沉默权的是非之争与正当根据(上)

Right to Silence: Debate in Alternative Jurisdictions and Justifications

英美国家关于沉默权的争论并没有要完全否定沉默权的意思 ,而只是对沉默权的具体规则有不同意见 ;沉默权是一项有充分道德基础的个人权利 ,它既有重要的诉讼价值 ,又可能需要付出一定的代价 ,但一些国家出于保护公共利益的需要对它进行的限制均附带有严格的条件 ,沉默权的基本精神并没有受到损害。坚持和发展沉默权制度 ,仍然是当今世界刑事司法领域的一种基本趋势。

While the right to silence has long been a subject of heated debate in both UK and the USA, nobody has advanced an arbitrary argument as to abolish it completely. Its moral basis, justifications and procedural values have been widely recognized. Strict provisos are attached to limitations of the right out of concern for public interests. The basic international trend lies in not limiting but firmly guaranteeing the fundamental right.