Originally from The Journal of Eurasian Law (JEL)

Regional Developments in Brief

HUNGARY—EU Court of Justice overturns laws on judicial retirement

In November, the European Union Court of Justice issued a ruling that a controversial Hungarian law lowering the age of mandatory retirement for judicial officials violated EU legal principles. The challenged legislation was a 2011 amendment to Hungarian law lowering the mandatory retirement age for judges, prosecutors, and notaries from 70 to 62. The European Commission successfully argued to the EU Court of Justice that the law fostered age-based discrimination, which is forbidden by EU directives.

KAZAKHSTAN—Sentence of opposition leader upheld

The conviction of Vladimir Kozlov, leader of an opposition political party, for inciting dissent for purposes of overthrowing the government, was recently upheld by a court in Kazakhstan. Kozlov had been sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison by the trial court. Kozlov was charged with instigating violent confrontations between striking oil workers and police that resulted in the deaths of 15 people. Kozlov denies the charges and claims that he is being prosecuted as an attempt by the government to stifle opposition.

KOSOVA—Parliament eliminates foreign constitutional supervisory office

In early September, the parliament of Kosovo voted overwhelmingly to amend the national constitution, removing references to a foreign sponsored supervisory office for the constitution and forcing its closure. This office—the International Civilian Office—was established by a group of nations that recognized Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. The ICO was empowered to remove public officials and block legislation that threatened the rights of the Serbian minority in Kosovo. These powers were never used.