Witness protection: Slovenian and American regulation

Priče so ene od ključnih elementov pri izvajanju kazenskega postopka. S pomočjo priče, ki vidi določeno dejanje ali pa ve ključno dejstvo, se lahko hitreje in učinkoviteje razreši primer. Prav zaradi te njihove lastnosti ―da so nekaj videli ali pa slišali, kar ne bi smeli, pa so priče dostikrat ogrožene. Zato lahko njihova izpostavljenost pri pričanju pomeni grožnjo ne le za njih, ampak tudi za njihove bližnje. Z razlogom in namenom preprečitve ogroženosti so vzpostavljeni različni mehanizmi, s katerimi pristojni organi in organizacije zaščitijo priče in ljudi, ki so z njimi v določenem razmerju. Ti mehanizmi so si med seboj podobni, vendar pa se hkrati med državami razlikujejo. Predstavili bomo ključne zakone, ki veljajo v Republiki Sloveniji na področju zaščite prič. Posebej bomo izpostavili Zakon o zaščiti prič, ki je stopil v veljavo leta 2005 in področje zaščite prič bolje uredil ter s tem zagotovil njihovo boljšo zaščito. To področje pa pokrivata tudi Zakon o kazenskem postopku ter Zakon o nalogah in pooblastilih Policije. Tako Zakon o kazenskem postopku opredeljuje definicijo ter dolžnosti priče. Pri Zakonu o nalogah in pooblastilih Policije pa gre za opredelitev pooblastil policistov, s katerimi lahko zaščitijo ogrožene osebe. Ne le na področju zaščite prič, tudi na drugih področjih ― kar se tiče zakonodaje in predpisov ― prihaja do razlik. Čeprav večina držav sledi mednarodnim sporazumom, kljub temu prihaja do razlik. Le-te se pojavljajo že v evropskih državah, do še večjih razlik pa pridemo, če primerjamo Slovenijo ter Združene države Amerike. Kljub temu pa se tudi pri primerjavi teh dveh držav najdejo podobnosti. Pri primerjavi ameriških in slovenskih ukrepov za zaščito prič pa smo ugotovili, da ne moremo zagotovostjo trditi, kateri od ukrepov so obsežnejši. Tajnost informacij namreč onemogoča primerjavo le-teh.Witnesses are one of the key elements at execution of criminal procedure. Case can be solved faster and more efficiently with help from a witness that sees a certain action or knows a certain fact. Because of this property-that they seen or heard something they shouldn\u27t, they are often threatened. Therefore their exposure at testimony can mean a threat for them and their family. With the intention of preventing threats, different mechanisms are established. With these mechanisms authorities and organizations protect witnesses and people that are in relation with them. These mechanisms are similar but they differ from country to country. I will introduce key laws that apply in Republic of Slovenia on the field of witness protection. I will introduce the Zakon o zaščiti prič that began to apply in 2005 and it arranged field of witness protection better and with that, ensured better protection. This field is also covered by Zakon o kazenskem postopku and Zakon o nalogah in pooblastilih Policije. Zakon o kazenskem postopku defined the definition and duties of the witness. Zakon o nalogah in pooblastilih policije defines the powers of police officers to protect vulnerable people. Different laws are determining different shapes of witness protection in Slovenia. Basic police powers, (arranged by Zakon o nalogah in pooblastilih policije), Case-process protection measures (arranged by Zakon o kazenskem postopku) and measures outside the process (arranged by Zakon o zaščiti prič) are emphasized. When confirming the hypothesis which compares case-process protection measures and measures outside the process it was found that protection measures outside the process grant better protection. When comparing American and Slovenian measures for the protection of witnesses, we find that we can\u27t say which of those are more extensive. The secrecy of the information prevents the comparison of measures