Judicial independence is under threat as populist politicians target judges and authoritarian governments attempt constitutional reforms
Revealed: Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of law
In March last year, a Paris court found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzlement and barred her from running in next year’s presidential race in France. The far-right figurehead took to the airwaves to slam a “political decision” and “denial of democracy”.
Le Pen, who has appealed, said she had been subjected to a “tyranny of judges” and a “political assassination”. The “system” had dropped “a nuclear bomb” on her. The presiding judge was then threatened by others on social media and her home address shared.
Six months later, the former rightwing president Nicolas Sarkozy was handed a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy. He denounced a decision “of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law and for people’s trust in the justice system”.
