OSCE helps Ukrainian legal professionals to better protect human rights in times of crisis

KYIV, 3 November 2014– Ukrainian legal professionals attended the first in a series of training courses, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, aimed to broaden their knowledge on international standards of human rights protection in crisis situations today in Kyiv.

The event is part of a wider education effort, aiming to reach out to 400 advocates and 300 judges, and enhance their knowledge on how to apply the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in times of crisis.

“In difficult situations it is essential to make sure that the rights of people are protected. No stability can be guaranteed unless people feel they can rely on fair and independent justice”, said the Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator Jeffrey Erlich. “Deeper knowledge of the Convention and wider application of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights is a tool for tackling human rights shortcomings, and we are pleased to provide this tool.”

By the end of November, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator will conduct ten training courses for advocates and six seminars for judges of administrative and general jurisdiction courts from all over Ukraine.

The training will cover topics as positive obligations of states in protecting right to life, legal grounds for detention and limitation of freedoms, access to independent and unbiased justice, and motivation of court decisions among others. Special attention will be paid tothe Court’s stance towards hate speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and protection of rights of internally displaced persons.

A series of training courses is part of the “Safeguarding Human Rights through Courts” project, aimed at increasing the protection of human rights of Ukrainian citizens in the courts. The project is being implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine with the support of the Canadian Government.