Suspects in restrains – the importance of appearance: how suspects and accused persons are presented in the courtroom, in public and in the media (SIR) (2017-2019)

Within the framework of our EU project called “Suspects in restrains – the importance of appearance: how suspects and accused persons are presented in the courtroom, in public and in the media (SIR)”, we carried out a research on how and to which extent the restraining measures, especially the use of handcuffs, can violate the presumption of innocence. In this respect, we have dealt with the relevant national and international legal provisions and practices. (The Hungarian country report on the findings is available in Hungarian and in English.)

In addition, a further output is a comparative study presenting the relevant laws and practices of 5 EU member states (Croatia, France, Hungary, Malta and Spain) with the aim of increasing the knowledge and sensitivity to the presumption of innocence among professionals and the public. Its executive summary is available in Hungarian. 

Moreover, a toolkit for law enforcement officers and judicial experts in English and Hungarian and as well as a Media toolkit for journalists were created based on the national and international findings.

The following short film shows different human stories presenting what can happen when the right to be presumed innocent isn’t respected.

The SIR project is funded by the European Commission’s Justice Programme.