{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2012-29/article-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2012-29/article-20.json",
  "legislation": "eudr/2012/29",
  "legislation_title": "Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2012-29",
  "path": "article/20",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Right to protection of victims during criminal investigations",
  "text": "Without prejudice to the rights of the defence and in accordance with rules of judicial discretion, Member States shall ensure that during criminal investigations:\n(a) interviews of victims are conducted without unjustified delay after the complaint with regard to a criminal offence has been made to the competent authority;\n(b) the number of interviews of victims is kept to a minimum and interviews are carried out only where strictly necessary for the purposes of the criminal investigation;\n(c) victims may be accompanied by their legal representative and a person of their choice, unless a reasoned decision has been made to the contrary;\n(d) medical examinations are kept to a minimum and are carried out only where strictly necessary for the purposes of the criminal proceedings.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2012/29/article/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:21:56.533488+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}