400 judges meet in Lisbon to discuss the justice system

The Portuguese Judges' Union Association (ASJP) is hosting the 68th Annual Meeting of the International Union of Magistrates (UIM), which kicks off this Thursday in Lisbon with a reception for participants, but whose work effectively begins on the 16th and continues until the 19th, with attacks on judicial independence and the rule of law on the agenda for the approximately 400 judges from 80 countries who will be in Portugal.

Judicial independence in Portugal

According to Judge Nuno Matos, president of ASJP, the scenario of regression in the independence of the judiciary is not occurring in the country, an opinion he bases on a study conducted with magistrates from various Portuguese-speaking countries, which pointed to problems in several of these states, but not in Portugal.

However, he states that it is necessary to pay attention to other factors besides just the direct external pressures on judges' decisions.

“We can say that independence in Portugal is, in fact, guaranteed. Now, independence also plays a role in many other things, in working conditions, in the career status of judges, in legislative changes that are made, so a good part of independence is also at stake there, and we have to be attentive, as is evident,” said Nuno Matos.

International cooperation and judicial protection

Although these international bodies of judges do not have "coercive power" over states, they have an institutional power of denunciation based on their international unity and the weight they have in global organisations such as the United Nations, stressed the president of ASJP.

Artificial intelligence in the justice system

Concern about the threat posed by the far-right to the rule of law will be present in the working meetings, as will the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the justice system, which in Portugal is already working on specific tools to guarantee the security of the judicial system and citizens.

“There needs to be control over the use of AI tools. For us to use an AI tool in the justice system, we have to give the data to that AI system, and then we don't know where that data goes. And that's problematic,” said Nuno Matos.