HF II Regional - Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons

As part of the second phase of the European Union and the Council of Europe co-funded cooperation framework “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” (Horizontal Facility II), the Council of Europe implemented a Regional Action on “Enhancing penitentiaries capacities in addressing radicalization in prisons in Western Balkans”. The Action was implemented in close cooperation with the Ministries of Justice and the P/CVE coordination bodies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia…. The Action included a wide spectrum of other national stakeholders and civil society organizations active in the penitentiary field and countering violent extremism and radicalisation in prisons.

The main aim of the Action was to enhance regional security by improving the inter-institutional exchange of knowledge and good practices in the region in respect of radicalization in prisons, with a view on providing penitentiary system staff with necessary standards, tools and instruments needed to respond appropriately. Another important goal was to empower in-county multi-agency coordination to counter radicalization in prison and to provide adequate post-penal support to released violent extremist offenders.

The Action also assisted the national authorities to ensure that the application of the tools and mechanisms on national level with regards to addressing radicalisation in prisons further strengthens in light of the identified good practices in the region.

The Action’s duration was set at 36 months and it iwas completed by 31 December 2022, with an overall budget of 2,000,000.000 Euros.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

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Back CoE HELP course on radicalisation Prevention launched in North Macedonia and Kosovo*

A group of 50 prison and probation professionals from both North Macedonia and Kosovo got acquainted with the Council of Europe (CoE) HELP course on Radicalisation Prevention, an online learning course, that will help them to increase their knowledge on addressing radicalisation in prisons and disengagement from violence.

The virtual launching event in North Macedonia was opened by Borče Petrevski, national CT/CVE coordinator, while in Kosovo by Nehat Thaqi, Director of Kosovo Correctional Service. Both emphasized the importance of the course and its benefits for the participants, encouraging them to take active participation with aim to increase their knowledge and apply in practice the newly acquired skills on radicalisation prevention and rehabilitation of violent extremist offenders.

The local tutors, who adapted the course in both Western Balkans Beneficiaries to the local and institutional framework, presented the structure of the course, the practical aspects and the way forward, thus equipping the participants with the necessary information for the smooth start of the online course.

In the upcoming weeks the course, adapted to the specific local needs and circumstances, will be launched in the remaining Western Balkans Beneficiaries, thus increasing the total number of prison and probation professionals (to 150) in the region who will benefit from their participation in this process.

The launching events were held on 03 February in North Macedonia and 05 February in Kosovo within the scope of the Regional action “Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans” that is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, implemented by the Council of Europe.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

03/05 February 2021