Under the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)” two trainings were held between 26 and 29 October, in Kopaonik, Serbia. The presentations and case studies for both trainings were delivered by the panel consisted of local and international JUFREX certified experts.

The 4th training under JUFREX 2 action, on safety and protection of journalists was held over 26 and 27 of October, for the members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia including police officers who serve as focal points on freedom of expression related cases. In addition to the comprehensive overview of the positive obligations and good practice, the participants were acquainted with the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 to member States, on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors. As an added value, a representative of a journalist association delivered an overview of main challenges that journalists face including online threats, in addition to presentation of the CoE safety of journalists platform as a monitoring tool. The participants benefited from the practical exercise on identification, monitoring and investigation of such cases online. The training for police was organised in co-operation with the Judicial Academy of the Republic of Serbia.

The 4th training under JUFREX 2 action, on freedom of expression and freedom of media was held over 28 and 29 October, for the lawyers and legal professionals from Vojvodina. The participants benefited from an in depth overview of the Article 10 (Art.10) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the tripartite test for proportionality, and the development of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case-law with regard to cases linked to freedom of expression online, among other. The training included the elements of case studies and comparative presentations of ECtHR case-law which participants appreciated highly as it provided them with an enhanced understanding of a wide scope of cases the Art.10 protects. In view of negative and positive aspects of Art. 10, the participants additionally discussed safety of journalists, defamation, and protection of sources. The training was organised in co-operation with Bar Associations of Serbia and Vojvodina.

The events were organised under the framework of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.