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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Back Key actors of the External Oversight Mechanism in North Macedonia trained on independent investigation and discussed challenges

@ Council of Europe

A training on independent and efficient investigation upon complaints against the police and prison police was held in Skopje on 13-14 October 2021, gathering the key stakeholders involved with the External Oversight Mechanism (EOM). The training focused on the state obligations arising from Article 2 and 3 of the ECHR, along with ECtHR case law, other international standards, existing investigative systems and safeguards against ill-treatment.

Best practices and comparative experiences were also discussed, with the participants proposing specific solutions applicable within the national context that would address the challenges pertaining to the EOM. There was a consensus on the need for further legislative improvements regarding the selection of the participants of the civil society organizations and their integration within the EOM, as well as engaging more investigators in support to prosecutors’ work. The Council of Europe will continue to assist the stakeholders in achieving these objectives through the activities planned for the upcoming period.

A total of 15 participants took active part at the training, including the prosecutors of the Specialized Unit for prosecuting crimes perpetrated by persons with police authority and members of the prison Police, the members of the EOM Unit within the Ombudsman’s Office and the representatives of the civil society, as well as the Assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs (MoIA) and other senior officials of the MoIA’s Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standard.

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 15 October 2021