The application of the standards set by the European Court of Human Rights in detention cases was the topic of the round table organized by the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia” in cooperation with the Constitutional Court. The round table gathered 75 representatives of the Constitutional Court, as well as judges and prosecutors from all levels, providing them with an opportunity to jointly discuss and consider, from various perspectives, the challenges faced in practice when deciding on and extending detention.

Milena Rašić and Nataša Plavšić, judges of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, presented the practice of domestic courts. A significant part of the round table was dedicated to analysing cases in which the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court) found that Serbia had violated Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and to the execution of those judgments. Participants had the opportunity, in conversation with lawyers from the European Court and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court, to explore ways to change their practice to align it with European standards and thus prevent future violations of Article 5 of the Convention.

The round table was organized as part of the broader efforts of the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia” project, which is part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey,” to improve the application of the European Convention on Human Rights at the domestic level through the exchange of professional knowledge.