Human rights

The applicants complained that their lack of access to lawyers during their initial police questioning in “safety interviews” and the admission of their statements at trial violated their right to a fair trial, under Art 6(1) and (3) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights, in dismissing the application, held that there had been compelling reasons to restrict the applicants’ access to legal advice and that, in the specific circumstances, no undue prejudice could be held to have been caused to their right, under Art 6(1) of the Convention, to a fair trial.