Romania: Information on the judiciary in the years 1966-1974; in particular, the jurisdiction of various court levels and means of appointing judges
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROM10890 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Information on the judiciary in the years 1966-1974; in particular, the jurisdiction of various court levels and means of appointing judges, 1 May 1992, ROM10890, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abd388.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached an excerpt from the Constitution of Romania of 1965 which provides information on the courts and the judiciary. Please note that the Constitutions of 1952, 1978 and 1991 are also available to the IRBDC if required. According to the attached excerpt, the judicial system in Romania in 1965 included a Supreme Court, regional courts, people's courts and military courts (Consititution of Rumania 1965, 782). The document states that the courts try civil, penal and any other cases within their competence (Ibid.). Details on the jurisdiction of each level are not provided. The Supreme Court, elected by the Grand National Assembly, has general control over the activities of all of the courts (Ibid., 782, 783). The Constitution also indicates that "judges and people's jurors are elected in accordance with the procedure established by law;" however, further details are not provided (Ibid., 783).
In addition, please find attached an excerpt from Politics in the Communist World which outlines the system of courts used in most Communist systems. This document, published in 1986, states that in most Communist states judges and people's assessors are formally elected, but in Romania both judges and people's assessors are appointed (Holmes 1986, 163). The author notes further that where elections are held for these positions, "the communist party will insist on approving all or nearly all candidates for office before they are presented to the electors..." (Ibid.).
There is no further information currently available to the IRBDC on the judicial system in Romania between 1966 and 1974. Information on the current judicial system can be researched upon request.
References
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Rumania. 1965. Bucharest: Meridane Publishing House, in Amos J. Peaselee. Constitutions of Nations: Volume III - Europe. 1969.
Holmes, Leslie. 1986. Politics in the Communist World. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Attachments
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Romania. 1965. Bucharest: Meridane Publishing House, in Amos J. Peaslee. Constitutions of Nations: Volume III - Europe. 1969. Pp. 767, 782-784.
Holmes, Leslie. 1986. Politics in the Communist World. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Pp. 162-163.
