SOUTHERN REGION SOUTHERN REGION The monitors observed 272 court hearings in the southern region, which amounts to 19% of the total number of court hearings attended. The monitoring in the southern region included courts in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts: 96 (35 %) hearings – in criminal cases; 67 (25 %) hearings – in civil cases; 23 44 42 (15 %) hearings – in commercial cases; 44 (16 %) hearings – in administrative cases; 23 (9 %) hearings – in administrative offences cases. 42 272 96 COURT HEARINGS 67 Most visited hearings took place in first instance courts – 185 (68%), another 87 (32%) – in courts of appeal. OBSERVATION OF GENERAL RULES OF PROCEDURE According to the monitoring data, all over Ukraine the hearings were conducted impeccably in 48% of cases. At the same time, in the southern region this rate was the highest – 56%. In addition, in the southern region the monitors stated that the judge grossly breached the rules of adjudication or the rights of the parties to the case 1% less frequently (4% against the general indicator, 5% nationwide). By many indicators the monitoring in the southern region demonstrated a better situation than nationwide. In 88% of cases the judge considered the case wearing a robe and a badge, which is 1% higher than the average for all over Ukraine. Regarding the difference in observance of the rules for identifying the participants of the hearing and compliance with the requirement to observe the confidentiality of the deliberations room, in the southern region the situation is better than average by 1 and 5% respectively. PUBLICITY The schedule of hearings was posted on the web-site of the court in 94% of cases monitored (1% above the nationwide average rate). The information about cases was posted on the court’s information board in 81% of cases (1% below the nationwide average rate). In 98% of cases the monitors were allowed into the room where the consideration of the case took place (matches the nationwide average rate). Report on the findings of the first trial monitoring programme in Ukraine 71