This study is to present the problem of exercising the rights of a defendant deprived of liberty to contact a lawyer. The provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (Articles 245, 73, 301 of the CPC), which constitute an embodiment of the general principle of the right of defence (Article 6 of the Criminal Procedure Code), were analysed in this respect. The case law of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg concerning the subject discussed in this study was also analysed. It sets European standards of legislation, and can serve as a reference point for the correct application of the national regulations in question, including those functioning in the Polish Criminal Procedure Code.