中国和澳大利亚刑事被害人权利的演进:法律传统的趋同?

The Evolution of Victims Rights in China and Australia:Converging between Legal Traditions?

中国和澳大利亚分别赋予了刑事被害人“当事人”和“参与人”的诉讼地位。通过考察20世纪70年代以来两国被害人权利的演进以及实证调研发现,中国和澳大利亚在改善被害人权益方面有一定趋同。被害人融入刑事诉讼的程度并非仅由两国诉讼结构决定,而是受到多种因素影响,包括促进相关法律、政策改革的多元动力和实践中司法官员对公私利益的区分、对被害人参与诉讼的态度及其权利保障意识。关注被害人权利和参与对抗制和审问制审判的限度,有助于从被害人角度构思我国以审判为中心的司法改革。诉讼对抗性的增强势必影响被害人诉讼权利的行使,因此需思考被害人应如何适应变革中的刑事程序,改革应在保障被告人获得公正审判的同时,不致损害被害人权益。

China and Australia have granted crime victims“party”and“participant”positions respectively.By charting the development of victims rights in these two countries since the 1970s and drawing upon empirical research,this paper identifies a trend of convergence between the two countries in terms of improving victims rights and interests.It further finds that victim participation is more than subjected to internal limitations—the classic trial structure of each country.Rather,victim participation needs to be understood as a dynamic process,which is responsive to external forces.These may include diverse catalysts for legal and policy reform,along with legal professionals stance on public/private interest divide,attitude towards victim participation and awareness of victims rights.Focusing on victims rights and the extent of victim participation in the adversarial and inquisitorial systems is conducive to conceiving China s trial-centred procedural reform.Because enhancing confrontation between the prosecution and defence at trial inevitably affects the exercise of victims participatory rights,it is necessary to reflect on the current approach to victim inclusion,such that the reform can roll out without undermining victims interests.