EU detainees to get ‘letter of rights’

Anyone suspected or accused of having committed a crime in the EU must be promptly informed of his or her procedural rights in easy-to-understand language, said a draft law endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament on the 23 November 2011.

Any suspect who is then arrested or detained must also be given a written 'letter of rights', added the draft, to which MEPs added the right to remain silent, the right to urgent medical care and the right to contact relatives.

• Primary Source

European Parliament: Press Release, 24.11.11: A 'letter of rights' to ensure fair trials for those deprived of their liberty http://www.europarl.europa.eu/en/pressroom/content/20111121IPR31954/html/A-letter-of-rights-to-ensure-fair-trials-for-those-deprived-of-their-liberty

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