The Jury Returns to Continental Europe: Russia and Spain Return to the Classic Jury as a Catalyst in a Move to a More Adversary Form of Criminal Trial

Authors

Stephen C. Thaman, Saint Louis University School of Law

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1998

Abstract

This paper briefly compares the provisions of the Russian Jury Law of 1993 and the Spanish Jury Law of 1995 and their application in the first trials, with special attention to the effect of the re-injection of a classic jury. Citations in regard to Russia rely on the author’s exhaustive study of the legislative history of the new Russian Jury Law, its provisions, and its application in the first 114 trials in the years 1993-1994. The Spanish discussion relies on information gathered by the author on the first trials held in Spain since the law went into effect, and delves into the most notorious case so far, that of Mikel Otegi, a young Basque nationalist, who was acquitted of murdering two Basque policemen on March 7, 1997.

Recommended Citation

Thaman, Stephen C., The Jury Returns to Continental Europe: Russia and Spain Return to the Classic Jury as a Catalyst in a Move to a More Adversary Form of Criminal Trial (1998). Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. 1998. vol. 17, p. 343-364.