Council of Europe Takes up In Absentia Judgments in the Context of Extradition

At its 66th meeting held in Strasbourg, on May 19-21, 2014, the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Experts on the Operation of European Conventions in the Penal Field (PC-OC) discussed the criteria to assess whether a judgment in absentia and additional guarantees satisfies the rights of defense (in connection with Article 3 of the Second Additional Protocol to the 1957 European Convention on Extradition). The Committee considered the background paper prepared by the Secretariat in cooperation with Ms. Barbara Goeth-Flemmich (Austria) and in particular its appendix 2 containing a draft note to assist practitioners in assessing this requirement. The Committee decided to approve the draft note.