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词条 Hague Evidence Convention
释义

  1. Parties to the Hague Evidence Convention

  2. Substantive Provisions of HEC

     Central authorities and procedures  Pre-trial discovery 

  3. Practical operation in member states

  4. References

  5. External links

{{Infobox Treaty
|name = Hague Evidence Convention
|long_name = Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters
|image = Evidence Convention.png
|image_width =300
|caption =States parties to the convention by year of ratifications: green: '70, light blue: '80, blue '90, pink '00, red '10
|type =
|date_drafted =
|date_signed = 18 March 1970
|location_signed = The Netherlands
|date_sealed =
|date_effective = 7 October 1972
|condition_effective = ratification by 3 states[1]
|date_expiration =
|signatories =
|parties = 62
|depositor = Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
|language =
|languages = French and English
|wikisource =Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters
}}

The Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters—more commonly referred to as the Hague Evidence Convention—is a multilateral treaty which was drafted under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCPIL). The treaty was negotiated in 1967 and 1968 and signed in The Hague on 18 March 1970. It entered into force in 1972. It allows transmission of letters of request (letters rogatory) from one signatory state (where the evidence is sought) to another signatory state (where the evidence is located) without recourse to consular and diplomatic channels.[2] Inside the US, obtaining evidence under the Evidence Convention can be compared to comity.[3]

The Hague Evidence Convention was not the first convention to address the transmission of evidence from one state to another. The 1905 Civil Procedure Convention—also signed in The Hague—contained provisions dealing with the transmission of evidence. However, that earlier convention did not command wide support and was only ratified by 22 countries. The United States initiated the negotiations that led to the creation of the Hague Evidence Convention.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} However, insofar as requests to United States courts are concerned, parties may also use the simpler discovery provision codified at 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (see Section 1782 Discovery).

Between states of the European Union, the Hague Evidence Convention has largely been supplanted by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1206/2001 on Cooperation Between the Courts of the Member States in the Taking of Evidence in Civil or Commercial Matters.

Parties to the Hague Evidence Convention

Countries that ratified
(cumulative by year)

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As of 2019, there are 62 states which are parties of the Hague Evidence Convention. Fifty-six of the HCPIL member states are party to the Hague Evidence Convention. In addition, five states that are not members of the HCPIL (Barbados, Colombia, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Nicaragua and Seychelles) have joined the Hague Evidence Convention. Article 39 of the Hague Evidence Convention expressly permits states which were not members of the HCPIL at the time of the conclusion of the treaty to accede to the Convention.

{{Col-begin}}{{Col-2}}
State Date of Ratification Comments
Albania}} 16 July 2010
Andorra}} 26 April 2017
Argentina}} 8 May 1987
Armenia}} 27 June 2012
Australia}} 23 October 1992
Barbados}} 5 March 1981
Belarus}} 7 August 2001
Bosnia and Herzegovina}} 16 June 2008
Brazil}} 9 April 2014
Bulgaria}} 23 November 1999
China}}, People's Republic of 8 December 1997 including the Special Administrative Regions
of Hong Kong and Macao
Colombia}} 13 January 2012
Costa Rica}} 16 March 2016
Croatia}}1 October 2009
Cyprus}}13 January 1983
Czech Republic}} 28 June 1993 succession of the ratification of Czechoslovakia in 1976
Denmark}} 20 June 1972
Estonia}} 2 February 1996
Finland}} 7 April 1976
France}} 7 August 1974 Complete territory
Germany}} 27 April 1979
Greece}} 18 January 2005
Hungary}} 13 July 2004
Iceland}} 10 November 2008
India}} 7 February 2007
Israel}} 19 July 1979
Italy}} 22 June 1982
Kazakhstan}} 26 September 2016
Kuwait}} 8 May 2002
Latvia}} 28 March 1995
Liechtenstein}} 12 November 2008
Lithuania}} 2 August 2000
Luxembourg}} 26 July 1977
Macedonia}} 13 March 2009
Malta}} 24 February 2011
Montenegro}} 16 January 2012
{{Col-2}}
State Date of Ratification Comments
Mexico}} 27 July 1989
Morocco}} 24 March 2011
Monaco}} 17 January 1986
Montenegro}} 16 January 2012
Netherlands}} 8 April 1981 European Netherlands and Aruba
Nicaragua}} 27 February 2019
Norway}} 3 August 1972
Poland}} 13 February 1996
Portugal}} 12 March 1975
Romania}} 21 August 2003
Russia}} 1 May 2001
Serbia}} 2 July 2010
Seychelles}} 7 January 2004
Singapore}} 27 October 1978
Slovakia}} 15 March 1993 succession of the ratification of Czechoslovakia in 1976
Slovenia}} 18 November 2000
South Africa}} 8 July 1997
South Korea}} 14 December 2009
Spain}} 22 May 1987
Sri Lanka}} 30 October 2000
Sweden}} 2 May 1975
Switzerland}} 2 November 1994
Turkey}} 13 August 2004
Ukraine}} 1 February 2001
United Kingdom}} 16 July 1976 Including Akrotiri and Dhekelia,
Anguila, Cayman Islands,
Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey
United States}} 8 August 1972 Including Guam, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands
Venezuela}} 1 November 1993
{{Col-end}}

Substantive Provisions of HEC

Central authorities and procedures

The convention establishes a procedure whereby each contracting state designates a "central authority" to receive and review incoming "letters of request" for taking evidence in that country.

The central authority reviews the letter of request to determine that it complies with the requirements of the convention. If the LOR does comply, the central authority then "transmits" the letter of request "to the authority competent to execute" it (Convention, article 2) – which essentially means to a court.

Under Article 9, the judicial authority that executes a letter of request applies its own law as to the methods and procedures for executing the letter of request.

Under article 13, (a) the documents establishing the execution of the letter of request are to be sent by the requested authority (the recipient of the letter of request) to the requesting authority by the same channel that was used by the requesting authority, and (b) whenever the letter of request is not executed (in whole or in part), the requesting authority is to be informed immediately and advised of the reasons.

Pre-trial discovery

Perhaps the most controversial provision of the Hague Evidence Convention is the application of pre-trial discovery: obtaining of evidence prior to trial without the prior approval of a judge. While some countries (most notably the US, and certain common law countries allow this, it was felt unacceptable by many others. Pre trial discovery is therefore included in the convention, unless a state party has explicitly excluded it. Article 23 thus states a party may declare that "it will not execute letters of request issued for the purpose of obtaining pre-trial discovery of documents as known in common law countries."

To many American lawyers, article 23 emasculates the Hague Evidence Convention.

Most member states have issued some type of article 23 declaration. The United States, Israel, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have not. Some member states have issued "no discovery" declarations, which are generally designed to make clear that the state will not execute a request for "American-style" pre-trial document discovery.

One such country is Greece, whose "no discovery" declaration reads as follows:

Greece declares that, in terms of the provision of article 23 of the Convention, it shall not execute judicial assistance requests for pretrial discovery of documents.

Some member states have issued "middle of the road" declarations. One interesting example is Mexico, which joined the convention in 1989. Mexico's declaration is not a blanket rejection of US-style discovery requests:

C) FORMULATION OF PRE-TRIAL DISCOVERY OF DOCUMENTS

4. With reference to Article 23 of the Convention, the United Mexican States declares that according to Mexican law, it shall only be able to comply with letters of request issued for the purpose of obtaining the production and transcription of documents when the following requirements are met:

(a) that the judicial proceeding has been commenced;

(b) that the documents are reasonably identifiable as to date, subject and other relevant information and that the request specifies those facts and circumstances that lead the requesting party to reasonable believe that the requested documents are known to the person from whom they are requested or that they are in his possession or under his control or custody;

(c) that the direct relationship between the evidence or information sought and the pending proceeding be identified.

Practical operation in member states

At least two member states authorize private lawyers to be involved in the evidence-gathering process. Under the law of the British Virgin Islands, if a witness is summoned to testify pursuant to a letter of request, a legal practitioner for any party may administer the oath to the witness.[4]

The availability of a private lawyer to be directly involved is even more broad under Israeli law. As noted above, Israel has not issued an article 23 declaration. Israeli law provides, pursuant to the Legal Assistance Among States Law 1998,[5] for the possibility of the appointment of a private lawyer to oversee the process of taking evidence under the convention. That statute also governs the procedure for evidence-gathering in Israel in aid of foreign criminal investigations. As a result, even in civil matters (including Hague Evidence Convention requests), the Israeli court system usually assigns letters of request to judges in the criminal division. Due to that allocation, most Israeli decisions issued in connection with international evidence-gathering are stamped "closed doors," which essentially means that it is unlawful to publish the decision.

The American Bar Association conducted a survey to receive feedback from American lawyers concerning their experience with the letter of request procedures under the Hague Evidence Convention. The ABA published the results of the survey in October 2003, and its Conclusions section begins as follows:

The Hague Evidence Convention has been remarkably successful in bridging differences between the common law and civil law approaches to obtaining evidence and has significantly streamlined the procedures for compulsion of evidence from abroad.[6]

References

1. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.text&cid=82|title=20: Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters|publisher=Hague Conference on Private International Law|accessdate=13 January 2012}}
2. ^http://www.law.unc.edu/journals/ncilj/issues/volume40/issue-3-spring-2015/the-hague-convention-a-medium-for-international-discovery/ Retrieved 15 February 2015.
3. ^http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2564797
4. ^See http://www.mondaq.com/x/187532/trials+appeals+compensation/Guiding+You+Through+Letters+Of+Request+In+The+BVI
5. ^See http://www.justice.gov.il/En/Units/StateAttorney/DepartmentInternational/Pages/LegalAssistance.aspx
6. ^https://static.lettersblogatory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2003-us-response.pdf

External links

  • Hague Evidence Convention at the Hague Conference website
  • Ratifications

93 : Treaties concluded in 1970|Treaties entered into force in 1972|Hague Conference on Private International Law conventions|Evidence law|Treaties of Albania|Treaties of Andorra|Treaties of Argentina|Treaties of Armenia|Treaties of Australia|Treaties of Barbados|Treaties of Belarus|Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Treaties of Brazil|Treaties of Bulgaria|Treaties of the People's Republic of China|Treaties of Colombia|Treaties of Costa Rica|Treaties of Croatia|Treaties of Cyprus|Treaties of the Czech Republic|Treaties of Czechoslovakia|Treaties of Denmark|Treaties of Estonia|Treaties of Finland|Treaties of France|Treaties of West Germany|Treaties of Greece|Treaties of Hungary|Treaties of Iceland|Treaties of India|Treaties of Israel|Treaties of Italy|Treaties of Kazakhstan|Treaties of Kuwait|Treaties of Latvia|Treaties of Liechtenstein|Treaties of Lithuania|Treaties of Luxembourg|Treaties of Malta|Treaties of Montenegro|Treaties of Mexico|Treaties of Morocco|Treaties of Monaco|Treaties of the Netherlands|Treaties of Nicaragua|Treaties of North Macedonia|Treaties of Norway|Treaties of Poland|Treaties of Portugal|Treaties of Romania|Treaties of Russia|Treaties of Serbia|Treaties of Seychelles|Treaties of Singapore|Treaties of Slovakia|Treaties of Slovenia|Treaties of South Africa|Treaties of South Korea|Treaties of Spain|Treaties of Sri Lanka|Treaties of Sweden|Treaties of Switzerland|Treaties of Turkey|Treaties of Ukraine|Treaties of the United Kingdom|Treaties of the United States|Treaties of Venezuela|1970 in the Netherlands|Treaties extended to Ashmore and Cartier Islands|Treaties extended to the Australian Antarctic Territory|Treaties extended to Christmas Island|Treaties extended to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands|Treaties extended to Heard Island and McDonald Islands|Treaties extended to Norfolk Island|Treaties extended to Aruba|Treaties extended to Akrotiri and Dhekelia|Treaties extended to Anguilla|Treaties extended to the Cayman Islands|Treaties extended to the Falkland Islands|Treaties extended to Gibraltar|Treaties extended to Guernsey|Treaties extended to the Isle of Man|Treaties extended to Jersey|Treaties extended to Guam|Treaties extended to Puerto Rico|Treaties extended to the United States Virgin Islands|Treaties extended to the Coral Sea Islands|Treaties extended to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|Treaties extended to Portuguese Macau|Treaties extended to British Hong Kong|Treaties extended to West Berlin|20th century in The Hague|Judicial cooperation

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