OSCE Mission to Serbia organizes workshop on witness collaborators

BELGRADE, 29 May 2008 - A workshop on witness collaborators as a tool for tackling organized crime groups was held today by the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

"Witness collaborators are widely considered to be a key tool in fighting organized crime", said Ruth Van Rhijn, Head of the Rule of Law Human Rights Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. "This legal means, when properly used, has proven to be critical in gathering evidence in those countries where effective prosecution of organized criminal groups is of vital importance."

Workshop participants included Serbian judges and prosecutors dealing with organized crime and war crimes, witness protection commission members and law enforcement agents, as well as magistrates from the Italian Anti-Mafia Prosecution Service. The event was opened by Serbia's acting Republic Public Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic, Organised Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic, War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia Vladimir Vukcevic, and representatives of the Italian Embassy and the OSCE.

The workshop encouraged constructive debate on witness collaborators as an effective evidentiary tool for tackling organized criminal groups through comparison of legislation and prosecutorial practice in Italy and Serbia.

Participants discussed the legal framework of witness collaborators and its practical implementation in Serbia - including issues of concern in the management of witness collaborator protection programmes and favourable procedural and penitentiary treatment for witness collaborators - with the overall aim of strengthening the capacity of the Serbian judiciary.

The event was organized by OSCE Rule of Law Human Rights Department with the assistance of Italian counterparts.