MOSCOW, April 2 - RAPSI. The Supreme Court is considering banning the practice of reading the testimonies of witnesses who fail to show in court unless they have a valid reason for their absence.

The court discussed the respective amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code at a meeting on Tuesday. The plan includes amending the code to prevent witness and victim testimonies that were provided during a preliminary investigation from being read during a trial if the whereabouts of these individuals are unknown.
Another amendment would require the prosecution and the defense to ensure that witnesses are present in court.

Article 281 of the code stipulates that preliminary testimonies can be read in court in the event of a witness's death, serious illness, or foreign residence, as well as a natural disaster or "other extraordinary circumstances."

"Court practice shows that other extraordinary circumstances usually boil down to the unknown whereabouts of the victim or the witness, which contradicts the essence of the law," the Supreme Court stated in an explanatory note.

According to Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev, the judge cannot always clearly establish which testimonies victims have given previously.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Justice Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office stated that the code should also lay out clear rules for "ensuring the presence of witnesses," and an instruction as to how this should be done.

The court resolution will be edited by a special commission before approval.