Fair trials manual

PRIX RÉDUIT: Fr 10.- au lieu de Fr 30.-

Amnesty International, 1998, 178 pages

The right to a fair trial is a basic human right. When this right is violated, people innocent of any crime face conviction, improsnment and even execution. The justice system itself loses credibility.

Amnesty International works to promote human rights all over the world. Unless human rights are upheld without discrimination in the police station, the interrogation room, the detention centre, the court and the prison cell, the authorities have failed in their duties and betrayed their responsibilities.

The risk of human rights violations starts from the moment that officials raise suspicions against a person, through arrest, in pre-trial detention, during the trial, during all appeals, right through to the imposition of any punishment. International fair trial standards are designed to define and protect people's rights through all these stages.

This manual is a guide to the international and regional standards which protect the right to a fair trial. It is intended for the use of trial observers and others assessing the fairness of an individual case. It will also assist in evaluating whether a country's criminal justice system guarantees respect for international standards of fair trial.

The manual covers pre-trial rights, rights at trial and during appeals, and special cases including death penalty trials, cases involving children, and fair trial rights during armed conflict.