passed
in the European Court of Human Rights relating to defendants' right not to
testify against themselves. During his talk, Heuchemer focused in particular on the details of the case of Gäfgen against Germany,
in which he participated as the plaintiff’s lawyer.

Heuchemer explained that, in resolving the case,
the full court in Strasbourg condemned the Federal Republic of Germany for
failing to adequately punish or redress Gäfgen’s
ill treatment at the hands of the police, who committed an infringement of the
European Convention on Human Rights.

The
lawyer concluded by stating that this ruling emphasizes that torture by the state
is never justified, no matter how serious the crime or how high the stakes.