The organization of European magistrates urges to renew the Judiciary now: "It is an unacceptable constitutional breach"

The organization European Magistrates for Freedom and Democracy (Medel), which includes more than 15,000 judges on the continent, has released a statement in which they express “their concern about the situation of justice in Spain” and, specifically, about the lack of renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) whose mandate expired in 2018 and which has not been renewed since then due to the blockade of the Popular Party.

“The governing body of Spanish judges, the General Council of the Judiciary, has not been renewed for more than five years, which represents an unacceptable failure to comply over time with the constitutional postulates that require its renewal every five years,” he points out. Medel, who “urges the competent Spanish authorities to put an end to this democratic anomaly, which is causing significant dysfunctions in the public service provided by the Judiciary.”

The organization also claims to follow “with concern the recent events related to a press release from the State Attorney General’s Office”, in reference to the procedure opened by the press release sent by the Public Ministry in which false information linked to Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s partner.

However, Medel shows his respect for the ongoing judicial procedure “to verify, independently and impartially, whether illegal acts of any kind have been committed.”

The Prosecutor’s Office must be able to “exercise autonomously”

However, Medel reiterates that “the conditions that allow the State Attorney General’s Office, a body of constitutional relevance integrated into the Judiciary, to exercise its functions autonomously and independently must be guaranteed.” “Correct information represents a duty towards citizens and a guarantee of transparency, which is in turn a crucial component of the rule of law and a precondition to ensure public confidence in the correct functioning of the judicial system.”

“Respect for the Judiciary as a whole and the institutions that comprise it is essential for the normal functioning of the Rule of Law,” the organization says.