In order to have meaningful access to justice and ensure a fair criminal procedure, it is crucial that people who have been arrested and/or are facing detention understand their rights.
EU law requires Member States to provide anyone who has been arrested with a written document that explains their rights in a simple way. However, in practice, these are usually lengthy and complex documents. People in vulnerable situations often don’t read or cannot understand these documents and as a result, they might not know their rights or how to exercise them.
Fair Trials has produced plain language Letters of Rights in 13 EU languages, learn more here.
This video was developed as part of the EU project ´From law to practice: Strengthening procedural rights in police custody (ProRPC)’ led by the LBI-GMR, in cooperation with APADOR-CH, Fair Trials, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, and Rights International Spain. You can read a factsheet on this topic by LBI-GMR here.
