Barreto Leiva v. Venezuela. Series C No. 206

Key paragraph(s) can be found below the document.

62. If the right to defense arises as of the moment in which an investigation into an individual is ordered […], the accused must have access to a legal representation from that moment onwards, especially during the procedure in which his statement is rendered. To prevent the accused from being advised by a counsel means to strictly limit the right to defense, which leads to a procedural unbalance and leaves the individual unprotected before the punishing authority.