GENEVA (18 September 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, will conduct her first official visit to Montenegro from 19 to 26 September 2023. During her visit, Satterthwaite will assess the measures taken by the Government to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the free exercise of the legal profession. She will examine the ongoing reform process of the judiciary to assess its compliance with international human rights standards, such as the independence of the judiciary and the principle of separation of powers. She will also examine the issue of access to justice for all, seeking to understand the way ordinary people in Montenegro experience the judicial system. The expert will meet Government officials and members of the Parliament, judges, prosecutors and lawyers. She will also meet representatives of civil society, academia, UN agencies, donors and the diplomatic community. Satterthwaite will hold a press conference on Tuesday 26 September at 10:30 local time at the UN Eco House. Access is strictly limited to journalists. The Special Rapporteur will present her report to the Human Rights Council in June 2024. ENDS *The expert: Ms. Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. She was appointed as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers by the Human Rights Council in October 2022. Professor Satterthwaite is an international human rights scholar and practitioner with decades of experience in the field. She is a Professor of Clinical Law at New York University School of Law. The Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity. UN Human Rights, Country Page - Montenegro For further information and media requests, please to hrc-sr-independencejl@un.org For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org). Follow news related to the UN"s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts. Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for someone"s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org