Enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

The Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan - Criminal Procedure Code (EN) 2000

SPECIAL PART

SECTION ELEVEN
SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS

CHAPTER LVIII
PROCEEDINGS CONCERNING THE ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS AND OTHER FINAL COURT
DECISIONS

Article 506. Obligation of the courts to ensure the timely and proper enforcement of judgments and other final court decisions by the establishments and authorities responsible for sentence enforcement

506.0. A courts which adopts a judgment or other final court decision (or the judge presiding over the hearing at which they are adopted) shall take the following steps :

506.0.1. give immediate instructions for the enforcement of the final judgment or other court decision ;
506.0.2. supervise the timely and proper enforcement of the judgment or other final court decision while examining the relevant applications at court hearings ;
506.0.3. draw the prosecutor’s attention to any instance of failure to enforce a judgment or other final court decision, or attempt to prevent their enforcement, so that criminal proceedings may be brought against the person who fails to enforce it ;
506.0.4. examine applications from the sentenced person and submissions from the establishment or authority enforcing the sentence and settle on its own initiative any doubts or confusion surrounding the enforcement of the judgment or other final court decision ;
506.0.5. exercise the other powers provided for in this Code.

Article 507. Judges’ instructions on the enforcement of judgments and other final court decisions

507.1. The judge’s instructions on enforcement of the judgment or other final court decision shall as a rule be carried out without delay as soon as the relevant judgment or decision becomes final.

507.2. The judge’s instructions to enforce the court’s acquittal of an accused or exempt him from punishment shall be given immediately after the delivery of the judgment. The accused, if present in the courtroom, shall then be immediately released from detention.

507.3. After the delivery of the court judgment, the accused shall be immediately released from detention on remand in the following cases :

507.3.1. if he was convicted, but not sentenced ;
507.3.2. if he was sentenced to deprivation of liberty but that sentence was suspended or deferred ;
507.3.3. if he was sentenced to a penalty not involving deprivation of liberty ;
507.3.4. if he was sentenced to deprivation of liberty for a period not exceeding that for which he was detained either in custody or under a restrictive measure, or the part of the sentence that he served in this criminal case under a decision set aside by the court of appeal or the Supreme Court.

507.4. The judge’s instructions on the enforcement of the judgment or other final court decision shall be sent to the officials of the establishment or authority responsible for enforcement of the judgment or other final decision. A copy of the relevant judgment or other final decision shall be sent with the judge’s instructions.

507.5. When issuing instructions on sentence enforcement, the judge shall also inform the family of the person in detention and sentenced to deprivation of liberty about the enforcement of the judgment.

507.6. If, on account of the judgment, it is necessary to consider depriving the convicted person of a special or military rank, honorary title or state decoration, the judge shall send the relevant submissions and a copy of the court judgment to the authority which conferred the special or military rank, honorary title or state decoration.

Article 508. Duties of officials responsible for the enforcement of judgments or other final court decisions

508.1. The officials of the relevant establishments or authorities shall properly enforce the judgment or other final court decision without delay and immediately inform the judge who issued the instructions that this has been done.

508.2. The officials of the establishment or authority enforcing the sentence shall immediately inform the judge who issued the instructions, as well as the sentenced person’s family, of the place where he is serving his sentence, of any change of location and of his release.

508.3. In accordance with the requirements of Article 508.1 and 508.2 of this Code, any officials of the relevant authorities who evade enforcement of a judgment or other final court decision or fail to enforce it properly shall incur criminal responsibility under the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic.

Article 509. Guarantee of sentenced persons’ rights during sentence enforcement

509.1. Between the passing of judgment by the court and the completion of the sentence, the sentenced person shall have the right to apply to the court for :

509.1.1. postponement of the sentence ;
509.1.2. release from punishment due to illness or to expiry of the period of sentence enforcement ;
509.1.3. conditional release before completion of the sentence ;
509.1.4. commutation of the part of the sentence not yet served to a less severe penalty ;
509.1.5. change to another type of penal institution or reformatory ;
509.1.6. application of an amnesty or rectification of a failure to apply an amnesty correctly ;
509.1.7. inclusion of a period of custody in a medical institution in the term of the sentence ;
509.1.8. release from imprisonment before completion of the sentence ;
509.1.9. other matters provided for in this Code.

509.2. Applications filed by sentenced persons under Article 509.1 of this Code shall be examined by the court in accordance with Articles 510-520 of this Code.

509.3. During the court’s examination of an application from a sentenced person under Article 509.1 of this Code, the sentenced person and his defence counsel or legal representative shall have the following rights :

509.3.1. to participate in the court hearing ;
509.3.2. to present evidence ;
509.3.3. to file applications and make objections ;
509.3.4. to acquaint themselves with all the documents.

509.4. The legal representative or defence counsel of a minor or person who has physical disabilities or is mentally ill may apply on his behalf to the court regarding the matters provided for in Article 509.1 of this Code relating to enforcement of a judgment or other final court decision. During the examination of such applications, the participation of the legal representative or defence counsel of the person concerned shall be compulsory.

Rome Statute

Article 103 Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

1.

(a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.

(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.

(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.

2.

(a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.

(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.

3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:

(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;

(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;

(c) The views of the sentenced person;

(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;

(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.

4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 105 Enforcement of the sentence

1. Subject to conditions which a State may have specified in accordance with article 103, paragraph 1 (b), the sentence of imprisonment shall be binding on the States Parties, which shall in no case modify it.

2. The Court alone shall have the right to decide any application for appeal and revision. The State of enforcement shall not impede the making of any such application by a sentenced person.