Speed video trials for football hooligans

Published on 17 January 2011

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“Videoconferencing with hooligans 2012”, leads Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, referring to a new bill drawn up by the Ministry of Justice ahead of the Euro 2012 football tournament in Poland and Ukraine. The proposed law provides for fast-track “video trials” of football hooligans caught “red-handed”. For offences like fighting, setting off firecrackers or carrying dangerous objects, they will be detained at the venue to await trial, which will place in a special room connected with the court via high-speed internet, a solution aimed at speeding up the procedure, which could thus be completed within 48 hours. Some lawyers, however, believe such video trials may violate the defendant’s right to legal representation. “A football stadium is a place for sports, the meting out of justice should be reserved to courts”, an unnamed attorney told the Warsaw daily.

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