The first in a series of four planned workshops on the application of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for judges handling criminal cases was held on 14 March in Niš. The workshops are organized by the joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia", in cooperation with the Judicial Academy of the Republic of Serbia. The goal of these workshops is to strengthen the capacity of first-instance judges to apply the standards of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in their daily work when deciding on detention.

A lecture on the key aspects of Article 5 of the ECHR was delivered by Milan Bajić, Advisor to the Supreme Court of Serbia, whose expertise was further enriched by a six-month placement in the European Court of Human Rights, supported by the project. Retired Supreme Court Judge Biljana Sinanović presented the practice of domestic courts regarding detention, while Serbia’s Government Agent before the ECtHR, Zorana Jadrijević Mladar, provided insights into how the European Court applied Article 5 in cases against Serbia. Participants also had the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge through case studies, which contributed to a better understanding of the complex legal standards in this field.

The workshops are part of the long-standing efforts of the action "Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia" to strengthen capacities of domestic institutions to implement the European Convention on Human Rights at domestic level. Workshops will be organized for judges from all four appellate regions. Following the workshop in Niš, additional sessions are scheduled for 25 April in Kragujevac, 30 May in Belgrade, and 20 June in Novi Sad.

The action is a part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye", implemented by the Council of Europe.