[PASSED] Prohibition on Coerced Testimony

Recognizing the inherently adversarial relationship between police and suspect,

Determining that the immense power imbalance between the state and the individual and the violence of suspect detention as inherently vulnerable to abuse by those tasked with enforcing the law,

The World Assembly hereby,

Defines an "officer" as an individual lawfully empowered to enforce the law or investigate violations thereof,

Forbids member states or their officers or officers of entities subject to member state jurisdiction from:

    Coercing any form of communication from a detained individual,

    Punishing or threatening to punish a detained individual for not communicating, or

    Putting questions to a detained individual without either that individual's legal counsel present or that individual's explicit and uncoerced consent, or in the case of a detained minor that of their legal guardian, to take questions without counsel present,

Forbids member states or their courts or courts of entities subject to member state jurisdiction from:

    Admitting evidence or considering evidence that includes communications obtained from an individual in contravention of section 2,

    Admitting evidence or considering evidence consisting of polygraph tests, body language tests, or any other means of attempting to discredit verbal communication by means of assessing simultaneous nonverbal communication, or

    Requiring a defendant to testify against themselves, or considering refusal to do so as evidence in and of itself.

More info here: NationStates • View topic - [AT VOTE] Prohibition on Coerced Testimony

This resolution is now up for vote.

Bai Lung will vote AGAINST.

Prohibition on Coerced Testimony was passed 7,836 votes to 4,592.