The European Public Law Organization (EPLO) and the Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane (UCPI) jointly hosted the international conference"The Right to Defence in Digital Criminal Justice: Technology, Evidence and Fair Trial Safeguards" at EPLO's Rome premises on 4 November 2026. The event brought together leading legal practitioners, academics, prosecutors and experts from across Europe and beyond to examine the challenges that emerging technologies pose to fair trial rights and effective legal defence in criminal proceedings.
The conference was opened by Prof. Bernardo Giorgio Mattarella, Director of EPLO's Rome Office, and Francesco Petrelli, President of UCPI, who welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of safeguarding fundamental rights in an increasingly digital justice environment. The event also provided an opportunity to celebrate the Memorandum of Understanding between EPLO and UCPI, further strengthening a longstanding collaboration developed through a number of European projects and initiatives.
Throughout three thematic panels, distinguished speakers explored some of the most pressing issues in contemporary criminal justice, including the use of encrypted communications as evidence, remote criminal proceedings, cross-border access to digital evidence, surveillance technologies, spyware, artificial intelligence, and the implications of the EU's evolving digital justice framework for defence rights.
The discussions featured contributions from Lea Stavrou, Federico Cappelletti, Gwen Jansen-de Wolf, Amedeo Barletta, Marco Pittiruti, Ettore Iorio, Ahmed Hassaan, Francesco Spina, Flavia Betti Tonini and Andrea Saccucci, who examined both the opportunities and the legal risks associated with technological innovation in criminal investigations and judicial proceedings.
Particular attention was given to the protection of defence rights in cases involving encrypted communications, digital surveillance tools, artificial intelligence in evidentiary assessment, and cross-border judicial cooperation. Speakers emphasized the need to ensure that technological progress remains firmly anchored to the principles of due process, equality of arms, transparency and the right to a fair trial.
The conference reaffirmed the shared commitment of EPLO and UCPI to promoting dialogue on emerging legal challenges and advancing a rights-based approach to digital criminal justice at both the European and international levels.
