OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina participates at tenth annual symposium of prosecutors

Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 28 September 2017 – Over 150 prosecutors and legal professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region gathered at the tenth Annual Symposium of Prosecutors in BiH that ended today in Neum. Over the course of four days the participants took an active role in several panel discussions dedicated to war crimes processing, organized crime and corruption, human trafficking, and violence against children in cyberspace.

“This symposium is a great example of national institutions taking the lead in improving the professionalism and quality of investigations and trials in BiH, and I am proud of our partnership with the Association of Prosecutors of the Federation of BiH,” said Antonietta Trapani, Legal Adviser at the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Federal Prosecutor Hajrija Hadziomerovic-Muftic said: “The topics are mostly related to fields where practice has revealed that it was necessary to invest additional efforts in order to improve subject matter expertise, which would ultimately be linked to achieving better efficiency and independence of the judiciary, and most importantly, to establishing the rule of law. Through all of the aforementioned, the primary goal is to strengthen the public’s trust in the work of the judiciary as a whole.”

This year the symposium featured several novelties. “We included a panel on violence and prevention of violence against children in cyberspace. We also introduced a plenary session right at the beginning of the event in order to present several publications and handbooks published this year on the topics relevant to our work,” said Amela Efendic, Expert Advisor at the International Forum of Solidarity – EMMAUS.

The event was facilitated and supported by the Association of Prosecutors of FBiH, along with UNICEF, the Centres for Education of Judges and Prosecutors in FBiH and Republika Srpska, USAID, the OSCE Mission to BiH, the International Forum of Solidarity – EMMAUS, Save the Children, the Criminal Policy Research Centre and the International Organization for Migration.