HF II North Macedonia - Enhancing penitentiary system External Oversight Mechanism

As 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, phase II (Horizontal Facility II), the Council of Europe implemented the Action “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the External Oversight Mechanism in North Macedonia”, in close cooperation and partnership with the Ministry of Justice (Directorate for Execution of Sanctions), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office. The Action also involved a wide group of other national stakeholders, including prominent civil society organisations active in the area of protection and promotion of human rights.

The main aim of the Action was to contribute to a safer and more humane society that respects and protects the rights of detained and sentenced persons in line with the Council of Europe standards in the area of penitentiary and law enforcement.

The key Conventions for this Action were 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).

The duration of the project was set at 36 months and it was completed by 31 December 2022, with an overall budget of 1,050,000 Euros.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back Council of Europe raises citizens’ awareness on the External Oversight Mechanism over police

All police stations and penitentiary institutions in North Macedonia have displayed posters and brochures on the role of the External Oversight Mechanism (EOM). Established in 2018 with the support of the Council of Europe and the European Union, the EOM is supporting and protecting victims of human rights violations perpetrated by persons with police authority or prison police, by providing an effective investigation into all such allegations.

Printed in Macedonian, Albanian and Romani language, these materials inform the general public, persons under police custody and prison population about their rights guaranteed by law, the mandate and competencies of the EOM, as well as the procedure that should be followed by the alleged victims of police ill-treatment.

In total, 220 monolingual posters were disseminated in Macedonian, Albanian and Roma language, along with 3,000 trilingual brochures. This activity was organised under the Action “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe within the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and implemented by the Council of Europe.

North Macedonia March 2021