Our Mission: To work for fair trials based on international standards of justice and defend the rights of those facing charges in a country other than their own.

Our Work: We campaign for fairer cross-border justice by assisting individuals in their fight for justice, making expert policy interventions, conducting innovative research and providing training and networking opportunities for human rights defenders from all over the world.

In this issue

Case: Serena Wylde, threatened with prison for complaining about lawyer

Serena Wylde, a business woman from London, has been charged with aggravated criminal defamation in Portugal and is facing a possible 9 month prison sentence for complaining about a lawyer. She made the complaint in a confidential letter to the solicitors’ regulatory body, the “Ordem dos Advogados”, calling for disciplinary action to be taken against a lawyer who had acted for her neighbour in a property dispute in the Algarve.

Instead of investigating the matter, the body forwarded Miss Wylde’s letter to the prosecutor’s office who decided to launch criminal proceedings against her. The lawyer, Mr Pimenta de Almeida Borges, is the son of a former Supreme Court judge and belongs to a prominent family in Portugal. He claims that Miss Wylde’s letter has damaged his honour and, alongside the criminal proceedings, is claiming €50,000 in damages.

The criminal action taken against Miss Wylde flies in the face of free speech and has the effect of placing the legal profession in Portugal beyond reproach. In Serena’s words: “This happened because I told what I believe to be the truth and it has been turned against me by those who don’t want to hear it.”

Read more about Serena's case

Case: Luke Atkinson & Michael Binnington to be extradited to Cyprus tomorrow morning

Luke Atkinson and Michael Binnington, cousins from Essex, will be extradited to Cyprus tomorrow morning at 6:30am. Last week, the High Court rejected the final legal challenge to the young men’s extradition. Luke and Michael have confirmed that, following their extradition, they will immediately apply for a prison transfer back to the UK. This is likely to succeed, with a transfer taking place a few months later.

Fair Trials International has argued that extraditing the cousins to Cyprus is pointless, expensive and needlessly disruptive. The UK and Cyprus should instead have reached a sensible agreement to allow them to serve their sentences in the UK.

Read more about Luke and Michael's case

Read more about FTI's concerns with the European Arrest Warrant

Case: Greek police accused of framing Andrew Symeou

Greek police fabricated evidence and lied under oath in order to frame Andrew Symeou, according to a criminal complaint being filed by Andrew’s lawyer in Greece. Andrew, a British student from Enfield, is accused of involvement in the tragic death of another young British man in a nightclub in Zante, Greece in 2007.

Andrew was extradited to Greece in July of this year. He has now been in prison there for over 4 months, having twice been refused bail on the grounds that he is not a Greek citizen. Fair Trials International is assisting with an urgent application to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that his continued detention is discriminatory and violates his right to liberty.

Read more about Andrew's case

Read more about FTI's concerns with the European Arrest Warrant

Policy & Campaigns: EU agrees measures to protect defence rights

We’re delighted to report that EU Justice Ministers have agreed on a package of measures aimed at strengthening the rights of suspects and accused persons. Previous negotiations failed in 2007 after they were vetoed by the UK.

Fair Trials International's cases provide compelling evidence of the need to raise standards of justice across the EU and we have long campaigned for binding guarantees of minimum procedural rights.

Agreement has been reached on:
- The Swedish presidency’s Roadmap, first published in July 2009. This sets out the main areas where minimum safeguards are needed - translation and interpretation, information on rights and information about charges, legal advice, legal aid and other key rights; and
- The first legislative proposal under the Roadmap - a Framework Decision on the right to interpretation and to translation.

We will continue to lobby UK and EU Ministers and Parliamentarians to give their backing to these important measures.

Read more about FTI's Justice in Europe campaign

Read more at www.fairtrials.net

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