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 Third Steering Committee Meeting under the Horizontal Facility Action: “Enhancing penitentiary system and the External Oversight Mechanism in North Macedonia”

The Third Steering Committee meeting of the Action “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia” took place on 8 July 2020 in a form of online meeting.

The results achieved during the first half of 2020 were presented, along with the immediate measures undertaken to address the challenges caused by Covid-19 outbreak, which was praised by the Director of the Directorate for Execution of Sanctions and the representative from the Ministry of Health. The participants were informed that all the activities under the mitigation plan have been implemented, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the staff of the beneficiaries. The representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in her role as country’s coordinator of the Horizontal Facility Programme, highlighted the support of this very important project for North Macedonia.

The Steering Committee members adopted the Work Plan for the upcoming six months and engaged in fruitful discussion on the upcoming activities. Concrete steps and measures were agreed among all the SC members following the discussion on the challenges with regards to the operationality of the External Oversight Mechanism over the police. The National Coordinator for countering violent extremism commended the achievements of the Action regarding disengagement of violent offenders and foreign fighters.

The Action “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia” is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe within the “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Skopje/Strasbourg 8 July 2020