EXTORTION OF STATEMENT BY POLICE – RESPECTING THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT
Keywords:
the right to remain silent, privilege against self-incrimination, police, extortion of the statement, abuse and tortureAbstract
The right to remain silent under police questioning and the privilege against self-incrimination are generally recognised international standards which lie at the heart of the notion of a fair procedure and represents a fundamental assumption of respect for basic human rights. In addition to the proclamation of the right to mental and physical integrity as well as the right to human dignity, the conducting of the aforementioned international standards in the domestic legal system is ensured by the provision of extortion of statement as a criminal offense which can be committed by an official in the conducting of his duties. In accordance with the aforementioned importance of the right to remain silent and the privilege against self-incrimination, it is very important to point out the possibility of their violation. Bearing in mind the nature of the work and the specificity of the tasks of the internal affairs bodies, i.e. the police, it is clear that the police daily faces the danger of the possibility of violating the proclaimed human rights and freedoms. Beside normative analysis of relevant legal acts, theoretical analysis of professional and scientific papers by prominent domestic and foreign authors, European Court of Human Rights and Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia decision analysis, analysis of the Internal Affairs Sector Report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia was also conducted. In this sence, representation of criminal charges filed against police officers and other officials, in the Republic of Serbia, for committing the criminal offense of extortion of statement as well as abuse and torture was established.
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