Dismissal of the appeal against a conviction for begging

Facts

The appellant, a Romanian national of Roma origin, has been convicted several times by the Geneva Police Court for the offence of begging under the Geneva Criminal Law. She filed an appeal against the judgment of the Geneva Court of Justice which dismissed her appeal. The DFC has dismissed her appeal to the extent that it was admissible.

Considerations

The DFC first examined the validity of the criminal orders issued against the appellant. It considered that the direct notification to the foreigner, by post, of the criminal orders was valid under the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. The Geneva State Fines Service, which imposed the fines, must be considered a judicial authority within the meaning of this convention and the Second Additional Protocol. The DFC then dismissed the appellant's complaints regarding an alleged discrimination against the Roma community and an infringement of her personal freedom and human dignity. It considered that the appellant had not made it plausible that there was indirect…