Pušu līdztiesības principa nozīme pirmstiesas izmeklēšanā

This article is dedicated to further assessment of the principle of equality of arms and its elements that may be applicable to the pre-trial investigation stage of criminal proceedings. The article includes evaluation of two practical elements determined by paragraph 1 and 3 (d) of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, the right to question witnesses in pre-trial investigation and the right to rely on assistance by private experts. The pre-trial stage of proceedings in the Republic of Latvia is not held according to the principle of adversarial proceedings. Therefore, the article will address a question, whether rights of the defence and principle of equality of arms grant the suspect the right to interrogate witnesses and rely on assistance by experts in pre-trial investigation of criminal proceedings. The European Court of Human Rights has emphasized several procedural safeguards regarding the aforementioned rights and their meaning in fair proceedings.