A/HRC/45/16/Add.1 46. The Government also informed the Working Group that the list of interpreters is compiled by the Misdemeanours Judges Council, following a recommendation by the Public Prosecutor. There has been an effort to populate that list with interpreters for all required languages, based on statistics and on the predetermined court session days of each year. However, the Working Group received numerous reports that, despite efforts by the authorities to expand the list of interpreters, there was a lack of interpreters and, as a result, detainees were not informed in a language that they understood of the reasons for their arrest, or their rights as detainees. According to article 14 (3) (f) of the Covenant, anyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to the free assistance of an interpreter if he or she cannot understand or speak the language used in court. While the challenges of providing interpretation are considerable in a context in which persons of many different nationalities and languages are in contact with the law, the Working Group urges the Government to provide interpretation services to all persons who have been deprived of their liberty. 6. Short trials 47. A fair trial requires time for the parties to present their evidence and, in particular, for the accused person to be given adequate time to be heard pursuant to article 14 (1) and (3) (b) and (d) of the Covenant. According to several credible reports, some criminal trials have been short, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours, and have been concluded in a single day. There is often no opportunity for the accused to address the court, while law enforcement agents are extensively heard. This practice is in direct violation of the right to a fair trial, including the principle of equality of arms. The Working Group calls upon the Government to ensure that the accused is given adequate time to present a defence and to address the court. 7. Overcrowding of detention facilities 48. The Working Group notes that severe overcrowding remains an issue in most detention facilities. 49. It welcomes the Government’s efforts to address the problem of overcrowding, such as the construction of new facilities and the priority examination of detainee requests for transfer to agricultural detention establishments and the Central Warehouse of Prison Material. 50. The Working Group invites the Government to continue its efforts and considers that overcrowding could be further addressed by reducing the use of pretrial detention, establishing new, separate facilities for pretrial detainees and implementing alternative measures to detention. 8. Conditions of detention 51. During its visits to detention facilities, the Working Group noted that the conditions were in some instances better for Greek nationals than for foreign nationals. At some prison facilities, the wards in which Greek nationals were detained appeared to be significantly less crowded than wards housing non-European nationals. In addition, several non-Greek detainees reported serious health issues requiring urgent medical attention that had not been granted by the authorities. 52. The Working Group was also informed, however, of other cases of vulnerable individuals and groups who had received appropriate individualized treatment from the authorities, including persons who had been accused of or had committed serious sexual offences that required protective measures, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. The Working Group invites the Government to ensure consistent application of individualized treatment in all places of detention. 53. Furthermore, the Working Group is concerned that, in general, and despite current efforts by the authorities to meet the staffing needs of the special regional clinics in detention facilities, the medical services located in prisons are understaffed, which could result in a higher risk of deaths in custody. According to rule 24 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the 9