OSCE Mission assists Serbia to prepare for international review of draft Criminal Procedure Code

The OSCE Mission to Serbia delivered an English translation of the new draft Criminal Procedure Code to the Serbian Justice Ministry on 1 April 2011, to enable it to be reviewed by international experts.

The Justice Ministry requested help to translate the 606-article draft Code in order to submit it to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe for comments.

The translation was part of the Mission’s long-term partnership with the Serbian authorities to reform the country’s justice system in accordance with international standards.

The Mission assisted Serbia’s Justice Ministry in developing the draft Criminal Procedure Code, which introduces important changes to the judicial process. Once the Code is adopted by the Parliament, the Mission intends to assist the Ministry in strengthening capacities of the Serbian judiciary to implement it.