Announcement of the "Amendment to the Guidelines for Preserving Human Dignity and Values ​​in the Judiciary" by Mohseni Ezieh

Expansion and Promotion of Respect for Clients and Strengthening Citizens' Rights in the Judiciary

The instances of respecting the rights of defendants and parties to a case have become broader

Strengthening the judiciary's approach regarding responsiveness to public opinion and providing information about the progress of important cases, especially cases related to public rights

According to the Judiciary Media Center, in line with the policies and structured approaches of the judiciary during the period of transformation and excellence, aimed at strengthening citizens' rights in judicial bodies and courts, and also in accordance with Mojtaba Mousavi Oshtiani’s repeated emphasis on the necessity of greater and enhanced respect for clients and visitors to the judiciary, provisions have been added to the 'Guidelines for Preserving Dignity and Human Values in the Judiciary' to make the judiciary's respectful approach toward citizens and visitors more extensive and comprehensive.

In accordance with the provisions of the aforementioned amendment, communicated by the Head of the Judiciary to all judicial units, the instances of citizens' rights and the rights of defendants and parties in judicial bodies and courts have been simplified, and monitoring mechanisms regarding this matter have also been strengthened.

In the discussion of responding to public opinion and providing information regarding the handling of important cases, especially cases related to public rights, the approach of the judiciary, in line with this amendment, will also be strengthened.  

According to the notification concerning the “Amendment to the Guidelines for Preserving Human Dignity and Values in the Judiciary” issued by Mohseni-Ejei, family counseling centers are also included among the institutions covered by the aforementioned guidelines.  

Additionally, a new clause is added to Article 5 of these guidelines, which concerns “responding to public opinion and providing information regarding the handling of important cases, especially cases related to public rights.” According to this clause, provisions will be made for the public and online broadcasting of sessions of the General Board of the Supreme Court during deliberations for issuing judicial precedent rulings, as well as the possibility for individuals to attend these sessions online, in accordance with the restrictions stipulated by the law.

According to the communicated amendment, pursuant to Article 6 of the Guidelines for Preserving Human Dignity and Values in the Judiciary, which pertains to observing the principles of legality of crime and punishment and presumption of innocence, the Judiciary's Center for Statistics and Information Technology is obligated to provide the necessary infrastructure for intelligent monitoring and review in order to protect the rights of the accused, parties to the case, and related persons in the dispute, such as the guarantor and surety.  

Additionally, the Judiciary's Human Resources Deputy is required to consider a judge's diligence in respecting the rights of the accused, parties to the case, and related persons as an evaluation criterion in the Comprehensive Judges’ Performance System.  

In line with the communicated amendment, pursuant to Article 8 of the Guidelines for Preserving Human Dignity and Values in the Judiciary, which pertains to observing the principle of prohibition of torture for obtaining confessions, prosecutors are required to provide necessary training to law enforcement officers to ensure that investigations and interrogations of defendants are conducted based on scientific principles and methods, avoiding curiosity about personal and family secrets, questions about individuals' pasts, and focusing on matters unrelated to the case. Prosecutors are also obligated to oversee the implementation of these practices and standards by law enforcement officers.

According to the notified amendment, in line with Article 12 of the Directive on the preservation of dignity and human values ​​in the judiciary, which oversees the preservation of the dignity and dignity of clients, it is possible for the parties to inquire and be informed of the latest status of judicial cases without the need to attend the judicial authority.