OSCE conducts training courses in Pristina and Skopje on the protection of human rights during counter-terrorism investigations

The importance of protecting human rights while investigating terrorist crimes was highlighted in two training courses for law enforcement officers held by the OSCE in Prishtinë/Priština (31 October–1 November 2011) and Skopje (3–4 November).

More than 45 law enforcement officers working in counter-terrorism and officers from the European Union’s Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) participated in lectures and sessions with interactive case studies, where they were provided with a practical understanding of human rights issues and their international obligations in conducting counter-terrorism investigations.

“Effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals but complementary and mutually reinforcing objectives,” said Snježana Bokulić, the Head of the Human Rights Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “These training sessions demonstrate that the respect for human rights, including the rights of suspected terrorists, victims, witnesses and police officers, is a practical necessity, essential to successful counter-terrorism investigations.”

Murat Yildiz, a Training Adviser at the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU), said: "A fair trial depends on impartial investigations that are conducted in compliance with human rights principles. A failure to adopt those principles erodes trust in law enforcement agencies.”

The training was conducted in the framework of a joint ODIHR/SPMU project aimed at developing a practical training module on human rights-compliant investigations of terrorism. It complements ODIHR’s existing training module on “Countering Terrorism, Protecting Human Rights”, which has been delivered in more than a dozen locations throughout the OSCE region since 2005.

The training sessions in Prishtinë/Priština and Skopje were implemented in co-operation with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the OSCE Mission to Skopje as well as relevant local authorities.