right to remain silent
Legal term for the right of a suspect or defendant to refuse to answer questions during investigation or trial.
The suspect has the right to remain silent.
The police must inform the person of the right to remain silent.
Compound of 黙秘 (mokuhi, 'keeping silent') + 権 (ken, 'right'). 黙秘 is itself a combination of 黙 (moku, 'silence') and 秘 (hi, 'secret').