The launch of the national version of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters (ICCM) was organised on 7 February jointly with the Judicial Academy of the Republic of Serbia for a group of trainee prosecutors.

The event was aimed to introduce participants to the HELP Programme and the tutored online course that they will attend for 3 months in the HELP e-learning platform. Through the course, trainee prosecutors will explore fundamental principles of international judicial cooperation and a range of legal frameworks and legal instruments with a focus on mutual legal assistance and transfer of sentenced persons.

One of the authors of the course, Erik Verbert, guided participants trough the structure of the course by introducing them to the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on the Operation of European Convention on Co-operation in Criminal Matters. In their capacity of HELP national tutors, Gordana Janićijević (Deputy Republic Prosecutor and Head of International Cooperation Department) and Milena Manojlović Nedeljković (advisor) focused on the adaptation of the ICCM course on the Serbian legislation and practice.

The HELP course is implemented within the scope of the Action “Supporting effective remedies and mutual legal assistance (SEMA) in Serbia”, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe within the “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey”, and HELP in the Western Balkans.