In February 2021, the Committee of Ministers ended the supervision of the execution of the ECHR judgment in Kryzevicius. The case concerned a violation of the applicant’s right to respect for his family life due to his punishment for refusing to testify in criminal proceedings in which his wife had the status of a “special witness”, which was very similar to that of a suspect.
In response to this judgment, the Code of Criminal Procedure was amended in 2020. It expanded the “testimonial privilege” (exempting a person from liability for refusing to testify) to everyone called to testify against family members, irrespective of the family member’s procedural status (whether special witness, suspect or accused).
