The project facilitated a workshop with lawyers of the Bar Association focusing on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to respect for private and family life. The event also marked International Women’s Day (8 March) by highlighting how the right to private life provides important safeguards for the protection of women against all forms of violence and ensures respect for their physical, psychological and moral integrity.
The workshop brought together 40 lawyers, who engaged in an in-depth exchange on the standards and case law of the European Court of Human Rights related to Article 8 of the Convention. Participants strengthened their understanding of the practical application of safeguards protecting private life, family life, home and correspondence, through the analysis of landmark judgments of the Strasbourg Court as well as relevant jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo*[1].
Participants explored key elements of the right to private life, including the protection of physical and psychological integrity, various aspects of personal identity, and the right to personal development and autonomy, particularly in relation to persons with disabilities. Special attention was given to the protection of victims of violence and abuse, the right to healthcare and medical treatment, the protection of personal image and photographs, as well as the safeguarding of individual reputation, including its interaction with Article 10 of the Convention on freedom of expression. Issues concerning the protection of personal data, especially sensitive data related to health, were also addressed.
Under the right to respect for family life, discussions focused on child custody, parent-child relations, adoption, immigration and deportation cases, and surrogacy, while the right to home was examined through the Court’s case law on the positive obligations of the state to protect housing rights and the safeguards applicable in cases of state interference.
In the context of criminal proceedings, the discussions also addressed the protection of the right to correspondence, particularly regarding the collection of data and evidence, wiretapping and surveillance, and the supervision of communications.
Participants analysed several judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, including Vavřička and Others v. the Czech Republic, Pasquinelli and Others v. San Marino, Mehmet Ulusoy and Others v. Türkiye, Gard and Others v. the United Kingdom, Glass v. the United Kingdom, Pindo Mulla v. Spain, Y.P. v. Russia, Axel Springer AG v. Germany, Denisov v. Ukraine, and others.
Through the analysis of case law and practical examples, the workshop contributed to strengthening lawyers’ capacity to apply relevant European human rights standards in their daily legal practice.
This was the second workshop with lawyers of the Bar Association organised since the commencing of the project. The next training session is scheduled for 14 March in Peja/Peć.