OSCE trains Ukrainian officials on protection of human rights in countering terrorism

KYIV, 13 November 2008 - Helping Ukrainian officials ensure that human rights are protected in the fight against terrorism is the purpose of an OSCE-organized course for representatives of the national law enforcement agencies that started in Kyiv today.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) are organizing the course, which brings together 25 participants from the General Prosecutor's Office, the Anti-terrorist Centre, the Academy of the Security Service, the National Academy of the Procuracy and the Interior Ministry's Academy.

The training course aims to help the officials better implement counter-terrorism activities while maintaining international human rights law and practices. The agenda includes discussion of cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights and other international tribunals.

"Our efforts to combat terrorism will not be coherent and efficient without due regard to the respect for human rights," said Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

Course sessions will be taught by experts from the Council of Europe, ODIHR and other institutions. Participants will discuss the importance of prohibiting torture and respecting the rights of individuals to life, liberty, fair trial and privacy, as well as the freedoms of association, assembly, expression and religion or belief.

The OSCE has conducted similar training programmes in Austria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom.