If you fail to fulfil your duties and do not comply with the court’s procedures, you may contribute to a failure in fulfilling fair trial standards in your own trial. This will most probably have a negative effect on your case.
Furthermore, to be able to claim a violation of your rights, you must make sure that you have fulfilled your duties within the court proceedings relating to the violation about which you are complaining.
example You will be unable to complain about the unreasonable length of the trial if you have not attended hearings or if you have requested the postponement of many hearings without valid reason.
Your main duties at the court proceedings include the following:
Your address
At all times during the trial you must have an address, which you have notified the court and where you can be reached.
Time limits
When making requests to the court, you must comply with the time limits for each claim or request if such time limits are set by either the court or law.
Attendance
You must also attend court hearings or notify the court in a timely manner about the reasons why you are not able to attend.
Obligations during the proceedings
You also have other important obligations during the proceedings. For example, you have an obligation to:
- not obstruct the investigation or court proceedings
- identify yourself where necessary
- comply with lawful orders to provide samples, such as DNA samples, necessary to perform tests
- attend and observe the process for various investigative procedures (such as identification by the victim)
- to comply with the rules of detention or alternative pre-trial security measures