The European Court of Human Rights ruled against France Tuesday in a case where a defendant was found guilty after a hearing that lasted 17 hours with only brief breaksreports the AFP.
Abdemmazack Makhfi was given an eight year sentence in December 1998 by a court in western France after being found guilty of rape and theft.
On the second day of his trial the court sat with three breaks from 9:15 am to 0:30 am the following morning, at which point Makhfi's defence lawyer asked in vain for the hearing to be suspended.
It resumed 30 minutes later at 1:00 am and the defence made its closing submission around 5:00 am, by which time the court had been in session for a total of 15 and three quarter hours.
By the time the judges and jurors retired to consider their verdict the day had lasted for 17 and a quarter hours. The verdict was given two hours later at 8:15 am. …
(Merci to Greg Schreiber)
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