European Arrest Warrants being used ‘too often’ for small offences

Campaign group Fair Trials will present its critical report on the system to the European Parliament later this week, The Brief reports.

The group said: “Far from being used to apprehend fugitives to be tried for participation in complex cross-border crimes, such as terrorism and organised crime, the European arrest warrant is too often being used for small offences or to investigate people.”

It has also warned that people “are being surrendered even when there are reasonable reasons to believe that they will not be given a fair trial or will be placed in prolonged pre-trial detention or in prison conditions that fail to meet even the most basic standards of decency”.

Ralph Bunche, European regional director for Fair Trials, said the EAW system was being undermined by being “used inappropriately, often against people who have committed only minor offences”.

He added: “If a commitment to human rights is really a defining feature of the EU, we must stop treating people like commodities to be shipped across borders no matter how they’ll be treated when they get there. These people can find themselves in unsuitable, even unsanitary conditions, without access to appropriate healthcare, while awaiting trial.”