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American judge Helen Barrigan: â€œFreedom of speech and press is important for the development of democracyâ€

16 December 2009 10:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva â€“ APA. Decision-making courtroom management and the adversary process trainings were organized for the judge nominees at the Academy of Justice in Baku with the participation of US embassy in Azerbaijan. The trainings will last until December 18. US judges will share the experience of US justice system with their Azerbaijani colleagues. Judge Helen Barrigan delivered lection on the subject â€œIndependence, philosophy and psychology of judgesâ€. She emphasized the importance of independence of the legal system and independence of judges from the political pressure. She called freedom of speech and press as a necessary factor for the development of democracy. â€œFreedom of speech and press is important for the development of democracy, even if judges face with the criticism of the press. We chose the way of public official. We represent the people and therefore we should be capable of great endurance against the press criticismâ€.

Barrigan told journalists that good judge should be hard-working, brave and honest. â€œAzerbaijani judges meet these qualities. Young judges in your country are enthusiasts and they are attaching great attention to their work. This is my third visit to Azerbaijan. Earlier I conducted similar trainings in Georgia, Malau and Chinaâ€.