A study day on the use of remote video chat technology in the national and international judiciary – Al-Hiwar Algeria

The topic “Using remote video chat technology in the national and international judiciary” was the focus of a national forum organized today, Sunday, by the University of Algiers 1 “Ben Youssef Ben Khadda” at the Faculty of Law in Algiers.

The work of this forum, which was attended by representatives of various relevant sectors, focused on the impact of this technology in combating crimes and the various aspects related to remote conversation and trial technology, whether under national, international or comparative law.

At the opening of the work of this forum, the representative of the General Directorate for the Modernization of Justice, Mustafa Moujaj, affirmed that Algeria was “a pioneer in using the technology of conversation and video trial remotely, which facilitated its adoption during the Corona pandemic, based on the provisions of Law 15-03 related to the modernization of justice.” , which included the electronic exchange of documents and the use of remote video trial technology in the criminal field, as well as focusing on developing a database.

The spokesman added that resorting to the use of this technology takes place according to specific conditions, as “an exceptional process that came to support the digital transformation in the justice sector, which has been initiated since 2003.”

In turn, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Issa Allawi, explained that the exploitation of remote video trial technology has become “inevitable in criminal and judicial procedures imposed by the development and modernization of justice, which is in line with the Algerian legislature by adopting the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks while ensuring fair trial standards for litigants.”

In the same context, the head of the forum, Mohamed Yahyaoui Nabil, said that the use of this technology “has emerged of importance recently, especially in light of the Corona pandemic, which was matched by the International Criminal Court, the Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, while Algeria was at the forefront of the countries concerned with its organization.” Through Law 15-03 related to the modernization of justice.

For his part, the head of the National Association of Judges, Awdash Al-Eidi, appreciated the resort to electronic litigation in the civil matter, calling for “establishing general frameworks with regard to criminal trials to adhere to the principles of a fair trial, as they are subject to the necessity of devoting the principle of humanizing trials.”

The participants in this forum raised a number of recommendations summed up in the need to expand its use to include all cases and to carry out training courses for employees in the judiciary and related sectors, while working to harness the capabilities necessary to implement this technology.