acceptable in principle but warned that such an experiment should not be undertaken without previously analysing objections from the ground as they indicated that this would not necessarily help improve court efficiency.

Presenting an overview of judgements and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in cases against Croatia, Supreme Court judge Marin Mrčela said that in 2021 the ECHR ruled on 682 petitions, rejecting 637 or 93%. In 34 of 37 judgements that refer to 45 petitions, at least one violation each of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was identified, he said.

In 2021 there were 26 judgements and decisions in cases against Croatia pertaining to criminal law, and violations of the Convention were identified in 16, Mrčela said.

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