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Contents
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter i – Fair Trial Standards: Scope of Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.1 Determination of a “criminal charge” and of a “criminal offence”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1.1 Domestic classification as an offence under criminal law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.1.2 Nature of the offence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
1.1.3 Purpose and severity of penalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1.2 Determination of “rights and obligations in a suit at law” and of “civil rights and
obligations”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.2.1 Existence of the right in the domestic law of the State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
1.2.2 Nature of the right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
1.2.3 Cases excluded by the protection granted to civil proceedings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
1.3 Proceedings relating to the expulsion of aliens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
1.3.1 Due process rights applicable to expulsion proceedings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1.3.2 Application of due process right to aliens lawfully within the country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
checklist: Scope of application of fair trial standards .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Chapter ii – Rights of Access to Justice and Equality
in the Administration of Justice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.1 Access to courts and tribunals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.1.1 Scope of application of the right of access to courts and tribunals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.1.2 Legal restrictions to the right of access to courts and tribunals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.1.3 Practical obstacles to access to courts and tribunals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.2 Equality before courts and tribunals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.3 Abbreviated or simplified proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
checklist: Rights of access and equality in the administration of justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49