Everyone, no matter who they are, or what they’ve been accused of, is innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, the presumption of innocence is under threat, now more than ever. This was recognised in 2015 when the EU agreed a Directive on the Presumption of Innocence.
The presumption of innocence is a fundamental right and key element at the heart of fair trial rights protection under Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights (‘ECHR’) and Article 48 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as in in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a number of other international treaties and covenants.
Fair Trials have produced a toolkit, which aims to help the reader identify areas where current or proposed national law fails to meet the requirements of the Directive. This Toolkit is intended to serve as a tool for lawyers, as well as NGOs, academics and interested parties, to help ensure that these important protections are respected.
The idea that everyone is innocent until proven guilty is an important foundation of fair trials. From the very beginning the court should treat you as innocent, unless and until it can convincingly proven that you're guilty.
This toolkit provides a reminder of essential EU law ideas and structures, as well as practical advice, and adds to Fair Trials' collection of toolkits on EU defence rights.
More information about each toolkit can be found below:
To access the Presumption of Innocence toolkit, please click here.
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Presumption of innocence directive agreed
Proposed Directive on the Presumption of Innocence
Presumption of Innocence Toolkit
If you are a journalist interested in this story, please call the media team on +44 (0) 7749 785 932 or email [email protected]