Fair Trials Checklist for consular officials

Fair Trials International (FTI) has developed a fair trial checklist for consular officers attending the overseas trials of their nationals. It is designed to help consular officer’s identify and record possible abuses of internationally accepted fair trial standards when they are attending the trials of their nationals outside of their own country.

The process of producing the fair trials checklist has, in particular, illustrated the valuable role that FTI can play in developing tools to help consular officers provide effective consular assistance to people facing trial abroad. It is not FTI’s role to provide consular assistance directly and we do not have the resources, the international network of consulates or the diplomatic force of Government required to do so. We do, however, have the skills and expertise to help Ministries of Foreign Affairs perform this vital public service as effectively as possible.

We would like to thank the American, Australian, British, Dutch and German Ministries of Foreign Affairs for their assistance and cooperation and to thank the Nuffield Foundation for its support.