Two HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) online courses - on “Key human principles in biomedicine” and “Standards of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)” have been launched for legal professionals in North Macedonia. Around 100 judges, prosecutors and prison and probation staff have registered to attend these online HELP courses.
The courses have been organised in co-operation with the North Macedonia Judicial Academy and supported in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint actions “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the External Oversight Mechanism in North Macedonia" and “HELP in the Western Balkans”, and the specific Council of Europe Human Rights and Biomedicine Division.
The hybrid launch events were addressed by Lejla Dervisagic, Head of Operations of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje and Prof Dr Natasha Gaber-Damjanovska, Director of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors. Lee Hibbard from the Human Rights and Biomedicine Division presented the Council of Europe’s work in the area of bioethics, and Christian Loda, desk officer from North Macedonia, CPT Secretariat, presented the Directorate for Execution of Sanction.
Council of Europe officers presented and shared with the participants an overview and so far achievements of the HELP in WB action and the HELP online platform. The specific courses on “Key human principles in biomedicine” and “CPT standards” in North Macedonia for legal and other professionals will be implemented in the coming weeks by certified HELP tutors from North Macedonia.
The implementation of the HELP online courses on “Key human principles in biomedicine” and “CPT standards” is a joint initiative of the actions being implemented in North Macedonia in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2020", which enables the Beneficiaries to comply with the European standards, including where relevant within the framework of the EU enlargement process.
