A launching event for the tutored online course on the Prohibition of Ill-treatment has brought together 25 judges and prosecutors from Serbia to strengthen their knowledge in effectively applying the European Court of Human Rights standards concerning the prohibition of ill-treatment.

The course is implemented jointly by the action Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia and the HELP Programme in the Western Balkans,  in cooperation with the Judicial Academy. One of the aims of the action Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia is to strengthena the execution of ECtHR judgments and to build the capacity of judges and prosecutors to apply the European Convention on Human Rights; HELP brings its training methodology and the course itself.

The topic is directly linked to the execution of the Stanimirović v. Serbia group of judgments, which concern ill-treatment by police and lack of effective investigation thereof, pending for over 15 years before the Committee of Ministers. Training of prosecutors and judges on Article 3 standards, inlcuding effective investigations, is one of the measures that should contribute to the execution of this group of judgments.

The free HELP online course aims at assisting legal professionals in the Council of Europe member States in effectively applying the standards concerning the prohibition of ill-treatment. The topics are explored in a practical way, by using presentations, interactive screens, knowledge tests and reflective exercises. Throughout the course, there are interactive case-studies, which will enable the users to apply the gained knowledge and skills.

The action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia” is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.