Prague, April 15 (CTK) – Czech courts are so overburdened with the cases relating to refugees that some judges have proposed the establishment of special tribunals to only deal with the asylum agenda, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote on Saturday.
There is the threat that if the measures are not taken, the verdicts on refugees, which have a priority under law, may paralyse courts if there is a large migrant wave, MfD writes.
In 2015, when the migrant wave came to a head, regional courts had to deal with some 586 new cases associated with “international protection,” it adds.
However, the figure soared to almost 800 last year. The cases mostly cover the displaced persons from Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, also afflicted by a large armed conflict, MfD writes.
The courts must deal with the legal complaints lodged against the decisions on the stay of foreigners in refugee facilities. The refugees are sent to them because they came illegally to the Czech Republic, it adds.
“The agenda strongly burdens regional courts because a court must decide on the complaint within seven working days. This demands a permanent ‘alert’ of judges and the judicial system,” judge Ivana Svehlova is quoted as saying.
“Due to the duty to decide on the affairs within a short deadline that cannot be violated, one can only with great difficulties shorten the length of other hearings in administrative affairs such as in the construction, taxation and pension cases,” she added.
The situation will worsen if the Czech Republic turns from a transit country into a country of destination for the foreigners, MfD writes.
The Czech judiciary is prepared for asylum proceedings for only tens of cases annually, it adds.
If there are hundreds or thousands of them, this will pose a tremendous problem, MfD writes.
“If at present people complain that they have to wait for an appeals court hearing for one or two years, in such a case they will have to wait for three to five years,” Roman Fiala, a deputy chairman of the Supreme Court, said.
“One can hardly imagine that a large number of judges will be added from one day to another,” he added.
