Open Letter to Lord Chancellor urging his support in ensuring fair trial rights throughout the EU

The Rt Hon the Lord Chancellor & Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London, SW1H 9AJ
2 July 2009

Dear Lord Chancellor,

We are writing to urge you to support renewed efforts to ensure that fair trial rights are protected in criminal proceedings throughout Europe.

Our work at Fair Trials International leaves us in no doubt that more must be done to ensure basic rights are protected in many EU member states. Too often we encounter cases of injustice. Too often, we are contacted by people facing trials elsewhere in Europe who have no idea of their rights, no comprehension of the local system and no legal aid to help them pay for a lawyer or interpreter.

Ordinary people are now travelling in ever greater numbers across Europe for study, holidays, work or retirement. Hundreds of individuals are extradited each year to face trial or serve sentences in other European countries. At present there are no effective guarantees that these people will get a fair trial. There are too many harrowing stories of injustice.

Yesterday, the Swedish Presidency of the European Union published a “Roadmap”, paving the way for fair trial rights to be protected in criminal proceedings throughout Europe. Although not perfect, the Roadmap provides a renewed opportunity to make basic rights throughout Europe a reality. It could provide some basis for the trust that must underlie European cooperation in criminal justice.

It was a huge disappointment that previous attempts to protect fair trial rights across Europe were vetoed by the UK. We hope that you will ensure the Roadmap does not suffer the same fate. We urge you to support these latest efforts to raise standards of justice across the Europe.

Yours sincerely,

J.B.Russell

Jago Russell
Chief Executive, Fair Trials International
Copied: Dominic Grieve MP QC and David Howarth MP