中國加入《國際司法救助公約》可行性研究

The Feasibility for China to Ratify the Convention on International Access to Justice

1980年海牙《國際司法救助公約》是世界上第一部專門就國際司法救助事項作出規定的國際性條約，其擴大了國際司法救助的適用對象和範圍，保障了外國公民的司法權。隨著我國公民出國人數的持續增長，加入公約對我國具有現實必要性。根據公約的規定，國際司法救助可歸納為：締約國的中央機關、轉遞機關、法院或其他負責機關對於符合條件的外國當事人給予訴訟及承認與執行判決階段的法律援助，免費轉遞救助申請和免除認證文件，禁止因外國證人或專家到達締約國出庭之前的行為進行逮捕和拘留，以及在免除擔保、免除逮捕、獲得記錄和判決書等方面給予國民待遇，以保障其實現法律賦予的權益。對照《公約》和我國現行的法律援助制度，兩者在原則上並無巨大的分歧。雖然我國加入《公約》並無實質性障礙，但我國應在統一國際司法救助的概念、銜接法律援助與司法救助的關係和保障國際司法救助的實施三方面進行改進。

Convention of 25 October 1980 on International Access to Justice is the first international convention on the international access to justice worldwide. The convention expands the scope and objects of legal aid, guarantees foreigners' rights to justice. With the continued growth in the number of people going abroad, it is necessary to ratify the Convention. The Convention covers: central authorities, transmitting authorities, courts and other relevant agencies of contracting states providing legal aid, transmitting international application for free, exempting the application from certification, prohibiting arrest and detention of foreign witnesses and experts because of any act or conviction occurring before his arrival in the state, and providing national treatment on obtaining copies of entries and decisions, exemption from deposit and arrest to qualified foreigners during litigation or recognition or enforcement of foreign judgment. Comparing the provisions of the convention and current Chinese regulations on legal aid, there are no difference in principle. Although China has no substantial obstacles to ratifying the convention, it is necessary to improve by unifying the domestic law concept with the Convention, integrating legal aid with litigation assistance and implementing the system of international access to justice.