Brussels, 27/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP (ALDE) has given full support to the new proposal from the European Commission to introduce a letter of rights, in which suspects will be informed of their rights, in writing, at the nearest police station to their place of arrest. Ludford stated that “the European Commission's commendably strong proposal is not only welcome but desperately needed. It is completely unacceptable that many people are presently left in the dark about what their rights are when arrested abroad in Europe”. The draft directive presented on 20 July by Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding aims to guarantee that anybody suspected of a criminal offence or being subject to criminal proceedings in a member state is informed of their rights in a language they understand (EUROPE 10185). The MEP added that “many miscarriages of justice or police mistreatment can be avoided if suspects are alerted to their rights. The inclusion of European Arrest Warrant cases means accused persons will know they can demand a hearing before extradition”. She concluded that “MEPs must fight hard to stop this proposal being watered down by EU governments, who sometimes wrongly seem to think that curtailing rights saves money. In fact foul-ups are very expensive to both budget and country reputations”. (B.C./transl.fl)