Judges from across Serbia enhanced their capacity to protect human rights in criminal proceedings through a series of workshops focused on applying European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) standards related to detention.

Organised under the joint European Union and Council of Europe action „Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia”, in cooperation with the Judicial Academy of the Republic of Serbia, the training sessions focused on the application of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees the right to liberty and security.  

The aim was to support first-instance judges in applyingECtHR standards when deciding on detention measures in domestic criminal proceedings.

The judges had the opportunity to learn about basic principles related to Article 5 ECHR, practice of domestic courts in applying this Article, as well as with the findings of the ECtHR in the judgments against Serbia concerning the practice of domestic courts. The lectures were delivered by by Milan Bajić, Advisor to the Supreme Court of Serbia, whose expertise was further enriched by a six-month placement in the European Court of Human Rights supported by the project, retired Supreme Court judges Biljana Sinanović and Nevenka Važić. And Serbia’s Government Agent before the ECtHR, Zorana Jadrijević Mladar.. Participants also had the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge through case studies, which contributed to a better understanding of the complex legal standards in this field.

The workshops are part of the long-standing efforts of the action „Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia“ to strengthen capacities of domestic institutions to implement the European Convention on Human Rights at domestic level. Workshops were organised on 14 March in Niš, 25 April in Kragujevac, 30 May in Belgrade, and 20 June in Novi Sad.

The action is a part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe „Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.