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.

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PROJECT NEWS

Back Key Achievements and Challenges of the External Oversight Mechanism in North Macedonia

@ Council of Europe

Established in 2018 with the support of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union, the External Oversight Mechanism (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.

Two years after its establishment, twenty national stakeholders and beneficiaries met and discussed the main achievements and practical challenges of the functioning of the EOM, at an online Roundtable on 28 April 2021. Heads of EOM units at the Public Prosecutor’s office (PPO) and Ombudsman’s office, representatives of civil society organisation (CSOs) which are part of the mechanism, as well as the Ministry of Interior (Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards), participated at the roundtable, joined by a CoE consultant, university professors, judges and senior police officers from the Bitola appellate region.

As a result, it was concluded that there is visible progress in tackling the phenomena of police ill-treatment and impunity in North Macedonia, however there are challenges and shortcomings to be addressed as well. Namely, it is very important that all selected CSOs members are fully integrated within the EOM mechanism de facto, while more investigators need to be engaged in support to the EOM Unit within the PPO. The CoE stands ready to continue supporting this mechanism by providing advanced training for its staff, development of a protocol for effective communication and expertise on existing gaps in the legislation. Moreover, as part of the project activities awareness-raising materials on the EOM competences were distributed to all prisons and police stations in the country.

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 29 April 2021