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Select a country on the map or a topic below to see the relevant updates

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Protection of suspects and defendants’ rights in England & Wales during COVID-19

20 January 2021

Justice under Lockdown in Europe

26 November 2020

Short Update: Criminal trials now listed for 2022 as Crown Court and magistrates' court backlog continues to increase

23 October 2020

Short Update: Letter from the Prison Reform Trust and the Howard League requests clarity from the Lord Chancellor on the approach to Covid-19 in prisons

23 October 2020

Short Update: HM Courts & Tribunal Services updates its COVID-19 guidance on access to court and tribunal buildings

23 October 2020

Short Update: In the UK police get access to NHS Test and Trace self-isolation data

18 October 2020

Short Update: France imposes 9pm curfew on Paris region and other French cities

15 October 2020

Short Update: Analysis reveals some police forces in UK 80 times more likely to impose penalties for breach of coronavirus restrictions than others

13 October 2020

Short Update: The Law Society of England & Wales raises concerns about latest coronavirus regulations allowing lawyers to break self-isolation rules

09 October 2020

Short Update: Lockdown measures introduced in March have had a significant impact on the UK Legal Aid Agency's exceptional case funding scheme

09 October 2020

Short Update: The Madrid High Court has denied the ratification of further “Covid measures” on fundamental rights grounds

09 October 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 measures delay release of UK prisoners by blocking rehabilitation activities

06 October 2020

Short Update: New Research published on the impact of Remote Justice in the United States

02 October 2020

Short Update: Contact tracing app launched in Belgium

02 October 2020

Short Update: UK renews Coronavirus Act

02 October 2020

Short Update: Family visits allowed in Pará prisons, in Brazil

30 September 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 is more deadly among prison staff than prisoners in São Paulo

30 September 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Argentine federal prisons

30 September 2020

Short Update: Covid-19 stops family visits for children in youth prisons in England and Wales

30 September 2020

Short Update: Majority of UK solicitors believe remote hearings are unsuitable for vulnerable defendants

28 September 2020

Short Update: UK MPs seek proper parliamentary scrutiny over Coronavirus Act

28 September 2020

Short Update: Sheriff in Scotland refuses to participate in remote hearings due to ‘appalling’ connection

25 September 2020

Commentary: COVID-19 and prisons in Latin America

25 September 2020

Short Update: New report stresses unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on civic space and freedoms in the EU

24 September 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 tracing app launched in England and Wales

24 September 2020

Short Update: Spanish army set to enforce new lockdown restrictions in Madrid

23 September 2020

Short Update: Prisoners in Wiltshire England were forced to use buckets as toilets at jail for fortnight during pandemic

23 September 2020

Short Update: MP report highlights COVID-19 human rights issues in the UK

23 September 2020

Short Update: Eight further Nightingale Courts announced in England and Wales

23 September 2020

Short Update: Hundreds protest in Madrid against ‘discriminatory’ localized lockdowns against poorer areas with high immigrant populations

22 September 2020

Short Update: England and Wales brings in new criminal laws to fine people for not self-isolating, despite having no functional track and trace system

22 September 2020

Short Update: Singapore releases COVID-19 tracking ‘tokens’ for non-smartphone users

22 September 2020

Short Update: Belgians have been fined a total of €6 million for coronavirus ‘infringements’

22 September 2020

Short Update: UK Commons Justice Committee launches future of legal aid inquiry

18 September 2020

Short Update: Justice Action Network episode on COVID-19 in US prisons, jails and courts

18 September 2020

Short Update: UK prosecution service releases essay on the importance of independence, draws on experience from the pandemic

17 September 2020

Short Update: Maximum jail term for assaulting emergency workers to be doubled

16 September 2020

Short Update: UK Nightingale court closes less than a month after it opened

16 September 2020

Short Update: New British coronavirus regulations prohibit groups of more than 6 people, with lengthy exemptions and differences between countries

14 September 2020

Short Update: 29 COVID-19 related deaths in Argentinian prisons since March

11 September 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 death rate in prison twice that of general population

10 September 2020

Short Update: Custody time limit to be increased to ease court case backlog in England

10 September 2020

Short Update: Threat to protest from new fines for illegal gatherings in the UK

10 September 2020

Short Update: IACHR concerned about specific risks faced by persons deprived of liberty in the Americas during the pandemic

09 September 2020

Short Update: Independent Monitoring Boards highlights damaging impact of lockdown on UK prisons

04 September 2020

Short Update: Strict quarantine enforced in refugee camps in Greece

04 September 2020

Commentary: The response to COVID-19 in Peru's prisons

03 September 2020

Short Update: COVID-19 has led to explosion of automated decision making systems in Europe

02 September 2020

Short Update: 40,000 people protest COVID-19 restrictions in Berlin

01 September 2020

Short Update: Investitionsbank Berlin representatives face investigation proceedings over COVID payments

Short Update: Significant decrease in children in pre-trial detention in Australia

Short Update: Stop-and-search in London rose by 40% during lockdown

Short Update: Families of dead health workers take Ecuadorean Government to court

Short Update: Pilot for virtual civil proceedings launched in Venezuela

Short Update: Political prisoners in Venezuela at high risk of contracting COVID

Short Update: Community labour used to enforce mask wearing in Venezuela

Short Update: German federal state plans increase in fines for COVID-19 infringements

Short Update: Police in Scotland given new powers to break up house parties

Short Update: Barristers in England and Wales can break quarantine to attend court or tribunal hearing

Short Update: German federal state increases administrative fines for COVID-19 infringements

Short Update: English rave organisers face £10,000 fines, concerns over protest

Short Update: 13 die in Peru during police operation against party banned by COVID-19

Short Update: Successful challenge to legality of lockdown in New Zealand

Short Update: Coronavirus cases spike in women's detention centres in Guatemala

Short Update: Scottish police use emergency powers disproportionately against poor people

Short Update: German train operator deploys security teams to ensure passengers wear masks

Short Update: UK to pause prisoner early release scheme at the end of August

Short Update: More than 1,000 have died of coronavirus in US prisons and jails

Short Update: Prisoners in Scotland to get access to mobiles, video calls and internet access permanently

Short Update: Organisation Antigone publishes new report recounting the situation of Italian prisons during Coronavirus

Short Update: CPS announced findings from the latest review of completed prosecutions under the Coronavirus legislation

Short Update: The Criminal Bar Association suggests that courts are not being used to full capacity

Short Update: Administrative fines for infringement of COVID-19 protective rules in Northrhine-Westphalia

Short Update: Families of prisoners in Belgium lodge complaint against restrictions on prison visits

Short Update: New Measures in Belgium restricting prison visits by lawyers strongly criticised

Short Update: Prisoner release programme suspended in Saxony

Short Update: The Constitutional Chamber in Costa Rica rules that staying in cells that do not have conditions for prolonged stays is a violation of fundamental rights and human dignity

Short Update: Juries in Scotland to watch criminal trials in cinemas

COVID-19 Surveillance: Guide for lawyers

Short Update: Report seeks to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Latin American prisons

Short Update: UK Government hires Vote Leave AI firm to analyse citizens’ social media data for Coronavirus research

Short Update: Brazilian courts gradually resuming in-person activities in selected regions

Short Update: Brazil extends suspension of visits in federal prison units

Short Update: Hague Institute publishes report on global justice responses to COVID-19

Short Update: HMPPS updates guidance on visiting someone in prison, as prisons reopen in the UK

Short Update: Spain to roll out a new contact tracing app in September following a recent pilot

Short Update: UK’s failed Contact Tracing App to be repurposed

Short Update: Amnesty Law commission meetings postponed indefinitely in Mexico due to COVID-19

Short Update: Law Society of England and Wales publishes guidance for practitioners as Liverpool Crown Court trials extended court hours to cope with COVID-19 backlog

Short Update: New criticism against the legality of COVID-19 measures in Belgium

Short Update: English judge orders release of suspect due to trial delay

Short Update: COVID-19 outbreak in Paraguay's largest prison

Short Update: UK courts and tribunals planning and preparation in the context of COVID-19

Short Update: Malawi urged to release prisoners due to spread of COVID-19

Short Update: Police in Germany defend the use of contact tracing for criminal investigations

Short Update: COVID-19 leads to online civil proceedings in Nuremberg

Short Update: German Police Union rejects criticism over police access to COVID-19 data

Short Update: Debate over banning demonstrations in Germany

Short Update: COVID-19 restrictions in German prisons

Short Update: The impact of coronavirus on the legal professions in the UK

Short Update: BAME people issued fixed-penalty notices disproportionately under the Coronavirus regulations in England and Wales

Short Update: UK prisoners effectively held in solitary confinement during the pandemic

Short Update: Virtual custody courts in Scotland plagued by technology problems

Short Update: UK Prison and Probation Service releases the latest COVID-19 statistics

Short Update: UK Ministry of Justice updates guidance on preventing COVID-19 outbreak in prisons

Short Update: Bogota issues over 3,500 subpoenas for quarantine violations over a single weekend

Commentary: The Mexican Senate expands mandatory pre-trial detention amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: HMCTS in the UK to install framed plexiglass screens in court rooms

Short Update: Violent protests over reinstatement of quarantine in Paraguay

Short Update: Lesvos authorities shut down only COVID-19 isolation centre run by Doctors Without Borders

Short Update: About 20% of New Jersey prisoners could be freed to avoid virus

Short Update: The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights published a new report on COVID-19 and its implications for fundamental rights

Short Update: Florida couple jailed for breaking COVID-19 quarantine as state breaks daily death record

Short Update: Over 100 people prosecuted unlawfully in England and Wales under Coronavirus laws

Short Update: UK Parliament launches inquiry on court capacity

Short Update: Detained defendants must stay in solitary confinement for 15 days after hearings in Germany

Short Update: Three women dead with COVID-19 at state prisons in Florida

Short Update: Budget cuts leave the Ecuadorean court system struggling to fund remote justice

Short Update: Conflict over police access to contact data in German Bundesland Rhineland-Palatinate

Short Update: Congress hall in the German city of Giessen becomes a courtroom for criminal drug proceedings

Short Update: Belgium adopts strictest coronavirus measures in Europe

Short Update: Brussels makes face-masks mandatory in crowded areas with police patrolling to check

Short Update: Luxembourg brings in new restrictions and police fines to stop COVID-19

Short Update: Police in London increased their use of ‘suspicionless’ stop and search during the lockdown

Commentary: The impact of COVID-19 on Brazil’s criminal justice system

Short Update: Few signs of progress in Cambodia following an announcement in May to release 10,000 prisoners due to COVID-19

Short Update: Two killed after a prison riot breaks out in Argentina over COVID-19

Short Update: Argentine National Committee for the Prevention of Torture publishes a report on the situation of persons deprived of their liberty

Short Update: Human rights organisations slam extended coronavirus restrictions for refugees and migrants in Greece

Short Update: Survey in England & Wales suggests that 29% of legal aid barristers are unsure whether they will renew their practising certificates next year

Short Update: The Ministry of Justice released more than 140 offenders from prisons into hotels and Bed & Breakfasts

Short Update: Crown Prosecution Service announced findings on COVID-19 related prosecutions completed in June

Short Update: DIGNITY publishes guidance document looking into reducing overcrowding in prisons

Short Update: Report registers the views of 3,941 young people on policing during lockdown in England & Wales

Short Update: Ministry of Justice in the UK published guidance on social visits to prisons

Short Update: 10 ‘Nightingale Courts’ unveiled in England & Wales

Short Update: UK Parliament Justice Committee releases report on probation system

Short Update: OSCE report on state responses to COVID-19 and the human impact

Short Update: Outbreaks of COVID-19 in Egyptian prisons reported despite strict information blackout

Short Update: Zimbabwe arrests more than 100,000 people for alleged breaches of confinement measures

Short Update: England’s test and trace programme breaks data protection law

Short Update: Cases now take more than 18 months in England and Wales due to COVID-19

Short Update: Irish prison service resumes physical visits with strict protective conditions

Short Update: Philippines using ‘drug war’ tactics to fight COVID-19

Short Update: The Ecuadorean National Court of Justice adopts measures in response to Coronavirus

Short Update: Almost 700 COVID-19 infections reported in Ecuadorean prisons

Short Update: Ecuador releases 971 low-risk prisoners due to COVID-19

Beyond the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for defence rights in Europe

Short Update: Myanmar releases thousands of prisoners apparently unrelated to COVID-19, while placing severe restrictions on others

Short Update: Colombian paramilitary groups carry out brutal COVID-19 enforcement

Short Update: COVID-19 restrictions further isolate political prisoners in Venezuela

Short Update: Worsening prison conditions in Venezuela due to COVID-19

Short Update: Paraguay Ciudad del Este jail reveals 100 positive COVID-19 cases

Short Update: Paraguay holds oral hearings through virtual platforms in courts and jails

Short Update: Paraguay moves towards digital justice

Short Update: The reopening of the courts in Mexico in times of COVID-19

Short Update: Survey on COVID-19 inside Swedish migration-related detention centres

Short Update: UK Shoppers face £100 fine for not wearing face coverings

Short Update: UK releases statistics on the spread of COVID-19 in prison

Short Update: Level of fines for breaching COVID-19 laws at lowest since lockdown started in the UK

Short Update: UK launched a consultation on doubling sentence for assaulting an emergency worker

Short Update: UK update the priority listing in courts

Short Update: UK publishes plan to recover courts operations

Short Update: Over 1000 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 in Panama

Short Update: Cameroon’s overcrowded prisons see major outbreak amid civil war

Short Update: Three prisoners dead in Honduras as a result of COVID-19

Short Update:  Angola requires face masks in public, imposes cordon sanitaire on capital

Short Update: In Belgium, courts and tribunals adjust their holidays hoping to offset the effects of the COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: Brazil criticised over treatment of prison population during the pandemic

Short Updte: Suspending period for Berlin prison sentences expired

Short Update: Five inmates test positive for COVID-19 in a prison in Argentina

Short Update: UK prisons to allow visits again

Short Update: Open Society Justice Initiative publishes legal brief on access to health care in prisons during the pandemic

Short Update: NYC lawyers file lawsuit to stop in-person hearing due to COVID-19

Short Update: California planning on releasing up to 8,000 inmates early due to COVID-19

Short Update: Nigeria released 7,813 prisoners amid COVID-19 outbreak within prisons

Short Update: The Council of Europe’s Anti-Torture Committee calls on European states to reduce prison overcrowding

Short Update: Database in Brazil enables the public to see which courts of suspended deadlines due to COVID-19

Short Update: At least 6 persons on the death row died from COVID-19 in California

Short Update: 32,500 prisoners in Brazil released due to the pandemic, as infection rates increase by 800%

Short Update: Coronavirus-tracking apps under criticism for privacy and security risks

Short Update: Brazilian president vetoes the provision of mandatory use of masks in prison units

Short Update: Ghana pardons hundreds of prisoners, imposes harsh penalties for failing to wear masks

Short Update: Zimbabwe arrests striking nurses using lockdown as a pretext

Short Update: Kenyan protesters face tear gas and arrests due to COVID-19 gathering ban

Short Update: Worldwide prisoner releases fail to include low-level drug offences fall short of necessary measures to protect public health

Short Update: Radical COVID-19 changes to pre-trial detention and releases across the US show no increase in crime

Short Update: A4ID publishes report on the rule of law during health crises in the UK

Short Update: Increase in domestic violence and child abuse in Berlin in the wake of the Corona Pandemic

Short Update: First criminal trial regarding subsidy fraud to obtain Corona emergency aid payments in Berlin

Short Update: Greece keeps extending detention of migrants

Short Update: Arrests for low-level crime a major driver of the spread of coronavirus in Illinois

Short Update: UK Law Society and Bar Council issue a joint statement on jury trials, court capacity and dealing with the backlog

Short Update: UK Joint Committee on Human Rights report suggests that ban on prison visits during the pandemic poses risk on right to family life

Short Update: Pietermaritzburg prisoners in South Africa fear for their lives

Short Update: Report addressing impact of COVID-19 on Law and Human Rights in the UK

Short Update: Cheshire open jail criticised for COVID-19 restrictions

Short Update: New report assessing the British Crown Prosecution Service response to COVID-19

Short Update: UK's House of Lords question government's plans on short prison sentences

Short Update: Berlin spares about 1.000 persons to serve prison sentences due to COVID-19

Short Update: Poland is restricting access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings, says Polish rights foundation

Short Update: Fair Trials, 13 rights groups and more than 40 parliamentarians call on UK police to review lockdown fines

Short Update: Father and son die in police custody after breaking lockdown restrictions in India

Commentary: Being a prisoner in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic

Commentary: 73 000 alleged COVID-19 breaches in Belgium - now is time to launch a review

COVID-19 measures lead to further injustice against the LGBTQ+ community in Latin America

Short Update: Police data understated how many lockdown fines were issued to BAME people in UK

Short Update: German Regional Court of Limburg to conduct criminal proceedings in tent construction to grant wider public access

Short Update: UK Criminal cases backlog could take a decade to clear, watchdog warns

Short Update: US Courts straining to balance public health with public access

Short Update: Dominican Republic imposes fines to enforce mask-wearing

Short Update: COVID-19 lockdowns in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria lead to spikes in police brutality

Short Update: UK Ministry of Justice announces £22 million emergency coronavirus funding for more than 540 sexual violence and domestic abuse charities

Short Update: Spain’s State of Emergency saw 61 incidents of human rights violations by security forces

Short Update: UK government refuses to repeal flawed Coronavirus Act

Short Update: US Judge orders release of children from family detention centres

Short Update: ACLU and Prison Policy Initiative publish a report grading coronavirus responses in US prisons and jails

Short Update: Fair Trials highlights the impact of COVID-19 on the US criminal justice system at IACHR forum

Short Update: International Prison Observatory review issue on COVID-19 in French prisons

Short Update: UN releases guide on COVID-19 preparedness and response in places of detention

Short Update: Repeated extensions in execution of European Arrest Warrants found lawful in UK court

Short Update: Lawyers in Italy slam media exclusion at trials

Short Update: Enforcement of COVID-19 lockdown measures in Europe shows racial bias

Short Update: US lawyers say virtual criminal jury trials threaten fundamental rights

Short Update: Advocates calls for release not solitary confinement in Massachusetts prisons

Commentary: COVID-19 responses undermining fair trial rights in England and Wales

Short Update: COVID-19 court delays may lead to more children and young people being convicted as adults in England and Wales

Short Update: A timeline of how COVID-19 exploded in Philippines prisons

Short Update: Police ‘spit-hoods’ offer ‘no protection’ against COVID-19 and should not be used in UK, says Amnesty International

Short Update: First COVID-19 infection confirmed in Greek prison

Short Update: COVID-19 continues to spread in UAE prisons

Short Update: Risk of coercive pleas heightened in US during COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Irish Prison Service publishes approach to COVID-19 contact-tracing in prisons

Short Update: Unlock the Box Campaign in US release new report dubbed ‘Solitary Confinement is Never the Answer’

Short Update: Virtual hearings with physical jury hubs in UK hailed a success

Short Update: 120 UK criminal firms have collapsed with more to follow

Short Update: UK Judicial Office encourages solicitors to attend court in person

Short Update: Fear mounts over the safety of prisoners in Egypt’s notorious Tora prison

Short Update: Open Society Justice Initiative files amici curiae brief along with Brazilian organisations Conectas and Elas Existem in collective action case in Brazil

Short Update: Push to prevent US federal prisons from monitoring emails between inmates and attorneys amid COVID-19

Short Update: Push for legal services to be deemed essential workers in US during COVID-19 pandemic 

Short Update: European Parliament briefing paper on measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus in Member States’ prisons

Short Update: Trials in the UK could face delays up to five years because of the pandemic

Short Update: Marshall project highlights how US federal prisons became coronavirus death traps

Short Update: Greece extends lockdown to migrants only

Short Update: Greek Bar Associations file complaint against Greece under European Social Charter over insufficient social support

Short Update: Up to 5 years in prison for breaching lockdown rules in Chile

Short Update: COVID-19 has 'significantly reduced' value of criminal legal aid offer, according to lawyers in the UK

Short Update: Prison populations stable or slightly reduced across Europe during COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Illinois more likely to release white inmates than black inmates due to COVID-19

Short Update: Concerns raised about the safety of overcrowded prisons in Philippines as more people die of suspected cases of COVID-19

Short Update: Remote hearings in the UK 'remove valuable visual cues' for people with learning disabilities

Short Update: German Federal Bar Association says COVID-19 must not be an excuse to push for criminal tax legislation

Short Update: Observations on remote justice in UK Courts

Ending torture evidence in Mexico: Summary of meetings with REDD members in the context of COVID-19

Short Update: Jalisco’s State Human Rights Commission concludes that death of Giovanni López in Mexico was an “extrajudicial killing” by police

Short Update: Magistrates across Belgium reject post-COVID remote justice reform measures

Short Update: Police in England and Wales six times more likely to fine black, Asian and minority ethnic people

Short Update: US prisoners describe testing conditions in prisons as COVID-19 cases rise sharply

Short Update: Howard League for Penal Reform sends letter to Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales concerning women in the UK criminal courts

Short Update: Human Rights League points to police abuse in Belgium during COVID-19 confinement

Short Update: Spread of COVID-19 in US prisons sparks fear of lockdowns and solitary confinement

Short Update: Restricted categorisations and limited tactics for humanitarian releases in the US

Short Update: Juvenile incarceration rises again in Los Angeles after COVID-19 related releases

Short Update: At least 199 inmates and 24 prisons officers under quarantine as Kaiti prison in Uganda confirms first COVID-19 case

Short Update: Limits on jury trials in the UK may be needed says Lord Chief Justice

Short Update: Returnees face threats as US resumes deportation flights to Guatemala despite COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Trial International launches report showing consequences of COVID-19 on the justice system in the global south

Short Update: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative prepares COVID-19 checklist for UK prison administrators

Short Update: Howard League for Penal Reform send letter to UK Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State

Short Update: US jails and prisons see rapid spread of COVID-19 despite early warnings

Commentary: iProcess – Judicial emergency in Spain during the COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: UK police call for ban on protests during the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Over 1,000 prison leavers left homeless amid COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, Ministry of Justice figures show

Short Update: Brazilian National Council of Justice calls for prisoner releases as infection rates increase 800%

Short Update: Over 1,000 prison leavers left homeless in UK amid pandemic, Ministry of Justice figures show

Short Update: Brazilian National Council of Justice publishes information on courts

Short Update: Norway suspends its tracing app as it is declared “too intrusive”

Short Update: Impact of COVID-19 on criminal proceedings in the Lübcke murder case in Germany

Short Update: Remote witness testimony interrupted in court proceeding in Ireland

Short Update: Unlawful prosecutions under COVID-19 laws have increased in England and Wales

Short Update: Prison officials in England and Wales fear easing of restrictions in prisons could lead to a second wave of COVID-19

Short Update: Criminal justice system failing disabled people, UK's equality watchdog warns

Short Update: Face coverings compulsory on public transport in England

Short Update: NYPD ignores calls for police officers to wear masks during protests

Short Update: Council of Europe calls on State to perpetuate the innovative practices while respecting litigant rights

Short Update: New in-person jury settings in the US raise question about fairness of the proceedings

Short Update: French Court quashed fast-track and single judge hearing for migrants

Short Update: Cuba employs fines and prison sentences in COVID-19 response

Short Update: Inmates massacred in Colombian prison riot in March over COVID-19 fears

Short Update: El Salvador’s Supreme Court strikes down President Bukele’s quarantine decree

Short Update: New York protesters jailed in crowded conditions without COVID-19 protections

Short Update: US states try different approaches while resuming jury trials in the courtroom

Short Update: Antigone releases annual report including COVID-19 emergency in Italian prisons

Short Update: HMCTS spends £3.2 million on listing system to cut court delays

Short Update: Brazilian Supreme Court minister bans police raids in Rio favelas during COVID-19 pandemic

Commentary: Coronavirus and women in detention: A gender-specific approach missing

Short Update: Courts must double capacity to stay afloat, warns criminal bar

Short Update: Kosovo free legal advice clinic provides innovative remote advice during COVID-19 lockdown

Short Update: Spanish NGO publishes report on racism and xenophobia during Spain’s state of alarm

Short Update: Gardaí lose enforcement powers as Ireland removes criminal penalties in relation to COVID-19 movement restrictions

Short Update: US Senators urge Supreme Court to continue live-streaming even after COVID-19 pandemic is over

Short Update: COVID-19 pandemic leads to backlog of court cases in Germany

Short Update: German prosecutors investigate fraud in connection with COVID-19 emergency relief

Short Update: Aggressive policing in US will result in the spread of COVID-19

Short Update: Overcrowded Louisiana prison inundated with COVID-19 cases

Short Update: Belgian police officer sentenced to prison for attack on migrant

Short Update: UK Civil Justice Council report on remote justice in civil cases finds disproportionate impact on people with low incomes

Short Update: Canadian prisoners' spiritual and religious needs are another casualty of COVID-19

Short Update: MoJ and HMPPS publish national framework for making decisions about easing COVID-19 related restrictions in UK prisons

Short Updated: UK NGO drafts guidance for lawyers to keep unsentenced children out of prison

Short Update: Police set for limited role in enforcing UK's COVID-19 quarantine

Short Update: Data published on number of COVID-19 cases in prisons across England and Wales

Short Update: UK's MoJ confirm a further 16 additional courts will reopen this week

Short Update: UK's House of Lords undertake inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on the courts

Short Update: European Prison Observatory publishes its ninth update on COVID-19 and European prisons

Short Update: Greece extends confinement of migrants for the third time

Short Update: More than 40,000 prisoners infected with COVID-19 in the United States

Short Update: A third of Chile’s prisoners released due to COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: Courts open for face-to-face hearings in England and Wales

Short Update: Liberties network launches campaign to analyse impact of COVID-19 tracing apps in 9 EU countries

Short Update: Protesters in Mexico taken by police and held incommunicado

Short Update: Outrage as man killed in police custody in Mexico after being arrested for not wearing a mask

Short Update: UK government accused of ‘unconstitutionally’ using emergency procedures to pass new COVID-19 laws

Short Update: Concerns over Covid-19 impact on US justice system

Short Update: More than 20,000 breaches of COVID-19 lockdown measures observed in Brussels

Short Update: Ecuador sees continued spread of COVID-19 in prisons

Short Update: Met Police disproportionately fine Black and Asian people under COVID-19 regulations

UK's HM Inspectorate of Prisons continues suspension of full prison inspections

Short Update: 268 prisoners temporarily released and more than 3,600 prison sentences postponed in Germany

Short Update: Significant increase of speeding fines in Berlin

Short Update: UK's MOJ updates guidance on COVID-19 funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence support services

Short Update: West Midlands prosecutors release data on COVID-19 prosecutions

Short Update: Prison release schemes almost impossible to deliver, says watchdog, after less than 2% of estimated releases in England & Wales

Short Update: Socially-distanced jury trial at UK Court "went like clockwork"

Short Update: Bolivia confirms COVID-19 outbreak in country’s largest prison as prisoner releases remain minimal

Short Update: Greece extends criminal court closures until 21st June 2020

Short Update: The impact of COVID-19 measures on Russian courts

Short Update: Cambridge University Law faculty broadcasts webinar on the impact of the COVID-19 on criminal justice

Short Update: New restrictions introduced in the UK as lockdown is eased

COVID-19 in Latin America: Actions of the Juvenile Criminal Justice Systems

Short Update: Guidance on monitoring Places of Detention during COVID-19

Short Update: Peru’s Constitutional Tribunal rules that prison conditions and overcrowding are an “unconstitutional state of affairs”

Short Update: Colombia considers using Chilean app to track paroled prisoners

Short Update: Central America’s overcrowded prisons see rise in COVID-19 cases

Short Update: HMCTS published a timetable for the rollout of cloud video platform for video enabled criminal hearings

Short Update: The Czech Republic regulates visitations in prisons

Short Update: Czech courts gradually getting back to normal operations

Short Update: Trial backlog 'adding to risk of mob justice' in England and Wales

Short Update: JUSTICIA calls for action against disproportionate COVID-19 criminalisation

Short Update: Not enough prisoners being released despite COVID-19 pandemic

Template to request remedies for evidence obtained in violation of the right of access to a lawyer

Template to request access to interpretation services

Template to request access to the case file

Template to request facilities to ensure confidential lawyer-client communication

Templates to request effective (remote) lawyer-client communication before and during police questioning

Template applications to ensure access to a lawyer

Short Update: Hundreds of pregnant women remain in US prisons

Short Update: NGO Antigone publishes report on Italian prisons in the time of coronavirus

Short Update: European Prison Observatory publishes 8th COVID-19 update on prisons in Europe

Short Update: Indian police action results in 15 deaths during lockdown

Short Update: Hungarian Government has adopted over 70 emergency decrees - tracker

Short Update: Greece enacts new law to relieve congestion in the criminal courts upon the lifting of their temporary closure

Short Update: Argentina’s grants of house arrest “are not exceptional,” despite online claims

Short Update: Assessing and managing coronavirus risk in UK court buildings

Short Update: UK barristers demand cleaner magistrates' courts

Short Update: BAME people in the UK fined more than white population under coronavirus laws

Short Update: The UK Joint Committee on Human Rights shares its second briefing on lockdown regulations

Short Update: ‘With luck’ courts will reopen by the end of June says Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

Short Update: Court caseload expected to increase by 4 million new cases after pandemic in Spain

Short Update: A total of 313 assaults on emergency workers in the first month of lockdown prosecuted in the UK

Short Update: Czech Republic prosecutors offices returning to normal functioning

Short Update: COVID-19 infections detected in the three youth detention centres of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Short Update: Survey in Ireland shows impact of COVID-19 on Garda station access to a lawyer

Short Update: Rules for consultations in prisons in Hungary

Commentary: Overview of measures taken in response to COVID-19 and their impact on criminal justice in Western Balkans and Turkey

Short Update: NGOs, including Fair Trials, denounce the situation of two penitentiary centres in Mexico

Short Update: Rights groups urge police to review 14,000 coronavirus fines

Short Update: Maximum lockdown penalties rise to £1,920 in Wales

Short Update: NYC prisons heavily affected by COVID-19

Short Update: Possible backlog of 3,000 trials by next March in Scotland

Short Update: Procedural deadlines to resume in Spain on 4 June

Short Update: Man sentenced to death in Singapore on Zoom call

Short Update: The Brennan Center makes recommendations to reduce prison population during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Commentary: LGBTQI+ community suffers abuse under gender-based lockdown rules in Latin America

Short Update: lockdown and aggressive testing halts worst COVID-19 outbreak in Californian prison

Short Update: Police in California considers rapid-result tests for arrested persons

Short Update: Council of European Union publishes information on impact of COVID-19 on cooperation in criminal matters

Short Update: Lawyers in Malta argue for introduction of virtual court hearings

Short Update: France called upon to end discriminatory police checks and fines

Short Update: European Prison Observatory publishes seventh COVID-19 update on prisons in Europe

Short Update: Criminals to avoid day in court while legal backlog is cleared

Short Update: Visits soon to start again in Belgian prisons

Short Update: Greece extends court closures until 31 May 2020

Short Update: JUSTICIA European Rights Network issues statement on prison conditions amid COVID-19

Short Update: UK High Court rules detention pending surrender under EAW is lawful even if extradition cannot take place temporarily due to COVID-19

Short Update: Litigation helps to protect vulnerable groups in Nepal during COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: All prosecutions under the Coronavirus Act in England & Wales unlawful

Short Update: Roma across Europe facing further police brutality due to COVID-19

Short Update: Prisoner release schemes in the US result only a small reduction of the prison population

Commentary: Стрімкий перехід на дистанційне правосуддя

Short Update: The JHRC drafts Bill to protect personal data gathered by COVID-19 Contract Tracing App

Short Update: Summer recess in the High Court and Court of Appeal could be cancelled in bid to battle backlog

Short Update: CPS Review found that 56 people have been charged wrongly under emergency coronavirus legislation

Short Update: Video calls to be introduced to prisons and young offender institutions in England & Wales

Short Update: 7,556 arrests and 869.537 fines proposals since the start of emergency in Spain

Short Update: The Czech Republic courts are slowly getting back to normal operations

Short Update: UK Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to continue to operate remotely

Short Update: England and Wales courts to test listing cases by firms

Short Update: Challenges to the right to a fair trial in the Netherlands

Short Update: UK Lord Chief Justice in favour of remote hearings for civil and family matters

Short Update: Court activity to gradually resume in France

Short Update: UK continues to treat stalking offences and domestic abuses as high priority

Short Update: Chilean president promulgates a ‘pardon law’ in response to of COVID-19

Short Update: Quebec’s Superior Court in Canada agrees that COVID-19 could justify releasing prisoners

Short Update: 30 percent of prisoners infected with COVID-19 at a prison in central Colombia

Short Update: Prison and medical NGOs jointly call for masks to be available for everyone, including prisoners

Short Update: UK government shelves plans for early prisoner release

Short Update: UK barristers publish guide to new coronavirus criminal offences to prevent more unlawful prosecutions and convictions

Short Update: Belgian government extends COVID-19 measures validity period until 17 June

Short Update: UK probation inspections suspended until 2021

Short Update: Courts should consider coronavirus emergency when sentencing, rules UK Court of Appeal

Short Update: Isle of Man exercising excessive policing and enforcement responses to breaches of COVID-19 legislation

Short Update: Four medical staff criminally investigated in Romania after refusing to transfer to a hospital hit by COVID-19

Plantilla de solicitud para la liberación urgente de personas en prisión preventiva

Short Update: Judge questions coronavirus case against ‘homeless’ London man

Commentary: Fair trial concerns following death sentence ruled via ZOOM

Short Update: Ohio police accused of racist lockdown enforcement

Short Update: Lockdown enforced by military police in Honduras

Short Update: European Prison Observatory issues sixth COVID-19 update on prisons in Europe

Commentary: Coronavirus, surveillance and the threat to fair trials

Short Update: Italy releases statistics on fines issued for breaching lockdown laws

Short Update: Jury trials to resume in England & Wales

Short Update: A homeless man charged in the UK for violating lockdown rules

Short Update: Draft law on remote criminal proceedings in Germany draws criticism from judges

Short Update: Further changes in the Hungarian criminal procedure due to COVID-19

Short Update: New York police accused of racist social distancing policing

Short Update: New York doubles fines for breaking social distancing rules

Short Update: Woman arrested in the US for operating salon in defiance of Texas order released

Short Update: People being criminalised under Bulgarian emergency laws

Short Update: Home Office threatening UK immigration judges about high levels of bail applications granted

Short Update: Dutch court sentences person to three weeks of imprisonment for spitting at police officers

Short Update: Challenges to effective access to a lawyer in the Netherlands

Short Update: COVID cases continue to rise in UK prisons

Short Update: UK lags behind other European countries in prisoner releases

Short Update: UK House of Lord's discusses government's assessment on the inconsistency of policy and guidance related to policing during Covid-19

Short Update: Defendants more likely to be jailed in video hearings, UK study warns amid rise of remote justice

Short Update: EU warns that people’s rights and data must be protected in the development of ‘contact-tracing’ apps

Short Update: EU Parliament committee to consider how states have undermined the rule of law in their response to coronavirus

Short Update: Belgium has reduced its prisoner population by 11% to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but there are fears over a ‘boomerang’

Short Update: UK NGO carries out study of fully virtual trial

Short Update: Romanian prosecutors open almost 400 criminal cases against people for “undermining the fight” against coronavirus

Commentary: Rule of law concerns amid COVID-19 emergency measures and new criminal offences

Short Update: Jury trials in England and Wales could be reduced to seven people

Commentary: Impact assessment of remote justice on fair trial rights

Commentary: An overview of how Albania is responding to the COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: UK MPs warn that police enforcement of lockdown measures over Easter could breach human rights laws

Short Update: UK College of Policing announces new measures for police force recruitment during COVID-19

Short Update: MOJ and HMCTS issue press release on new technology to keep criminal justice system operating during the pandemic

Short Update: Scotland is set to release up to 450 prisoners to prevent the spread of coronavirus

Short Update: Greece’s courts resuming operations after easing of lockdown

Short Update: COVID-19 crisis poses challenges for the German courts, particularly in white-collar crime proceedings

Short Update: UK MPs investigate impact of COVID-19 on courts as barristers say justice “ground to a halt”

Short Update: 40 inmates killed in a prison riot in Venezuela after relatives barred from bringing food

Short Update: UK House of Commons Justice Committee investigates impact of COVID-19 on courts

Short Update: Belgian government extends COVID-19 measures

Short Update: Prosecutors to review all charges under coronavirus law in the United Kingdom

Short Update: Philippines releases nearly 10 000 prisoners to curb the spread of virus in prisons

Short Update: Matrix Chambers publishes legal advice on smartphone contact tracing in the United Kingdom

Short Update: Big Brother Watch report details misuse of emergency police powers in UK

Commentary: La pandemia que evidencia y agudiza la mortalidad del abandono en las prisiones de América Latina - ¿Quién asume la responsabilidad?

Short Update: El Salvador responds to COVID-19 crisis with inhumane prison conditions for gang members

Short Update: Court closures lead to extended pre-trial detention for New York defendants

Short Update: A prisoner in Texas dies of COVID-19 weeks after giving birth to a child on a ventilator

Short Update: Lawyers in the Netherlands call for more prisoners to be released despite reluctance from the Ministry of Justice

Short Update: Measures in Germany to reduce prisoner numbers

Short Update: Austria to ease restrictions on visits to prisons

Short Update: German Love Parade proceedings terminated without judgment due to COVID-19-related delay

Short Update: UK College of Policing's CEO requests police officers and staff contribute to a 'COVID-19 Police Ideas Survey'

Short Update: on legal practitioner key workers and testing in England and Wales

Short Update: UK Ministry of Justice further expands prison estate to reduce the spread of Coronavirus

Short Update: France achieves 6,000 prisoner releases, but haltingly, and with glaring gaps in protection

Commentary: Overview of the legal framework and current situation on implementation of the COVID-19 measures in the courts of Russia

Short Update: Spanish civil society organisations launch "know your rights" campaign amidst COVID restrictions

Short Update: Spanish prisons effectively contain COVID

Short Update: Defendants in major Spanish corruption case freed pending trial due to COVID

Short Update: Belgian government extends COVID-19 measures validity period until 17 May

Short Update: Belgian inmates manufacture masks, virtual visits available in prisons

Short Update: An international law perspective on the release of prisoners in Latin America due to COVID-19

Short Update: UN High Commissioner says that “exceptional” COVID-19 measures must not be used as cover for human rights violations

Short Update: Man in Singapore arrested and fined $1500 after leaving quarantine 30 minutes early

Short Update: Another unlawful Coronavirus Act arrest, prosecution and conviction in England

Short Update: The Spanish government has published its plan to deal with delays to proceedings

Short Update: Police in the Netherlands given power to take saliva samples for corona-related crimes

Short Update: Limited reopening of court rooms in the Netherlands on 11 May 2020

Short Update: UK publishes paper on the population strategy for prisons that has been adopted during the pandemic

Short Update: The infrastructure of the criminal bar is at “immediate mortal risk” according to The England and Wales Criminal Bar Association

Short Update: UK government publishes two policy papers on COVID-19 temporary prisoner releases

Short Update: UK government facing court over its response to COVID-19 in prisons

Short Update: The Court of Justice of the European Union is set to resume hearings from 25 May

Short Update: Australian government plans to bring in mobile phone app to track people with coronavirus

Short Update: HMCTS and MOJ update their guidance on courts and tribunals planning and preparation

Short Update: Criminal law firm in UK complains that solicitors were required to go to the cells despite coronavirus concerns

Short Update: UK Ministry of Justice increases funding for victim and witness helplines

Short Update: New infections in UK prisons during coronavirus

Short Update: Ten temporary Judicial Commissioners to act under the Coronavirus Act 2020 in UK

Short Update: Law Society in UK publishes overview of availability of pro bono legal advice during COVID-19

Short Update: Short-term prisoners considered for early release in Scotland

Short Update: Leicestershire Police in UK clarify coronavirus powers in a FOIA response

Short Update: United Kingdom’s House of Lords discusses the impact of COVID-19 on prisoners

Short Update: Law Society, the Bar Council, and Criminal Bar Association in UK consider ways of starting jury trials

Short Update: London Criminal Courts' Solicitors Association publishes instructions for defence advocates attending video remand hearings

Short Update: National Police Chief’s Council in UK updates the processing of COVID-19 related FOIA requests

Short Update: UK Prison and Probation Ombudsman to continue to investigate deaths in prison on a remote basis

Commentary: The Coronavirus Act, the right to a fair trial and remote justice

Short Update: Prisoners in the Czech Republic given access to Skype so that they can continue to contact their lawyers during the pandemic

Short Update: The Czech Republic restricts access to courts and prosecutors’ offices

Short Update: Rhineland-Palatinate Association of Judges promotes video hearings in certain criminal proceedings because of COVID-19

Short Update: Japan considers releasing prisoners to slow COVID’s spread

Short Update: UK's Hansard Society publishes a coronavirus statutory instruments dashboard

Short Update: Lancashire police officer suspended after threatening to "make something up" to arrest a man he suspected of breaching lockdown

Short Update: Up to 100,000 additional deaths predicted in US prisons and jails if population not reduced

Short Update: Cyprus criminalises migrants unable to comply with restrictions

Short Update: Norway releases prisoners to prevent spread of coronavirus in prisons

Short Update: Greece confers to state and municipal police powers to implement the emergency measures against COVID-19

Short Update: Greek Public Prosecutors receive circular order for the prosecution of crimes relating to COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Greek laws impose criminal sanctions for the violation of the government’s measures against COVID-19

Short Update: UK equalities watchdog warns that online hearings could impede access to justice

Short Update: New website on remote justice to help justice professionals

Short Update: US prisons monitor detainees' phone calls for mentions of “coronavirus”

Short Update: Remote justice trials in Irish courts

Short Update: French courts refuse electronic communications with lawyers

Short Update: Reduction in French prison population

Short Update: The state of the spread of COVID-19 in French prisons

Short Update: French MP challenges refusal to access to detention facility

Commentary: The effects of COVID-19 on access to justice in Sweden

Short Update: French Court rejects application to order government to provide lawyers and suspects with protective equipment

Short Update: SOS-Torture Network guidance for the protection and support of detained persons during the COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: Osservatorio Antigone publishes new update on Prisons in Italy during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Commentary: Preserving procedural safeguards during the COVID-19 crisis- a Serbian perspective

Short Update: Increased calls for the release of inmates to reduce the coronavirus risk in Nevada’s prisons

Short Update: Delays, video link hearings and custody time limits for children in the criminal courts in the UK

Short Update: UK Justice Secretary rules out judge only trials as solution to virus backlog

Short Update: Public must risk prosecution to challenge lockdown fines, Justice Secretary says

Short Update: Justice Secretary warns police not to 'single out' people on social media for lockdown breaches

Short Update: UK Civil Nuclear Constabulary, a special police force, announced additional powers to collect personal data

Short Update: Sentencing Council states in new guidance that transmission of COVID-19 should be treated as an aggravating factor

Short Update: UK Justice Select Committee begin an inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on prisons and courts

Short Update: The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies published a comparative tracker for prison conditions across Europe during COVID-19

Short Update: The National Police Chiefs' Council published guidance on police custody provision during COVID-19

Short Update: Fraud watchdog reports rise in COVID-related cybercrime and police seizures

Short Update: Fully remote jury test in the UK a 'success for open justice'

Short Update: UK's MOJ published Covid-19 specific guidance for Registered Intermediaries involved within the Witness Intermediary Scheme

Short Update: The Justice Secretary faces legal action over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak in prisoners across England and Wales

Short Update: UK coronavirus prison plan on hold after six inmates freed in error

Short Update: Scottish government to allow mobile phones in Scottish prisons for prisoners in lieu of prison visits

Short Update: UK's FOS publishes guidance to help consumers avoid scams and fraud during the pandemic

Short Update: UK's judiciary provides a note of listings in magistrates' courts

Short Update: CPS publishes a summary of the new coronavirus offences

Short Update: UCLA develops comprehensive spreadsheet to track prison confirmed cases and deaths

Short Update: The Justice Collaborative Institute has published a report on the job of US public defenders representing their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Upstate New York Prison failed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak

Short Update: Colorado Supreme Court denies petition for more actions to limit COVID-19 in jails

Short Update: Kosovo police urged to stop illegal arrests for breaches of health regulations

Short Update: NGO Liberty explains police powers under UK lockdown regulations

Short Update: Teenager in the US threatened with arrest for posting online about her COVID-19 infection

Short Update: Italian courts urged to use alternatives to detention and to release prisoners

Short Update: Lack of guidelines for filing court submissions create uncertainty in Poland

Short Update: European Prison Observatory issues third COVID-19 update on prisons in Europe

Short Update: 37 NGOs call for the reduction of pre-trial detention in Turkey

Short Update: German public prosecutor agrees to end German Love Parade proceedings as statute of limitations approaches amid COIVD-19 pandemic

Short Update: UK police admit second wrongful conviction under lockdown laws

Short Update: Heads of EU Institutions urged to call for amnesty of vulnerable prisoners

Short Update: Number of English and Welsh courts in operation shown in interactive map

Short Update: Further guidance for the police in England on enforcing lockdown laws

Short Update: 84 countries have now declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: EU Commissioner for Justice writes to EU justice ministers to highlight plans on EAW and victims of crime

Short Update: Hungarian government representative rejects the idea of decreasing the number of detainees

Short Update: The Hungarian Ombudsperson launches an ex officio investigation

Short Update: Police station legal assistance given remotely in Northern Ireland

Short Update: Asylum seekers in Cyprus detained in crowded camps, with limited access to a lawyer

Short Update: Cyprus suspend all non-urgent hearing and court submissions

Short Update: European Prison Observatory issues fourth COVID-19 update on prisons in Europe

Short Update: Greece extends court closures until 15th of May

Short Update: Albania introduces new criminal offences raising concerns

Short Update: Rule of law concerns in Albania as government restricts rights by ministerial decree

Short Update: Albania courts only examining urgent cases

Commentary: Selective release of people in prison undermines efforts to contain COVID-19

Short Update: Brazilian Federal Government enacts COVID-19 guidelines for the national prison system

Short Update: The Czech Republic issues Act to mitigate the impact of the epidemic

Short Update: Skype, additional phone calls and no infected detainees in Hungarian prisons

Short Update: The HM Chief Inspector of Prisons issues statement and materials

Short Update: Mexican Senate approves amnesty for first-time non-violent offenders

Short Update: Rights at risk for Polish prisoners

Short Update: Greece extends court closures until April 26

Short Update: Spain releases more people to home confinement

Short Update: New guide by Madrid Bar analyses impact of exceptional legal regime on human rights

Short Update: Concerns over effectiveness of remote justice in France

Short Update: UK's Legal Aid Agency and Courts and Tribunals Services update contingency guidance for COVID-19

Short Update: Argentina’s National Committee Against Torture publishes a set of guidelines to reduce prison population amid the Coronavirus pandemic

Short Update: NGO Pastoral Carceraria discloses questionnaire data on prison conditions and COVID-19 in Brazil

Short Update: Colombia enacts new decree to release detainees and alleviate overcrowding in prisons

Short Update: Penal Reform International Paper on “Healthcare and human rights of people in prisons”

Short Update: Interim Guidance by OHCHR/WHO Inter-Agency Standing Committee – COVID-19: Focus on Persons Deprived of their Liberty

Short Update: Poland introduces as a minor offence failing to comply with the instructions of the police or city guard

Short Update: Romania extends the state of emergency from April 15, 2020 to May 14, 2020

Short Update: Suspension of San Marino’s judicial activity

Commentary: Uncharted waters: trial by Skype

Short Update: Prison sentences can be suspended or deferred to protect the health of prisoners in Czech Republic

Short Update: The Czech Republic prohibits visitations in prisons

Short Update: Senator removed from office for violating quarantine in Paraguay

Short Update: UK National Police Chiefs' Council Chair delivers speech at government COVID-19 briefing covering enforcement data

Short Update: UK prosecutors publish list of recent charges brought for coronavirus-related offences

Short Update: UK announces expansion of prisons to reduce the spread of coronavirus

Short Update: Dutch district courts no longer limiting hearings to urgent criminal cases only, but without presence of defendant

Short Update: Prosecutors in The Netherlands using super expedited proceedings to prosecute coronavirus-related crimes

Short Update: The Netherlands expands use of video conferencing to all types of criminal defence proceedings

Short Update: Romanian courts are turning to videoconferencing facilities for hearings

Short Update: Bucharest Bar Association distributes masks and gloves to lawyers

Short Update: UK Chambers Matrix launched Podcasts on how rule of law is holding up in the COVID-19 crisis

Commentary: Covid-19 and the dangers of providing police station legal advice in England and Wales

Short Update: The Council of Justice of Spain, published a set of measures to respond to the interruption of the justice system due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Association ALA sends a letter to the Ministry of the Interior, highlighting the need to improve prison conditions to safeguard the integrity of people deprived of their liberty

Short Update: Association ALA requests appropriate Legal Assistance to Detainees in a letter addressed to the Superior Court of Justice in Madrid

Short Update: Prosecutors to prioritise serious cases to manage impact of coronavirus pandemic

Short Update: Courts remain closed in France and access to a lawyer is restricted due to COVID-19

Short Update: Overcrowding situation is highly critical in French prisons

Short Update: the European Prison Observatory published its second update on COVID-19 and European prisons

Short Update: Romania increases punishments for social distancing offences

Short Update: Tens of thousands prisoners in Turkey to be released to curb the spread of coronavirus in prisons, but political prisoners excluded

Short Update: UK Courts and Tribunals Services publishes practical guidance for court users on remote court hearings in England & Wales

Short Update: Latvia prohibits prison visits and extends phone privileges

Short Update: Latvia postpones non-essential hearings and moves towards increasing use of videoconferencing

Commentary: Silver lining to a very dark cloud: what could we learn from the COVID-19 crisis? A French perspective

Short Update: Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or degrading Treatment or Punishment releases guidelines

Short Update: Peru closes its prisons until 26 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Short Update: Prisons in Poland ban visits and significantly restrict other rights

Short Update: Belgium sends inmates home and facilitates police work

Short Update: Courts in the Czech Republic permitted to defer prison sentences

Short Update: Czech Republic prohibits prison visits, except for lawyers

Short Update: The Czech Republic prosecutors’ offices set their own restrictions

Short Update: The Czech Republic restricts court activity to “essential services”

Short Update: UK Parole Board clarifies COVID-19 prisoner early release scheme

Short Update: UK Parole Board announces changes to victims’ engagement during COVID-19

Short Update: COVID-19 pushes legal advice agencies in UK to 'breaking point'

Short Update: Legal aid firms in London urged to let lawyers stay at home

Short Update: London police asked to reveal guidance given to officers enforcing social distancing rules

Short Update: UK Court service publishes ‘courts and tribunals tracker’

Commentary: Delays due to COVID-19 at Spanish criminal courts, but advancements in disclosure

Short Update: EU sets up COVID-19 Crisis Group on the European Arrest Warrant

Short Update: COVID-19 toolkit for civil society on responding to human rights risks from emergency powers

Short Update: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative recommends easing overcrowding of prisons in response to COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: Spanish judiciary council is considering measures to catch up on court delays post-crisis

Short Update: Spanish civil society launches campaign for the release of inmates

Short Update: Diverging approaches in Madrid police stations and courts on remote justice measures

Short Update: Council of Europe issues guidance to governments on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law during COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: CCBE publishes results from survey on impact of COVID-19 measures on access to a lawyer in Europe

Short Update: Right to visit prisoners is suspended in Luxembourg and lawyers are invited to contact clients by phone or letter

Short Update: Luxembourg courts suspend hearings and interrogations not involving detention, but emergency requests may still be made

Short Update: Criminal proceedings in Luxembourg conducted in writing and by email

Short Update: Release of UK prisoners to address challenges of social distancing in prisons

Short Update: Tensions high in UK prisons under lockdown to prevent further spread of COVID-19 contagion

Short Update: UK police arrest and detain a group of people, including a teenager, for being in “enclosed premises”

Short Update: UK police and legal chiefs agree COVID-19 interview protocol

Commentary: Pre-trial detention decision-making during the COVID-19 crisis: the urgent need for open justice

Short Update: German court intends to terminate Love Parade proceedings due to COVID-19

Short Update: French decree establishes extensive use of videolinks and other measures in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Short Update: France adapts its statute of limitations in criminal proceedings

Short Update: Dutch Ministry of Justice provides updates on measures for prosecution and judiciary, and the criminal law system in general

Short Update: England and Wales increases the Victim Surcharge by 5%

Short Update: New police guidance issued by the United Kingdom National Police Chiefs' Council on the Coronavirus Act 2020

Short Update: 'Lower priority' crime cases put on hold in England and Wales

Short Updates: Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice provided guidance for courts

Short Update: Ireland announces increase in Direct Provision accommodation as an emergency response to COVID-19

Short Update: The Court of Justice of the European Union adapts to COVID-19 to ensure continuity of the European public administration of justice

Short Update: FAMM, Washington Lawyers’ Committee, NACDL Launch Emergency Compassionate Release Effort

Short Update: All COVID-19 cases are top priority in the UK according to Interim CPS Charging Protocol

Short Update: Spain’s Supreme Court blocks efforts to send jailed Catalan leaders home during the Coronavirus lockdown

Commentary: COVID-19 - What does all this mean for your ability to defend your clients’ right to a fair trial? – the Portuguese case

Short Update: German court allows for extension of pre-trial detention if hearings are delayed due to COVID-19

Short Update: Germany restricts prison visits due to COVID-19

Short Update: Germany introduces measures in courts and public prosecutor's offices to protect citizens and judicial staff from COVID-19

Short Update: Imprisonment in Germany can be interrupted or postponed

Short Update: New legislation in Germany extends permissible delays in criminal trials

Short Update: EUROPRIS launches a website tracking COVID-19 prevention measures in European prisons

Short Update: UK relaxes legal aid requirements and procedures

Short Update: UK imposes restrictions on prisoners and prison conditions

Short Update: UK publishes new procedure for custody time limit cases

Short Update: Up to 4,000 prisoners in England and Wales are to be temporarily released from jail

Short Update: Several organisations urge the Council of Europe to take measures to reduce prison populations

Short Update: Pregnant prisoners are to be temporarily released from custody in England and Wales

Commentary: COVID-19- A Threat to Fair Criminal Justice?

Short Update: Coughs use as a threat towards key workers will be charged as assault in England and Wales

Short Update: New public health regulations strengthen police powers in England to reduce the spread of coronavirus

Short Update: COVID-19 emergency law in Hungary gives indefinite ruling power to government and criminalises criticism

Short Update: Commissioner for Human Rights calls on European states to take urgent steps to protect rights of prisoners

Commentary: US criminal justice systems respond to COVID-19’s threat

Short Update: Courtrooms in the UK effectively closed to public scrutiny as more hearings become virtual

Short Update: Court of Justice of the European Union announces plans for continued activities during COVID-19 outbreak

Short Update: New guidance issued for prosecutors and investigators in response to Coronavirus outbreak

Short Update: Police in UK criticised for overzealous enforcement of lockdown laws

Short Update: UK not doing enough to keep defendants and defence lawyers safe during COVID-19 outbreak

Short Update: Children more likely to face arrest under laws to enforce UK lockdown

Short Update: Extended police powers resulting in more police violence and discrimination in France

Short Update: Lawyers in Belgium call for equal access to the case file amid COVID-19 crisis

Short Update: Belgium suspends extradition to Spain due to COVID-19 crisis

Open Letter: Family members of people deprived of liberty in Mexico in the face of COVID-19

Commentary: National Justice Council of Brazil issues recommendations concerning COVID-19 in the criminal justice system

Short Update: Dutch court rejects applications to be heard in person

Short Update: Dutch courts suspends pre-trial detention due to health risk concerns

Template application for the urgent release from pre-trial detention

Safeguarding the right to a fair trial during the coronavirus pandemic: remote criminal justice proceedings

Short Update: Center for American Progress collecting examples of police enforcement of stay at home orders

Short Update: Marshall Project Tracker on US criminal justice system responses to COVID-19

Short Update: Mexican organisation Equis tracks court orders related to COVID-19

Short Update: Court orders related to COVID-19 for all US federal and state courts

Commentary: Extradition to Italy should be delayed amid the coronavirus health crisis

Short Update: Madrid court issues guidance on access to a lawyer in the police station

Short Update: In Bulgaria, legal requirement threatened (then withdrawn) on wearing masks in public

Short Update: Council of Europe monitors judiciaries' COVID-19 emergency measures

Short Update: Belgian courts adopt new rules in response to COVID-19

Short Update: Concerns over changes to pre-trial detentions rules in France

Commentary: Does the COVID-19 disease infect the rule of law in Italy?

Short Update: Global tracker launched on surveillance, data exploitation and misinformation

Short Update: Global tracker service launched to monitor the pandemic’s impacts on journalism

Short Update: Global tracker service launched on emergency laws that affect civic freedoms and human rights

Short Update: Overcrowded prisons in India to release thousands prisoners on remand

Short Update: New guidance issued on public health protections in prisons in India and globally

Short Update: Recommendations issued to the judiciary in Brazil reduce numbers of prisoners

Short Update: French Emergency law - impacts on criminal law and criminal procedure

Short Update: Ireland imposes restrictions on prison visits

Short Update: Ireland adopts emergency measures to be taken to alleviate overcrowding in prison

Short Update: Surveillance tools being developed in Romania to monitor compliance with quarantines

Short Update: Longer sentences and new criminal offences created in Romania

Short Update: Three prisoners die after fire in Romanian prison amid Covid-19 restrictions

Short Update: Spanish Ministry of Justice issues instructions on prisoners’ communication with their lawyers

Short Update: Romania suspends obligations of people serving non-custodial sentences

Short Update: Brazil Ministry of Justice allows communication via e-mail between prisoners and registered family members/visitors

Short Update: Madrid Bar publishes guide on protecting lawyers’ health while protecting defence rights

Short Update: Restrictions on access to a lawyer in the Netherlands

Short Update: Belgian advocacy for effective healthcare provision for prisoners

Short Update: New rules on entering court buildings in Hungary

Short Update: Extraordinary judicial vacation lifted in Hungary

Commentary: Mexico prison conditions deeply concerning amid COVID-19 outbreak

Commentary: The impact of Spain’s COVID-19 measures on the criminal justice system

Short Update: Paris attorneys file for release of clients

Short Update: CJEU and ECHR suspend all hearings

Short Update: Lawyers in Brussels filing for release of detained clients

Short Update: UK Government requires courts to go remote

Short Update: Spain suspends court activities, makes exceptions for habeas corpus

Short Update: Spain restricts court activity to “essential services”

Short Update: Legal aid lawyers, restricted from client visits, turn to phone consultations in Spain

Short Update: In Spain, more prisoners are granted home confinement

Short Update: Spanish police make arrests and issue thousands of fines for leaving home

Short Update: In Spain, organisations seek additional access to medical care for detainees

Short Update: Spanish courts close and limit activities to urgent matters

Short Update: Without national instructions, Madrid courts working out solutions

Short Update: Police crack down on freedom of movement in Spain

Short Update: Romanian prisons suspend visits but grant greater access to online communication

Short Update: Romania to conduct court proceedings via video conference

Short Update: President of Romania orders courts closed during state of emergency

Short Update: Netherlands reportedly considering relaxing limits on length of pre-trial detention

Short Update: Language interpretation now being performed remotely in the Netherlands

Short Update: Prison visiting room hours cancelled in the Netherlands

Short Update: In the Netherlands, courts closed for non-urgent cases

Short Update: With courts closed, Dutch attorneys are working to rapidly dispose of non-urgent cases

Short Update: Call for alternatives to incarceration in Italy

Short Update: In Italy, overcrowding threatens prison environment

Short Update: Ireland enacts far-reaching legislation granting the health minister special powers

Short Update: Ireland grants early release to 200 prisoners in response to the outbreak

Short Update: Ireland’s District Courts drops requirement for bail suspects to appear at hearings

Short Update: Hungarian lawyers filing motions to release given circumstances

Short Update: Hungarian courts go into recess

Short Update: Greece restricts prison access while moving to grant early release

Short Update: Greece suspends most court proceedings

Short Update: Germany considers suspending criminal trials during the outbreak

Short Update: In Belgium, lawyers argue cases without defendants present

Short Update: Hungarian Ministry of Justice clarifies that defence lawyers may meet with their clients despite social distancing measures

Short Update: Ireland adopts harsher prisoner restraints, following example of the United Kingdom

Short Update: French Prisons Move to Restrict Visiting Room Hours

Short Update: Bulgaria grants special powers to police to enforce lockdown and stop fake news

Short Update: Bulgaria bans prison visits, including by monitoring bodies

Short Update: Bulgaria moves to severely restrict in-person court appearances

Short Update: Bulgaria grants wide-ranging new powers to police

The Public Health Need to Keep People out of Detention - Practical Guidance

Impact of COVID-19 on courts

Court closures, delayed proceedings and increased use of remote justice: COVID-19 has significantly affected the functioning of courts.

COVID-19 & defence rights

COVID-19 measures and restrictions have been having a serious impact on defence rights and have made it much more difficult for defendants to get a fair trial.

COVID-19 & detention

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the structural deficiencies and systemic inequalities in our prison systems, and the urgent need to reform them.

Policing COVID-19

In response to COVID-19, countries around the world have dramatically increased police powers, implemented new criminal laws and established widespread digital surveillance regimes

Key Resources

Organisations across the world have responded to the challenges posed by COVID-19 to criminal justice systems by producing a diverse range of research, toolkits and monitoring activities.

Keep up to date

COVID-19 Justice Project Newsletter

Activities in the following sections on this website are supported by the Justice Programme of the European Union: Legal Experts Advisory Panel, Defence Rights Map, Case Law Database, Advice Guides and Latest News. More information about our financial supporters is available here.