MENTAL HEALTH OF A PERSON AS A CRITERION OF PERSONAL PARTICIPATION IN THE TRIAL DURING CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

Abstract

The aim of this work is to identify and analyze the key positions of the ECHR in the context of respect for the right to a fair trial (Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter - the Convention)) of a person suffering from mental disorders in criminal proceedings concerning the application of compulsory medical measures (hereinafter referred to as CMM); formulation of scientifically substantiated proposals for determining the restriction legality criteria of the right of a person suffering from a mental disorder to personal participation in the trial. Materials and methods: During the preparation of the article, the following was processed: scientific research on ensuring the rights of persons suffering from mental disorders in criminal proceedings; provisions of international agreements on the provision of psychiatric care; the legal position of the ECHR on the observance of the right to a fair trial of persons suffering from mental disorders (6 decisions were analyzed in which the ECHR addressed these issues in the context of the requirements of Article 6 of the Convention); criminal procedural legislation of individual states; the results of a survey conducted by the authors of 88 judges (judges of local courts of Ukraine) on key issues of ensuring the participation of a person suffering from a mental disorder in a court hearing. In the process of research a set of general scientific and special methods of cognition was used (comparative-legal method, systemic-structural method, generalization method, method of analysis and synthesis, method of sociological research, method of expert assessments, etc.). Results: According to the results of the research: a) the legal positions of the ECHR to ensure the right of a person suffering from a mental disorder to a fair trial are identified and generalized (Article 6 of the Convention); b) criteria for the legality of restricting the right of a person suffering from a mental disorder to personal participation in the trial are proposed. Conclusions: An analysis of the ECHR's key positions led to the conclusion that there was a violation of a person's right to a fair trial in national case law (Article 6 of theConvention), due in part to the lack of clear criteria for legally restricting a person's right to a trial.