Supreme Court representatives take part in international conference on navigating privacy and media freedom

The delegation of the Supreme Court joined the International Conference ‘Navigating Privacy and Media Freedom: A Judicial Perspective’, which took place in Vilnius in the framework of Lithuania's Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The delegation included Vice President of the Supreme Court Oleksandr Mamalui, President of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court Mykhailo Smokovych, Secretary of the Judicial Chamber for Electoral and Referendum Cases and Protection of Political Rights of Citizens of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court Zhanna Melnyk-Tomenko, judges of the Supreme Court in the Administrative Cassation Court Anna Buchyk, Ihor Dashutin, Viktoria Matsedonska, Volodymyr Sokolov, Vasyl Sharapa, Oleh Shyshov, Mykola Yakovenko, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Supreme Court - Head of the Secretariat of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court Nataliia Bohdaniuk. The event was attended by the President and judges of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania and judges of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland.

The conference, held at Vilnius University, covered many important issues. The participants discussed, among other things, judicial standards in Europe regarding independence and restrictions on freedom of expression, alignment of values and the legal system, harmonisation of values in law, and the participation of judges in public debates. The participants also learnt about the approach of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania to ensuring privacy and freedom of the media within the rule of law. Mykhailo Smokovych, President of the Administrative Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, spoke about the administrative proceedings of Ukraine in the context of European integration processes.

Members of the delegation visited the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania and took part in a trilateral roundtable discussion on the role of administrative courts in ensuring effective protection of human rights in the areas of public administration. Representatives of administrative courts from Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland also outlined the challenges faced by the administrative court system.

The conference was organised by the National Judicial Administration of Lithuania in cooperation with the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, Vilnius University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.

Photo courtesy of the organisers.