Oct 12, 2011
This briefing paper addresses the proposal for a Directive on the Right of Access to a Lawyer in Criminal Proceedings and the Right to Communicate Upon Arrest.
The ICJ warmly welcomes the draft Directive, as an important support for effective implementation in EU Member states of the right of access to a lawyer as recognized in international human rights law and standards.
The paper makes recommendations for strengthening the protection offered by the Directive on several points, and responds to comments of the Presidency, and of certain Member States, on the Commission’s draft.
EU directive on the right of access to a laweyer-analysis brief-2011 (full text, PDF)
Oct 11, 2011 | Events
On 29 September, the ICJ, the Maltese NGO “aditus”, and the UNCHR office in Malta organized these trainings with the support of the European Commission Representation in the country.
The trainings targeted stakeholders working with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as those not working with these groups.
The topics covered included general human rights principles, international refugee law, human rights in Malta, detention of migrants and economic, social and cultural rights. The primary aims of the trainings were to facilitate migrant mainstreaming and the promotion of a rights-based approach to migrant issues.”
Sep 26, 2011 | News
The ICJ is urging the Members of the House of Representatives to dismiss the draft legislation on evidence in criminal trials which could exacerbate further the already dramatic delays in Italian judicial proceedings.
The legislation would eliminate the possibility for a judge to reject the admission of “superfluous” and even “manifestly superfluous” evidence, allowing the parties to a case to call an almost infinite number of witnesses, and potentially delaying the case indefinitely. It also would make it unduly difficult to incorporate previous final rulings on the same case as prima facie evidence of the facts in the proceedings.”
Italy-length-criminal-trial-web story-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Italy-length-criminal-trial-web story-2011-ita (full text in Italian, PDF)
Sep 22, 2011
The ICJ published today its observations on the 1 June 2011 recast of the European Union “Directive laying down standards for the reception of asylum seekers”.
Sep 21, 2011 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The UN Human Rights Council adopted the outcome document of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Greece.
The ICJ made a statement during this adoption process, urging the implementation of recommendations accepted by Greece related to protecting the rights of asylum seekers, particularly concerning their treatment in Greece.
It also called on Greece to reconsider its decision to reject the recommendation of the UPR Working Group that Greece accede to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families.
Greece-icj oral intervention-non-judicial submission-2011
