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Proposed EU 'letter' of fair trial rights welcome
July 20, 2010 1:15 PM
The European Commission has proposed a new European law to make mandatory a 'letter of rights' for all suspects upon arrest in any EU country, in a language they understand.
Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford has campaigned extensively for justice in cross-border cases over the last decade. She said:
"The European Commission's commendably strong proposal is not only welcome but desperately needed. It is completely unacceptable that many people are presently left in the dark about what their rights are when arrested abroad in Europe."
"Many miscarriages of justice or police mistreatment can be avoided if suspects are alerted to their rights. The inclusion of European Arrest Warrant cases means accused persons will know they can demand a hearing before extradition."
"MEPs must fight hard to stop this proposal being watered down by EU governments, who sometimes wrongly seem to think that curtailing rights saves money. In fact foul-ups are very expensive to both budgets and country reputations."
Notes to Editors
1. This draft directive is the second part of a package of measures to raise justice standards and improve defendants' rights in criminal proceedings across the EU. The first measure, the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings, for which Sarah Ludford was MEP 'rapporteur', was agreed by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers (national governments) last month.
2. The proposed 'Directive on the right to information in criminal proceedings' would ensure that all EU countries inform anyone suspected or accused of a crime of their rights with a written letter, in a language the suspect can understand, as soon as they are arrested, to cover rights to:
- be informed of what offence you are suspected
- the assistance of a lawyer
- interpretation of proceedings and the translation of documents if you do not understand the language
- information on how long you can be detained
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