ion of the rights guaranteed by the Convention". Such an opportunity could then be used to obtain another decision identical to the decision of the Presidium of 4 July 2007, which the Government would again present as per se ending the applicant's victim status, and this cycle could continue ad infinitum.
(b) Waiver of legal assistance
61. The applicant denied that he had waived any of his rights under Article 6. There was no evidence that the applicant had expressly decided to forego any of the rights at issue or had engaged in any conduct from which such a waiver could be fairly implied. On the contrary, he had made express written requests to be present during the appeal proceedings and to have a meaningful opportunity to meet his lawyer in a private setting, and had informed the Supreme Court of disruptions in the video link. The applicant concluded that the responsibility for the fact that his rights had not been observed in connection with the rehearing lay solely with the authorities.
(c) Effective legal assistance
62. The applicant claimed that, notwithstanding the fact that the Supreme Court had appointed a defence lawyer to represent him at the rehearing, it had done so in a manner that had made it impossible for the lawyer to provide effective legal assistance. The applicant had formed the impression that the participation of Ms A. in the proceedings had been especially ineffective since she had been only partially familiar with the case.
63. The fact that the applicant's legal-aid counsel was appointed and introduced to him at the last minute, combined with the fact that they had been given only fifteen minutes to communicate by video link, had precluded any possibility of her serving as his defence lawyer other than nominally. That was why the Supreme Court's suggestion that the applicant should pick a different lawyer, in response to his objection, had been quite beside the point: he had not had any objection to Ms A. personally, even though he had not known her previously, but had pointed to the fact that they had been deprived of any opportunity to form even a semblance of a meaningful lawyer-client working relationship.
64. Two further facts had supported the Chamber's conclusion, in addition to those summarised in its judgment. First, given the setting in which he had had to converse with his lawyer, the applicant had not felt he could have a frank and open discussion with her. A comparison by the Court of that arrangement with such alternatives as a telephone line secured against any attempt at interception (see Marcello Viola, cited above, § 41) had revealed that the applicant's perception had been quite understandable. Second, since the applicant had not had any contact with his lawyer prior to the rehearing, he had been left to his own devices with respect to pre-hearing motions, all of which the Supreme Court had ultimately denied. Given that the reason the case had been sent back to the Supreme Court for a rehearing had been its violation of the applicant's right to legal representation at the initial hearing, and in view of the seriousness of the charges to be considered at the rehearing (double murder), this had surely been a case where the Supreme Court should have used its best endeavours to ensure that the applicant had effective representation.
(d) Personal attendance
65. The applicant alleged that he had not been afforded effective legal representation and an opportunity to confer privately with counsel, his ability to actively participate in and follow the proceedings in the courtroom had been impaired by technical disruptions in the video transmission. He had sought to disprove before the appeal court the evidence of certain witnesses at his original trial, and had thereby raised the issue of his own credibility, so his personal appearance was particularly crucial in such circumstances.
> 1 2 3 ... 9 10 11 ... 19 20 21
Zaki.ru законы и право
поиск по сайту
каталог документов
добавить сайт Zaki.ru в избранное
Правовые акты международные
Правовые акты Российской Федерации
