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What Pressure Do European Judges Face?
European judges often face pressure, influence, or even attacks in their work, both directly and indirectly. This topic was explored at the international conference “Judges Under Influence,” held in Vilnius on April 18–19.
“Judges are under significant stress due to this pressure, and it is an issue that has not received enough attention. The goal of this conference is to raise awareness about the issue, encourage more conversations, and find ways to help judges deal with this stress,” said Dr. Natalija Kaminskienė, Director of the National Courts Administration.
At the conference, experts discussed judicial influence from different angles. The concept of judicial independence was presented by well-known experts, including former European Court of Human Rights judge Professor Egidijus Kūris, former European Court of Justice judge Professor Marek Safjan, and Professor Maciej Taborowski from the Polish Academy of Sciences.
A particularly emotional topic at the conference was the impact of media on judges. Professor Ragna Aarli from the University of Bergen shared results from a 2022 survey by the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ). The survey revealed that media has a stronger influence on judges’ decisions than social media, with 10% of judges saying social media content could affect their rulings.
Dainius Radzevičius, head of the Lithuanian Journalists' Union, disagreed with this finding. He pointed out that social networks play a big role, especially because politicians and large companies can use their financial resources and communication specialists to influence social media content.
Vladislava Tsarigradski, a judge from Pleven (Bulgaria), shared her personal experience of being attacked by the media. She explained how the media tried to discredit her and even portrayed her as corrupt. “I received threats after making a decision that upset one party involved in a case. Even my family was targeted,” she said.
In Bulgaria, prosecutors refused to investigate the media attacks, which added to the challenges judges face when dealing with pressure.
Dorota Zabłudowska, a judge from Gdańsk, Poland, also shared her experience of media attacks. She explained that when the courts made decisions against government officials, defamation campaigns were launched against the judiciary. “In Poland, the previous government used the media to reduce public trust in the courts. Headlines calling judges ‘enemies of the nation’ were common, and there was even a TV documentary series about allegedly corrupt judges,” she said. The situation improved for judges only after new government officials were elected in Poland in late 2023.
Artashes Melikyan, Secretary of the European Council for the Judiciary, discussed the standards and recommendations for judges and prosecutors in European judicial institutions. He stressed that confidentiality and respect for human rights are essential. “Judges should also be careful with their public comments to avoid compromising the reputation of the judiciary,” he said.
The conference featured speakers and participants from Lithuania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Norway, Poland, and Serbia.
The conference was organized as part of the Bilateral Cooperation Fund of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the 2014–2021 period.
About the Justice and Home Affairs programme
The Justice and Home Affairs programme is strengthening the rule of law in Lithuania. Various measures of the programme increase the efficiency of the Lithuanian judiciary and prosecution service, improve the penal enforcement system, strengthen the competences of the judiciary and law enforcement authorities and inter-institutional cooperation in the field of domestic and gender-based violence, and improve the capacity of the police in fighting crime. In total, more than €40 million has been allocated to the programme for the period 2014-2021. The programme is operated by the CPVA and implemented in partnership with partners.