Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

Twenty-two senior prison police officers from all 12 penitentiary facilities have strengthened their capacity to prevent ill-treatment, and ensure proper reporting of incidents, contributing to greater accountability and protection of human rights in prisons.

The two-day capacity building session, held on 13-14 July 2026 in Skopje, focused on the prevention of ill-treatment, reporting procedures and the practical application of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It builds on similar sessions previously delivered to senior police officers, prosecutors and judges.

Participants discussed domestic legislative framework, relevant Council of Europe standards, and the responsibilities of senior prison police officers in preventing ill-treatment. The workshop also addressed relevant cases that have been communicated from the Court to the state authorities. Specific challenges faced by the practitioners were discussed with the Head of the Specialised Unit for Investigating and Prosecuting Criminal Offences Committed by Persons with Police Authority and Members of the Prison Police (External Oversight Mechanism within the Public Prosecutor’s Office). Moreover, the event was attended by the Acting Head of the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions.

This session is part of the mandatory training for prison police officers, as foreseen in the annual programme for continuous training; it focused on the use of force and means of coercion, the procedures for handling violent incidents, and reporting them to the public prosecutor.

This activity was conducted under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, and its action “Strengthening the capacities of the penitentiary system in North Macedonia”.