HF II Bosnia and Herzegovina - Strenghtening Human Rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices

As part of the second phase of the European Union and Council of Europe programmatic framework “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” (Horizontal Facility II), the Council of Europe implemented the Action “Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The Action was implemented in close partnership with the three Ministries of Justice, entity Ministries of Interior, as well as with the Ministry of Health of Republika Srpska (RS) and law enforcement agencies at different levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): State (State Investigation and Protection Agency, Service for Foreigner Affairs, Border Police, Court Police), entity (Court Police) and Brcko District of BiH (Police, Court Police).

The objectives of the Action consisted of enhancing the human rights compliance of law enforcement agencies through application of the gained knowledge and skills in the everyday work of the law enforcement staff, as well as strengthening treatment of prisoners and of forensic patients/offenders through the application of specialised treatment programmes and case management system. The Action also supported the introduction of an Information Technologies System in pilot prisons with the aim of enhancing prisoner data exchange in electronic form.

This Action assisted the authorities in their efforts to comply with standards set in the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and to implement recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture – CPT.

The Action started on 24 May 2019 and was completed on 31 December 2022 with an overall budget of 1000 050 €.

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Back HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINERS CERTIFIED IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

@ Council of Europe

The team of national law enforcement trainers accredited to deliver human rights modules within the European Union/Council of Europe projects received their certificates in March 2021.

This concludes a five-month long train the trainers programme and a follow up period in which the national trainers developed two resource manuals with operational procedures. The purpose of these manuals is to enhance police officers' capacities to deal with persons deprived of liberty in line with the European human rights standards.

The team of trainers, comprising representatives of 10 police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, now have the original competence for sharing the knowledge and skills among peers who are entrusted with detention of persons deprived of liberty while abiding by European human rights standards.

In words of one of the trainers, a senior inspector in the Internal investigation Unit of one of the Ministries of Internal Affairs ‘’the police officers who have participated in this initiative now directly and positively influence the change of professional culture among their peers who have not undergone this type of training’’.

This accreditation scheme for the national law enforcement human rights trainers is delivered within the action “Strengthening human rights treatment of detainees based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, as a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme „Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022“, implemented by the Council of Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 25 March 2021