Criminal justice responses to terrorism are the focus of OSCE-supported seminar in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 7 September 2016 – An OSCE-supported seminar on strengthening rule of law-compliant criminal justice responses to terrorism, which brought together over 30 legal, security and counterterrorism practitioners from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), concluded today in Sarajevo.  

The two-day event was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Action Against Terrorism Unit of the Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to BiH.

The seminar focused on good practices detailed in the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Rabat Memorandum, which offers insights into effective terrorism prevention and prosecution, while emphasizing the respect for applicable international and national law. Experts in the field of criminal justice presented practices developed in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the work that Eurojust is pursuing in this area.

“Countering a global threat requires a global response,” said Francesco De-Sanctis, Head of the Rule of Law Section at the OSCE Mission to BiH. “Furthermore, there can be no lasting security without respecting human rights and the rule of law. Staying true to these principles and commitments will allow for improved legal and criminal justice systems that are able to effectively and justly deal with terrorism.”

Mario Janacek of BiH’s Security Ministry said: “Criminal justice investigations must be conducted in an efficient, timely and law abiding way. To achieve this it is necessary for investigative bodies to take a systematic approach to exposing and documenting every attempt, preparatory work, response, recruitment, training and/or encouragement to committing acts of terrorism.”

The participants discussed effective co-ordination among domestic government agencies and the importance of international co-operation, particularly when being confronted with terrorism. The seminar also highlighted the need to ensure the protection of all sides involved in terrorism cases, as well as for the development of policies for the effective incarceration and reintegration of convicted terrorists.