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European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

This section contains briefs and links to the European Court of Human Rights case-law related to defence rights, including legal aid and other related rights

The detention of a person who is ill may engage Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) of the Convention. Article 3 requires States to ensure that every prisoner is detained in conditions that are compatible with respect for human dignity.
The Court has repeatedly held that the right of any person charged with a criminal offence to be effectively defended by a lawyer is a fundamental element of a fair trial.
Mr. Yoldaș was accused of being a member of an illegal organization. He was detained in police custody for six days. During this time he was informed of his right to a lawyer but he did not exercise it.
In the context of police investigations Mr. Panovits, who at the time was 17, was invited to the police station and questioned. He confessed to manslaughter and robbery for which he was then charged and convicted.
Mr Nechiporuk was apprehended and placed in administrative detention in a police station on suspicion of illegal drug possession.
Mr Zaichenko’s car was pulled over by the police when he was driving home.
Ms. Tunç was arrested on suspicion of being a member of an illegal organization.
On 7 April 2001, the prosecutor ordered Mr Kharchenko’s detention, as he was suspected of being involved in embezzlement of a company’s funds.
The applicant, Yevgeniy Krivoshapkin, was convicted of theft and aggravated robbery and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment in a high-security colony.