Continuous training for newly appointed judges and prosecutor continued this week in Sarajevo. This session focused on recognising different forms of discrimination and applying the European Convention on Human Rights and other human rights standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s court practice.

Through theoretical and practical work, under the guidance of Council of Europe trainers, 35 participants gained new knowledge and skills to recognise and prove discrimination in line with European standards. Particular attention was paid to defining and identifying specific characteristics of discrimination based on age and religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

After the two-day session, participants highlighted the value of this training for their future work in correctly applying the Convention, as well as recognising and combating prejudice and stereotypes. In this regard, they particularly appreciated the insight gained from studying case law from the European Court of Human Rights, which enabled them to understand the concrete application of the Convention in practice, helping citizens across Europe.

The Council of Europe is facilitating this continuous training in line with the Human Rights Training Curriculum to support judicial bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in efficiently and consistently applying international human rights standards, especially those stemming from the European Convention on Human Rights.

The training sessions for judges and prosecutors are carried out as part of the Council of Europe project Support to a coherent national implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and facilitating the execution of judgements of the European Court of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is funded through the Action plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2022-2025.