On Friday, September 26, the Chair of the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases, Aivars Uminskis, and Senator Inese Laura Zemīte travelled to Jelgava to meet with judges of the Zemgale Regional Court. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss current legal and practical issues faced by regional court judges in their work.

During the meeting, issues related to compensation to victims of criminal offenses, the use of modern technology in court hearings and in criminal proceedings in general, as well as problems with the classification of certain criminal offenses were discussed. The senators also shared their views on the confidentiality of deliberation rooms and the practical implementation of the right of convicted persons to defence.

After the meeting, Aivars Uminskis, Chair of the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases, emphasized that "meetings between senators and their colleagues from lower courts help to build a common understanding of how to resolve complex legal issues through dialogue. In this way, we promote not only the fair examination of criminal cases, but also the completion of criminal proceedings within a reasonable time frame".

The annual meeting with judges from lower courts is a tradition that the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases upholds to strengthen judicial dialogue.

 

Information prepared by the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases

Additional information: Rasma Zvejniece, Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67020396, +371 28652211