Defence rights Across the European Union, basic rights are violated every day in police stations, court rooms and prisons. Legal advice is not always provided; standards of interpreting are often poor; and people are imprisoned unnecessarily before trial. This destroys the lives of innocent people, causes miscarriages of justice and undermines public faith in criminal justice. Fair Trials International has, for many years, called for EU action to tackle these human rights abuses and real progress is finally being made. In the last two years, new EU laws have been passed guaranteeing the right to interpretation and translation and information for suspects. But these are only the start. Much more work is needed to raise standards of justice in Europe. Until this is completed, injustice will remain a daily reality.
Working for a world where every person’s right to a fair trial is respected, whatever their nationality, wherever they are accused