On 12 October 2020, the Council of Europe in cooperation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine (NSJ) launched the HELP course on Right to Liberty and Security (Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)) in Ukraine. The course was launched for investigative judges from different parts of Ukraine who apply the standards of Article 5 of the ECHR in their daily professional work.

Natia Japaridze, Project Manager of the Council of Europe Project “Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in Ukraine”, explained the purpose of the HELP courses, underlined the importance of their adaptation to national context and thanked the NSJ, the course tutors and the participants for their interest and cooperation.

Tetyana Fuley, Head of the Research Department at the NSJ and HELP Focal Point, highlighted the importance of cooperation with the Council of Europe on the adaptation of the HELP courses to the Ukrainian context and their implementation at the national level. She also underscored the need for the legal professionals to undergo HELP courses and stated that in the conditions of COVID-19 the HELP online Platform offers good opportunities for the improvement of knowledge and development of new skills.

Tamara Zakrevska, lecturer-coordinator of the Department for Training of Trainers of the NSJ, noted that the HELP platform is a unique opportunity for the practicing judges to combine their work with the studies. She encouraged the participants to take an active part in the discussions and to interact with the tutors.

Krystyna Khokhlova, HELP Project Coordinator based in Strasbourg, gave a general overview of the HELP online platform and presented to the participants the opportunities this Platform offers. She invited everyone to take part in various courses offered on the Platform.

Pavlo Parkhomenko and Dmytro Kratko, the tutors of the HELP course on Right to Liberty and Security, introduced the main topics of the course as well as guided the participants through the course online tools and explained how to use them.

The HELP course on Right to Liberty and Security consists of the following modules:

1. Introduction

2. Scope of application of Article 5 and lawfulness

3. Justifications in Article 5

4. Case study

This course is freely accessible on the HELP online platform in English, Azerbaijani and Romanian.

The launching event for the course in Ukraine was organized within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Human rights compliant criminal justice system in Ukraine”, which is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022.