GENERAL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS CONSIDERATION OF CASES WITHIN REASONABLE TIME Almost every second court hearing scheduled in the case did not take place on the day on which it was planned. Almost each third court hearing which was conducted started with more than a 30-minute delay against the scheduled time. The courts often failed to take any efficient action to encourage the parties to settle. OBSERVATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE DEFENDANT The courts seldom reacted to evidence of force being used against the defendant during the pre-trial investigation. Usually, the courts did not take any action to verify the allegations of the defendant about physical or psychological compulsion, torture, threats and deceit in the course of the pre-trial investigation. The courts often did not explain the accusation to the defendants in criminal cases. The defendants were often kept in a cage behind the bars during the court hearing, and did not sit close to their defense. Report on the findings of the first trial monitoring programme in Ukraine 83