Enhancing the human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro
The action "Enhancing the human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro" aims to uphold the standards set by the European Committee for Prevention of Torture (CPT) on preventing ill-treatment and impunity. As part of the comprehensive intervention, it seeks to achieve European human rights standards in Montenegro, essential for the country's criminal justice reform, bringing the country closer to meeting the requirements for EU accession.
This action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye running from 2023 until 2026.
What are the goals and objectives of the action?
The aim of the action is to support Montenegrin authorities in their efforts to improve human rights standards for people deprived of liberty through various measures, such as, improving the treatment of people held in police custody, enhancing healthcare services for detainees, and strengthening the capacities of the National Preventive Mechanism.
These measures are crucial for ensuring that all individuals are respected and treated with dignity and fairness in creating a safer and more just society for everyone.
Who benefits from the action?
- Ministry of Interior/Police Administration, Administration for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Ministry of Justice, Ombudsman/National Preventive Mechanism, State Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Health
- persons deprived of their liberty
How does the action work?
- through provision of expert support to local institutions, helping them improve their regulatory and operational framework, while promoting human rights and protection of detainees;
- through provision of expert support in developing and/or improving internal procedures and documents;
- by providing technical trainings to enhance the professional skills of staff in relevant institutions.
What do we expect to achieve?
- through successful implementation, prison and police forces will improve their professionalism and compliance with international human rights standards, protecting those in detention and combating impunity;
- by strengthening the capacities of monitoring bodies, citizens will have greater confidence in the oversight mechanisms, leading to increased trust and accountability;
- sharing the results of monitoring activities with the public will help raise awareness of the importance of protecting the rights of detainees and promote the benefits of their improved services;
- a culture of respect for human rights will be fostered and it will help to combat impunity in detention settings.
What is the budget of the action?
The total budget of the action is 800 000 EUR.
The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).
How to get more information?
- Council of Europe: Co-operation in police and deprivation of liberty
- Horizontal Facility and e-mail address
About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye?
The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.
