As a part of the co-operation framework co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, known as the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey (Horizontal Facility), the Council of Europe will implement, as one of the Actions in Serbia, the Action Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons, in close partnership with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ombudsman and Serbian European Integration Office. The Action will also include a wide spectrum of other national stakeholders, as well as civil society organizations active in the field of protection and promotion of human rights.

The key Conventions for this Action are the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), as well as the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). These commitments are part of the Serbia's EU accession negotiations and accomplishment of goals defined in strategic documents and in particular Chapters 23 and 24.

The Action, which started on 1 January 2017 and will be completed by the end of May 2019, has an overall budget of 780,000 euros.