Cooperation in police and
deprivation of liberty

A roundtable focusing on the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to Serbia concerning ill-treatment in police custody and ineffective investigations into such allegations (Stanimirović v. Serbia group of cases) took place on 19 March in Belgrade. Consultations gathered representatives of the national institutions involved in the process of the execution of the said judgments, such as the Serbian Government Agent before the European Court and representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Justice, and Office of the Protector of Citizens.

The meeting focused on the general measures planned or already taken by the domestic authorities in response to the decisions adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in December 2022.

Representatives of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the Court participated in the meeting; they explained to the participants the procedure of the execution of the Court’s judgments and presented an assessment of the measures undertaken in the framework of the execution of the judgment in the case Stanimirović v. Serbia. A representative of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) gave an overview of the main findings and recommendations from the recently published CPT report on an ad hoc visit to Serbia in March 2023.

The Government Agent presented detailed information on the measures taken at domestic level to implement judgments for this group of cases. At the same time, she brought it to the attention of the audience that more information was necessary for the finalisaton of an updated group action plan and called for further co-operation between all relevant authorities in this respect.

The roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss challenges and way forward in implemeting the measuers related to the execution of judgements in Stanimirovic v. Serbia group of cases.

This event is a part of the ongoing efforts of the actions "Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia" and “Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Serbia” to provide assistance to the state institutions in executing judgments of the ECtHR in relation to Serbia as well as in implementing CPT recommendations, by enabling a platform for exchange of information and co-ordination.

These actions are parts of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, implemented by the Council of Europe.