Prison conditions meet minimum international standards, and the Government permits visits by human rights monitors. The Constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile, and the Government observes these prohibitions. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary, and the Government respects this provision in practice. The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court, the National Court, and the Court of Common Pleas. The President appoints judges to the Supreme Court and National Court from a list recommended by the Judicial Nominating Commission.
Appointments are for life.
The Government has an independent special prosecutor and an independent public defender system. The Constitution provides for the right to a fair trial, and an independent judiciary vigorously enforces this right. There were no reports of political prisoners. The Constitution prohibits such practices, government authorities generally respect these prohibitions, and violations are subject to effective legal sanction. The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the Government respects these rights in practice.