LEAP Annual Conference 2026 "Humanizing Criminal Justice"
This year, discussions focused on some of the most pressing issues of our time, including AI, the access to defence in Europe, and the European Arrest Warrant (EAW).
The LEAP Annual Conference 2026 brought together criminal justice practitioners, experts, and advocates from across Europe to exchange experiences and confront some of the most pressing challenges facing justice systems today. The conference took place in Athens, Greece, at the Saint George Lycabettus Hotel.
The conference opened with reflections on the realities of criminal justice in practice, from legal aid challenges and prison overcrowding to the impact of migration policies and penal populism , and explored how emerging technologies, including AI, are reshaping investigations and cooperation across borders, raising important questions about fairness and equality of arms.
The second day begun with the powerful opening keynote speech from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, setting the tone for urgent discussions on the state of justice systems worldwide.
Drawing on her mandate investigating threats to judicial and legal independence worldwide, Margaret reflected on how autocratization often targets lawyers, bar associations, and courts, weakening accountability and public trust in justice.
The day continued with discussions on access to defence, detention practices, and cross-border cooperation. Smaller group sessions focused on timely and practical topics, such as the upcoming proposal on videoconferencing and the European Investigation Order, as well as ongoing fair trial projects, allowing lawyers to exchange practical strategies and experiences from their daily work.
A strong and recurring theme throughout the conference was the defence of the rule of law, particularly in contexts that resemble a Potemkin village, where justice exists on paper, but not always in practice.
In their closing remarks, LEAP Network Coordinator Simona Di Dio and LEAP member Nicola Canestrini both emphasised that the conference reaffirmed something essential: lawyers are not alone. Across Europe, many are facing the same structural challenges within criminal justice systems.
This edition made it clearer than ever that LEAP is a community of people committed to defending the right to a fair trial across Europe.
Being part of LEAP is a unique opportunity to share experiences and exchange knowledge with extraordinary and dedicated criminal lawyers and experts from across Europe. Participating in the conference is also an exceptional opportunity to meet committed lawyers from across the continent and to support Fair Trials in its relentless pursuit of protecting and advancing fair trials rights and procedural guarantees in Europe.
The LEAP Network represents the values I have defended throughout my professional career. It is remarkably stable, yet it continues to evolve by addressing urgent issues and innovating in its working methods. After attending this year’s LEAP Conference, I returned home reassured that my academic work is both needed and valuable, and I will rely on the experience of LEAP members and the contacts I made to carry out participatory action research on the use of algorithms in criminal justice.
