support of their position and accepts that Ms A. was a qualified lawyer and that there was no explicit disagreement between her and the applicant on the substance or strategy of his defence. While it is established that Ms A had read the case file, it is unclear how much time she spent on it and the Government have not submitted any specific information or evidence on this point. She was a priori prepared to assist the applicant, and this is, without doubt, a relevant consideration. However, these arguments are not decisive; the Court must consider whether the arrangements for the conduct of the proceedings, and, in particular, for the contact between Ms A. and the applicant, respected the rights of the defence.
102. The Court emphasises that the relationship between the lawyer and his client should be based on mutual trust and understanding. Of course, it is not always possible for the State to facilitate such a relationship: there are inherent time and place constraints for the meetings between the detained person and his lawyer. Moreover, in exceptional circumstances the State may restrict confidential contacts with defence counsel for a person in detention (see Kempers v. Austria (dec.), No. 21842/03, 27 February 1997, or Lanz v. Austria, No. 24430/94, § 52, 31 January 2002). Nevertheless, any limitation on relations between clients and lawyers, whether inherent or express, should not thwart the effective legal assistance to which a defendant is entitled. Notwithstanding possible difficulties or restrictions, such is the importance attached to the rights of the defence that the right to effective legal assistance must be respected in all circumstances.
103. In the present case, the applicant was able to communicate with the newly-appointed lawyer for fifteen minutes, immediately before the start of the hearing. The Court considers that, given the complexity and seriousness of the case, the time allotted was clearly not sufficient for the applicant to discuss the case and make sure that Ms A.'s knowledge of the case and legal position were appropriate.
104. Moreover, it is questionable whether communication by video link offered sufficient privacy. The Court notes that in the Marcello Viola case (cited above, §§ 41 and 75) the applicant was able to speak to his lawyer via a telephone line secured against any attempt at interception. In the case at hand the applicant had to use the video-conferencing system installed and operated by the State. The Court considers that the applicant might legitimately have felt ill at ease when he discussed his case with Ms A.
105. In addition, in the Marcello Viola case (cited above), counsel for the defendant had also been able to send a replacement to the video-conference room or, conversely, attend on his client personally and entrust the lawyer replacing him with his client's defence before the court. A similar conclusion was reached in the case of Golubev, cited above, where the Court did not find a violation of Article 6 on account of a hearing via video link because, inter alia, "the applicant's two lawyers were present at the appellate hearing [in the hearing room] and could have supported or expanded the arguments of the defence... The applicant was able to consult with his lawyer in private before the hearing. Furthermore, since the applicant had two lawyers, he could choose one of them to assist him in the detention centre during the hearing and to consult with him in private." None of the options described above was available to the applicant in the case at hand. Instead, the applicant was expected either to accept a lawyer he had just been introduced to, or to continue without a lawyer.
106. The Court notes that the Government did not explain why it was impossible to make different arrangements for the applicant's legal assistance. It accepts that transporting the applicant from Novosibirsk to Moscow for a me
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