Inside Police Custody: Application of EU Procedural Rights

2016-05-01

The primary objective of the project is to identify how suspects’ procedural rights operate in practice and to provide recommendations for removing possible flaws. Data gathered through observational research will be used to ensure better implementation of suspects’ rights enshrined in the EU Directives on the right to interpretation and translation, the right to information, and the right of access to a lawyer.

Project period	2016 09 01 – 2018 08 31
Partnership	Irish Council of Civil Liberties (Ireland) (Coordinating Partner) Human Rights Monitoring Institute (Lithuania), Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (Austria), Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Bulgaria), Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Hungary), Associazione Antigone (Italy), Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland), Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania – the Helsinki Committee (Romania), The Peace Institute (Slovenia), Rights International Spain (Spain)
Project snapshot
Activities	Empirical researchers’ field training led by world-renowned experts in criminal justice. Observational research, during which the researchers for 3 months visit police stations in Lithuania and observe how suspects are interviewed. A written report containing analysis of practical implementation of procedural standards and providing recommendations for stakeholders. On the basis of national reports, prepared in different EU member states, a general comparative report will be drafted. Roundtables with key stakeholders (judges, law-enforcement officers, advocates) in Vilnius and Šiauliai to discuss the findings of observations. Conference in Brussels to present the findings of the comparative report to the European Commission and the European Parliament.
Project is funded by the Justice Programme of the European Union