Demystifying Justice: Training for Justice Actors on the Use of Plain Language and Developing Clear and Accessible Letters of Rights (2018-2021)

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee launched its new project with three other civil-society organizations: Fair Trials Europe from Belgium, APADOR-CH from Romania and Antigone from Italy in order to enhance the accessibility of the communication in the criminal procedure Europe-wide.

This project is based on the achievements of the previous research which examined the Letter of Rights in Hungary and developed an alternative, more understandable version with the help of plain language experts and attorneys. Both the past and the current projects are based on the Directive 2012/13/EU on the right to information in criminal proceedings, which requires the Member States to ensure that suspects or accused persons who are arrested or detained are provided promptly with a written Letter of Rights in a simple and accessible language.

As HHC’s newest research shows, accessible communication in the criminal proceedings bears paramount importance in the criminal procedure. An accessible communication may aid the defendant in understanding their rights and obligations thus leading to a more active role in their own cases, which is among the main elements of a fair trial. In this project, we will develop training materials on plain legal language, and also accessible Letters of Rights in different languages.

 The project is funded by the European Union