The present report of Amnesty International gives descriptions of some cases of effective impunity, which the organization has been able to follow through every stage of the judicial odyssey from beginning to end. The report also refers to a number of others which remain of concern to Amnesty International. Many of these cases, particularly those relating to ill-treatment, are recent in occurrence. Other cases, while dating back over several years, are still current. The report concludes with a series of recommendations to the authorities, which, if implemented, would eradicate the patterns of effective impunity which continue to plague French institutions. Amnesty states that the right of prompt access to a lawyer is a well-established international norm. In that context Amnesty refers to the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.