The particular features of electronic evidence make it more vulnerable to alteration than traditional evidence, raising unique challenges for the criminal justice system in handling it and ensuring its integrity. The practitioners in the criminal justice system, need to understand how to properly make use of electronic evidence to successfully prosecute cybercrime and obtain proper convictions of those found responsible.
The Council of Europe approach is to provide support and guidance to criminal justice professionals in dealing with the electronic evidence, to ensure its authenticity and admissibility in court. With this aim, on 10 – 12 October 2022, the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC), and the iPROCEEDS-2 project, delivered the first domestic Specialised Judicial Training on Electronic Evidence, for around 30 judges and prosecutors from Turkiye.
A team of international experts instructed their peers on a mix of practical sessions addressing the technical nature of electronic evidence, the crime scene digital forensics, the evidential value, the legal conditions and procedural safeguards. The course was designed around a practical case scenario and focussed on the admissibility of electronic evidence in an evidentiary hearing, how evidence is assessed, challenged and defended. The participants needed to take the perspectives of different parties involved in such a hearing.
The Specialised Judicial Training on Electronic Evidence brought the magistrates to a higher understanding of the technical procedures in order to resolve their cases in a shorter time and make their legal proposals and rulings more informed and well argued.
iPROCEEDS-2 project webpage
Electronic Evidence Guide (available upon request)