OVERVIEW
The Criminal Justice System has to carefully balance different and sometimes conflicting interests: first, the legitimate interest of the State to fight crime and maintain internal security; second, the interest of the victims of crime; and third, the rights of the accused or convicted. International human rights law acknowledges the need to balance State power and individual liberty, and sets out minimum guarantees that States must observe throughout their criminal justice process.
THE CONTEXT
During his lecture, academic and human rights lawyer Manfred Nowak presented various safeguards that have been developed in order to ensure that human rights of the accused, guaranteed by international conventions, are observed. His lecture was based on the background paper “Human Rights in Criminal Justice Systems,” which he co-authored. The lecture also drew on his experiences and the data he gathered from fact-finding missions during his tenure as UN Special Rapporteur.
SPEAKER
Dr. Manfred Nowak, Professor for International Human Rights Protection, University of Vienna, Austria