IAJ Judicial Independence Award
The Judicial Independence Award was established by the Presidency Committee of the IAJ on 2022 and is intended to award those people or institutions that have dedicated themselves to promoting and protecting the independence of the judiciary.
21 September 2022 – Tel Aviv (Israel)
Mr. Murat Arslan (Turkey) who was still in prison in Turkey under false accusations of terrorism, read by his son, who obtain asylum in the USA.
Ms. Erica Aifan (Guatemala) who was forced to seek asylum in the USA, her life being at risk in Guatemala where she tried and prosecuted members of the Government for corruption.
Mr. Krystian Markiewicz (Poland), Polish judges faced unexpected challenges in a European country, a pioneer in the democratic transformation after the Cold War era.
19 September 2023 – Taipei (Taiwan)
Mr. Anas Hmedi (Tunisia): the situation of the judiciary in Tunisia was very complicated as they were facing disciplinary proceedings, removal from their positions, threats to the rule of law and democracy. The association took a stand in courageous way and the President has a central stage in this battle, representing all his colleagues.
Ms. Azar Sarem (Afghanistan), Afghan judge forced to flee from her Country after the return to power of Talibans, in Summer 2021, and now living in Pakistan, with no visa and no concrete perspectives for the future.
The Hungarian National Council for the Judiciary which suffered numerous attacks of President Orban against the judiciary and the Council tried to face them, rationally, resiliently, making any effort to explain its reasons. The IAJ, and the EAJ in particular, has witnessed these efforts for years, also in the context of the European Network of Judicial Councils, of which the Hungarian present Council is a well-respected member.
19 October 2024 – Cape Town (South Africa)
American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) who played an important role in defence of the values of Rule of Law and Judicial Independence and its programs aimed at strengthening legal institutions, supporting legal professionals, fostering respect for human rights and advancing public understanding of the law and of citizen rights.
International Association of Judges
Union Internationale des Magistrats
Palazzo di Giustizia
Piazza Cavour – 00193 – Roma, Italy
tel. +39 06 6883 2213 – fax. +39 06 687 1195