From 6 to 10 July 2026, Dr hab. Denis Solodov, Professor at the University of Warmia and Mazury, took part in two international events held in Leuven, Belgium: a Training School on interviewing adolescent suspects and the biennial conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group.

The first event was the two-day Training School on the Investigative Interviewing of Adolescent Suspects, held on 6–7 July at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven). The programme covered adolescent development, rapport building, questioning approaches, the role of language and the adaptation of interview procedures to the needs of young people. The Training School brought together psychological, linguistic and legal perspectives and was organised with the involvement of two COST Actions: CA22128 ImpleMéndez and CA22139 Y-JustLang.

The biennial International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG) Conference followed on 8–10 July. It brought together researchers, law-enforcement professionals, lawyers, trainers and students from many countries. The programme included keynote lectures, thematic sessions, symposia, practitioner case studies and poster presentations. The discussions covered vulnerable interviewees, the role of lawyers, interview recording, artificial intelligence and the implementation of the Méndez Principles.

At the conference, Professor Denis Solodov presented research on the role of lawyers representing witnesses and victims during investigative interviews in Polish criminal proceedings. He also contributed to a symposium on the implementation of the Méndez Principles in Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Norway. A further presentation examined the move from written interview records to audio and video recording in Poland.

Participation in both events provided an opportunity to present current research, exchange views with researchers and practitioners, and develop further international cooperation in investigative interviewing and the protection of interviewees’ rights.

Special thanks go to Dr Lore Mergaerts and her organising team for preparing both events and ensuring their smooth and welcoming delivery.