The Council of Europe HELP online course on the Prohibition of Ill-treatment | HELP Programme has brought together 25 judges and prosecutors from Serbia to strengthen their knowledge in effectively applying the standards concerning the prohibition of ill-treatment.
The course is organised together by two projects: the HF11 action Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia and the HELP Programme in the Western Balkans programme, under the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye, in cooperation with the Judicial Academy. The HF action deals with the execution of ECtHR judgments in general and with building the capacity of judges and prosecutors to apply the Convention; HELP brings its training methodology and the course itself.
The topic is directly linked to the Stanimirović v. Serbia group of cases (ill-treatment by police and lack of effective investigation thereof), pending for over 15 years under enhanced supervision of the Committee of Ministers. Training of prosecutors and judges on Article 3 standards, and above all on effective investigations, is one of the measures that should contribute to the execution of this group.
The free HELP online course aims at assisting legal professionals in the Council of Europe member States in effectively applying the standards concerning the prohibition of ill-treatment. The topics are explored in a practical way, by using presentations, interactive screens, knowledge tests and reflective exercises. Throughout the course, there are interactive case-studies, which will enable the users to apply the gained knowledge and skills.
The course was initially developed in 2017 by the Council of Europe Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme. It has been updated in 2023 with financial support of the European Union and the Council of Europe. The content has been restructured and enriched with a new module on prohibition of ill-treatment in times of conflict, to address the specificities related to these situations.
The course benefitted from the contributions of a senior lawyer from the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as representatives of the Co-operation Programmes Division within the CoE Department of Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards.
The course is freely available in self-learning format on the Council of Europe HELP e-learning platform. The overall length of the online course is approximately 7 hours and those who complete it in self-learning format can obtain an individualised and electronic Statement of accomplishment.
