Fair Trials is the global criminal justice watchdog, campaigning for fairness, equality and justice

Fair Trials has launched Absent Rights, a new European project examining how the right to be present at trial is protected across Europe and what happens when people are tried and convicted without being there.

Hosting the LEAP Annual Conference 2027 in Madrid offers a vital and timely platform to address how to safeguard the independence of key democratic institutions, and ensure that the right to a robust, well-resourced defence remains a practical reality in an era of the judicialisation of politics.