Following participation in the moot court competition organised last December in Podgorica on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, six students of Law from all three Montenegrin Universities (University of Montenegro, Mediterranean University and University Donja Gorica) visited the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights on 5 and 6 February 2020.

The Action “Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro" pays particular attention to initiating law students to human rights law and practical application of the European Convention on Human Rights, therefore the study visit was organised in a way to allow the participants to get a better understanding of the work of European human rights institutions and encouraged them to take responsibility for respecting and promoting human rights when they return home.

The two-day study visit included a presentation on HELP online courses. Law students had a unique opportunity to attend the Grand Chamber hearing of Guðmundur Andri Ástráðsson v. Iceland (no. application no. 26374/18). The participants met Ms Ivana Jelić, the judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Montenegro. The students also visited the University of Strasbourg where they had the opportunity to meet Mr Ledi Biancu, a former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, and learn about the work and activities of the Strasbourg Faculty of Law.

The activity was organised under the Action “Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro" which is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.