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Anti-Corruption Policies Revisited: WP9 Organised crime and impact on vulnerable groups (ANTICORRP Integrated Report)

Author(s): Salvatore Sberna,Alberto Vannucci,Tihomir Bezlov,Dimitar Markov,Maria Karayotova,Ana Hećimović,Iva Nenadić,Munir Podumljak,Péter Gyimesi,Szidónia Nagy,Boróka Pápay,Zoltán Szántó,István János Tóth,Edona Krasniqi / Language(s): English

This integrated report investigates the link between political corruption and organised crime, by examining the modalities, resources and strategies used by criminal groups to govern and/or capture the market of political corruption. On the one hand, the report looks at the infiltration of organised crime in three main policy sectors where public spending and regulations play a pivotal role: public procurement, the privatization of public services, and management of EU funds. Alongside this, the report also analyses the criminal penetration of electoral politics, by evaluating the influence that criminal organisations can achieve in electoral arenas. As a result, the report provides a general assessment of policy regulations, legal countermeasures and practices adopted to prevent and combat organised crime, especially in interaction with political corruption. The report is drawn from data collected in five European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo) across the above themes, and includes two more countries for the assessment of anti-organised crime legislation and initiatives (Albania and Georgia). The methodology involves both extensive and intensive strategies of investigation. A quantitative assessment of the crime and politics nexus is based on the Organised Crime & Corruption (OCC) events database, in which events data about the link between criminal groups and political corruption have been gathered and assembled1. A qualitative assessment involves in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of corrupt exchanges, presented as single case studies conducted in the countries covered by this study, inclusive of primary and secondary sources (interviews, legal proceedings, academic and policy-oriented reports). Data collection and analyses were conducted by five institutions across Europe (EUI, CSD, BCE, IKS, PSD).

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Model Approach for Investigating the Financing of Organised Crime

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The financing of organised crime is a horizontal issue for all criminal markets, although it rarely falls in the focus of law enforcement agencies. The intelligence gathering of law enforcement agencies has traditionally been focused on uncovering the members of crime groups and tracing the illicit goods or services. Financial transactions are traced mainly for the purposes of money laundering investigations, where the focus is on the proceeds and not on the investments related to the criminal activities. The reason for this is that currently criminal prosecution procedures in all Member States are entirely focused on collecting evidence in regards to possession, transporting, manufacturing or sale of illicit products or services. Financing of organised crime is also often passed over in threat assessments and strategic analyses of organised crime.

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Vulnerable Groups of Inmates. Country report - Belgium

Author(s): Nicola Giovannini,Malena Zingoni / Language(s): English

The country reports on vulnerable groups of inmates consider the situation of selected groups of prisoners qualified by UN as vulnerable due to their special position in the prisons of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Each paper researches the availability of legal provisions in the respective country which possibly neutralise these groups’ vulnerabilities as well as practices which authorities and NGOs implement towards these groups. The reports are a part of the Re-socialization of offenders in the EU: enhancing the role of the civil society (RE-SOC) initiative, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

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Vulnerable Groups of Inmates. Country report - Bulgaria

Author(s): Dimitar Markov,Maria Yordanova,Miryana Ilcheva,Maria Doichinova / Language(s): English

The country reports on vulnerable groups of inmates consider the situation of selected groups of prisoners qualified by UN as vulnerable due to their special position in the prisons of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Each paper researches the availability of legal provisions in the respective country which possibly neutralise these groups’ vulnerabilities as well as practices which authorities and NGOs implement towards these groups. The reports are a part of the Re-socialization of offenders in the EU: enhancing the role of the civil society (RE-SOC) initiative, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

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Vulnerable Groups of Inmates. Country report - Germany

Author(s): Martin von Borstel,Sven-Uwe Burkhardt,Christine M. Graebsch / Language(s): English

The country reports on vulnerable groups of inmates consider the situation of selected groups of prisoners qualified by UN as vulnerable due to their special position in the prisons of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Each paper researches the availability of legal provisions in the respective country which possibly neutralise these groups’ vulnerabilities as well as practices which authorities and NGOs implement towards these groups. The reports are a part of the Re-socialization of offenders in the EU: enhancing the role of the civil society (RE-SOC) initiative, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

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Vulnerable Groups of Inmates. Country report - Lithuania

Author(s): Gytis Andrulionis,Renata Giedrytė-Mačiulienė,Simonas Nikartas / Language(s): English

The country reports on vulnerable groups of inmates consider the situation of selected groups of prisoners qualified by UN as vulnerable due to their special position in the prisons of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Each paper researches the availability of legal provisions in the respective country which possibly neutralise these groups’ vulnerabilities as well as practices which authorities and NGOs implement towards these groups. The reports are a part of the Re-socialization of offenders in the EU: enhancing the role of the civil society (RE-SOC) initiative, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

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Vulnerable Groups of Inmates. Country report - Spain

Author(s): Alejandro Forero Cuéllar,María Celeste Tortosa,Iñaki Rivera Beiras,Josep M. García-Borés / Language(s): English

The country reports on vulnerable groups of inmates consider the situation of selected groups of prisoners qualified by UN as vulnerable due to their special position in the prisons of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Each paper researches the availability of legal provisions in the respective country which possibly neutralise these groups’ vulnerabilities as well as practices which authorities and NGOs implement towards these groups. The reports are a part of the Re-socialization of offenders in the EU: enhancing the role of the civil society (RE-SOC) initiative, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

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Анализ на правната рамка на подпомагането на избрани уязвими групи при взаимоотношенията им с институциите

Author(s): Miryana Ilcheva,Dimitar Markov / Language(s): Bulgarian

Within the framework of the initiative Civic organizations: a Guarantee for Equal Rights of Vulnerable Groups before the State of the Center for the Study of Democracy the legal analysis of the relations with institutions of four selected vulnerable groups – prisoners, persons, seeking special protection, and refugees, victims of trafficking and domestic violence – outlines the most common judicial and administrative procedures, in which they are involved. The elements of the proceedings are looked at, as well as the options to challenge the decisions of state authorities and the legal and practical mechanisms, by which NGOs can participate. Notably, in a number of areas the state relies substantially on civic organizations, while in others the relationship of institutions and NGOs is still being built.

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Drug Use in Bulgaria. National representative survey, December, 2002 – January, 2003

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

On March 14, 2003 the Center for the Study of Democracy hosted a round table on Public-Private Partnerships in Preventing Drug Abuse and Trafficking. Experts from government agencies and non-governmental organizations were invited to the discussion. Experts from the Working Group on the Abuse and Trafficking of Drugs at the Center for the Study of Democracy presented the results of the first national representative survey on drugs consumption in Bulgaria. Experts from the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, the National Service for Combating Organized Crime, Customs Agency, National Council on Narcotics, Bulgarian Youth Red Cross and Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation took part in the discussion.

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Национално изследване за престъпността 2008 година – резултати и тенденции

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

In February 2008, the Vitosha Research study on victims of crime was completed. Vitosha Research has conducted such research annually since 2005. The aim of the study is to track downward trends in individual offenses (burglary, robbery, assaults, threats, etc.) as well as the extent to which the victims are willing to report the offenses committed against them. Another goal of the study was to trace victims' attitudes towards the police as a whole, their propensity to cooperate with law enforcement, and their general anxiety about the danger of crime. The study included special blocks devoted to two major societal problems - drug use and corruption among civil servants.

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CONTRASTO ALL’ESTORSIONE ORGANIZZATA: L’ESPERIENZA ITALIANA

Author(s): Elena Sciandra,Antonio Iafano / Language(s): Italian

Extortion racketeering is a crime which spans all sections of society, poses threats to the well-being of local communities and impairs the growth and development of business. No country is immune to it, although it varies across time, space and economic context. Extortion can be perpetrated by single offenders, or it can be part of more complex criminal schemes. In this sense, the case of Italy is typical because Italian mafias systematically resort to extortion racketeering.

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ПОДОБРЯВАНЕ НА ЗАЩИТАТА НА ПРАВАТА НА ПОСТРАДАЛИТЕ ОТ ПРЕСТЪПЛЕНИЯ: ДОСТЪП ДО ПРАВНА ПОМОЩ. Изследване на правната рамка и добрите практики. НАЦИОНАЛЕН ДОКЛАД – БЪЛГАРИЯ, декември 2013

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The report explores whether the victims of crime receive sufficient information about their legal situation, who is entitled to legal aid and what its scope and extent is. The document also relates the opinions of various institutional, private and NGO stakeholders, approached by CSD researchers, on the situation of victims, as regards their access to legal aid and advice. A number of recommendations are given as to the improvement of the legislative and practical framework of legal aid to victims. The national report on legal aid for victims of crime was prepared within the framework of the Improving Protection of Victim’s Rights: Access to Legal Aid initiative.

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LJUDSKA PRAVA I PRAVOSUĐE U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI (2010-2011) - Izvještaj o provedbi preporuka u sektoru pravosuđa u BiH iz Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda Vijeća za ljudska prava Ujedinjenih nacija

Author(s): Adisa Zahiragić,Arijana Ljuca,Branko Todorović,Elma Demir,Jasmina Omičević,Maja Šoštarić,Milena Savić,Nedim Jahić,Sanela Rondić,Saša Madacki,Srđan Dizdarević / Language(s): Bosnian

Since its inception in 1948, with the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights regime was based on traditional mechanisms of protection of rights developed by the United Nations (UN), which gave a significant role to the states. Namely, the states are primary actors not only in the international processes of implementation and monitoring of human rights but also in guaranteeing the rights and running the process of self-monitoring and reporting. In the absence of capacities of the UN bodies to directly monitor the human rights situation in all Member States, when member states fail to be sufficiently self-critical NGOs, whose fundamental role is to monitor and report on human rights protection and advocate for better protection thereof by local government institutions and international organizations, play an important role. Efficient protection of human rights requires a strong engagement of civil society at both, national and international levels, as civil society organizations are the only entities that continuously monitor the situation on the ground and work on raising awareness about existing rights and call the decision makers for accountability in case of their violation. Justice Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina defined the role of monitoring and reporting on human rights in domestic and international institutions as their primary form of action. Justice Network, which brings together 52 non-governmental organizations whose primary objective is to support government institutions in strengthening the efficiency, independence and accountability of the judicial system of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as quality information, education and advocating for the interests of citizens in the justice sector, has identified monitoring and reporting on human rights as an essential mechanism by which it seeks to realize its goals. Development of judicial system in BiH, which effectively protects human rights and promotes the rule of law is not possible without a detailed and continuous evaluation of the system for monitoring of compliance of national legislation with international standards. Taking as a basis the results of monitoring of the human rights situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Justice Network will encourage the activities that allow a stronger influence of citizens through civil society organizations in the process of making of new decisions and implementation of existing regulations in the field of justice. In this way, the Justice Network will give its contribution in encouraging an active participation of its members and civil society in the development of an independent, efficient, accountable and lawful actions of the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To this end, the Justice Network has created working groups tasked to analyze and monitor the work of justice sector institutions. The Working Group responsible for analyzing the public policies in the area of justice sector produced several research papers, which were published within a publication called Access to Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These studies were intended to inform both professional and general public about the problem of access to justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina observed from different angles. They particularly deal with the evaluation of effectiveness of judicial system in BiH, when it comes to exercise of certain rights such as: right to free legal assistance, free access to information in the justice sector, protection of the rights deriving from labor relations; protection of the political rights of national minorities in BiH through the judiciary, protection of witnesses / victims of war crimes; re-socialization of juvenile offenders, and the necessity of harmonization of court practice in order to ensure an equal access to justice for all citizens. To complement this analytical work, a Working Group responsible for development of a “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina was established, as well as A Justice Network, which conducted a monitoring of justice sector institutions responsible for implementation of the recommendations from UPR, which Bosnia and Herzegovina assumed in the field of justice. Representatives of the Association for Democratic Initiatives, the Center for Information and Legal Aid of Zvornik, the Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BiH, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, the Association of associates and advisers in the courts and prosecutor offices in BiH, the BiH Association of Judges, the Association of Women Judges of BiH, and the Association “Women to Women” have worked jointly on monitoring the implementation of recommendations of the UN Council for Human Rights in judicial sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result of this work a publication titled Human Rights and Judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A report on implementation of the recommendations for justice sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council (2010 - 2011) was developed. Recognizing the importance of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) as a new international instrument for fight for human rights, which the UN Council for Human Rights applies in the process of monitoring human rights in the UN member states, the Justice Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the UPR as a tool in their work already in April 2010. After consultations between the members, the Justice Network joined the UPR process through the development of UPR recommendations for BiH, which were presented by a three-member Delegation of the Justice Network on the 14th session of the UN Council for Human Rights held on 11 June 2010 in Geneva. In addition to the preparation of recommendations and presentation thereof in Geneva, the Justice Network organized and delivered training on this mechanism for representatives of civil society and the justice sector. Also, two roundtables were organized for the same target group, one in Sarajevo and one in Banja Luka, in which conclusions have been defined for effective implementation of UPR recommendations in the BiH judiciary. The Report on Human Rights and Judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a continuation of work on the application UPR mechanism, but at the same time, it is also a unique publication of this kind. The aim of publishing of this report is to give an insight into the process of implementation of recommendations issued by the UN Council for Human Rights, or by its member states, which were created in a process of Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Monitoring of implementation of the UPR recommendations by the members of the Justice Network focuses on the judicial system, and includes only those recommendations that have been identified as crucial for improving the justice sector in BiH. In addition to making a general review of protection of human rights through the judiciary, the authors also identified recommendations for decision makers aimed at encouraging the authorities to apply UPR recommendations in justice sector more efficiently and promptly in order to fulfill the assumed commitments of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the international community and its citizens. We hope that this report will be a useful source of information not only to judiciary but also to NGO sector, and we hope it will initiate and develop the interest of civil society organizations in taking concrete actions in the field of justice. Justice Network will certainly continue its activities aimed at monitoring of human rights protection in the justice sector, and will seek to develop further activities related to reporting to local government institutions and international organizations within the Universal Periodical Review (UPR). We use this opportunity to thank all those who were involved in the preparation of analyses and development of this publication. Special thanks goes to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides technical support to the BiH Justice Network and its members through the Justice Sector Development Project II (JSDP II).

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LJUDSKA PRAVA I PRAVOSUĐE U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI (2011-2012) - Izvještaj o provedbi preporuka u sektoru pravosuđa u BiH iz Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda Vijeća za ljudska prava Ujedinjenih nacija

Author(s): Adam Shephard,Edina Pirija,Elma Demir,Jasmina Omičević,Maja Sahadžić,Maja Šoštarić,Milena Savić,Saša Madacki,Sanela Rondić / Language(s): Bosnian

Since its inception in 1948, with the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights regime was based on traditional mechanisms of protection of rights developed by the United Nations (UN), which gave a significant role to the states. Namely, the states are primary actors not only in the international processes of implementation and monitoring of human rights but also in guaranteeing the rights and running the process of self-monitoring and reporting. In the absence of capacities of the UN bodies to directly monitor the human rights situation in all Member States, when member states fail to be sufficiently self-critical, NGOs, whose fundamental role is to monitor and report on human rights protection and advocate for better protection thereof by local government institutions and international organizations, play an important role. Efficient protection of human rights requires a strong engagement of civil society at both, national and international levels, as civil society organizations are the only entities that continuously monitor the situation on the ground and work on raising awareness about existing rights and call the decision makers for accountability in case of their violation. In this way, the United Nations (UN) revised the process of monitoring and reporting on human rights in 2008 by creating the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) as the new international instrument in fight for human rights, which the UN Human Rights Council applies in order to monitor condition of human rights in member states. Recognizing the importance of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) as a new international instrument for fight for human rights, as well as the new role non-governmental organizations got, the Justice Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the UPR as a tool in their work already in April 2010. After consultations between the members, the Justice Network joined the UPR process through the development of UPR recommendations for BiH, which were presented by a three-member Delegation of the Justice Network on the 14th session of the UN Council for Human Rights held on 11 June 2010 in Geneva. In addition to the preparation of recommendations and presentation thereof in Geneva, the Justice Network organized and delivered training on this mechanism for representatives of civil society and the justice sector. Also, two roundtables were organized for the same target group, one in Sarajevo and one in Banja Luka, in which conclusions have been defined for more effective implementation of UPR recommendations in the BiH judiciary. Starting from these conclusions, during strategic planinng activities of the Network in 2010 it was agreed that monitoring and reporting on human rights condition in domestic and international institutions as their primary form of action. In this way, Justice Network - which brings together 57 non-governmental organizations whose primary objective is to support government institutions in strengthening the efficiency, independence and accountability of the judicial system of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as quality information, education and advocating for the interests of citizens in the justice sector - has identified monitoring and reporting on human rights as an essential mechanism by which it seeks to realize its goals. Development of judicial system in BiH, which effectively protects human rights and promotes the rule of law is not possible without a detailed and continuous evaluation of the system for monitoring of compliance of national legislation with international standards. To this end, a Working Group responsible for development of a “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina was established, which conducts monitoring of justice sector institutions responsible for implementation of the recommendations from UPR since 2010, which Bosnia and Herzegovina assumed in the field of justice. Representatives of the Association for Democratic Initiatives, the Center for Information and Legal Aid of Zvornik, the Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo, the Association of Prosecutors of FB&H, the Association of associates and advisers in the courts and prosecutor offices in BiH, the BiH Association of Judges, and the Association “Women to Women” have worked jointly on monitoring the implementation of recommendations of the UN Council for Human Rights in judicial sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result of this work a publication titled Human Rights and Judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A report on implementation of the recommendations for justice sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council (2011 - 2012) was developed for second time. The Report on Human Rights and Judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a continuation of work on the application UPR mechanism, but at the same time, it is also a unique publication of this kind. The aim of publishing of this report is to give an insight into the process of implementation of recommendations issued by the UN Council for Human Rights, or by its member states, which were created in a process of Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Monitoring of implementation of the UPR recommendations by the members of the Justice Network focuses on the judicial system, and includes only those recommendations that have been identified as crucial for improving the justice sector in BiH. In addition to making a general review of protection of human rights through the judiciary, the authors also identified recommendations for decision makers aimed at encouraging the authorities to apply UPR recommendations in justice sector more efficiently and promptly in order to fulfill the assumed commitments of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the international community and its citizens. We hope that this report will be a useful source of information not only to judiciary but also to NGO sector, and we hope it will initiate and develop the interest of civil society organizations in taking concrete actions in the field of justice. Justice Network will certainly continue its activities aimed at monitoring of human rights protection in the justice sector, and will seek to develop further activities related to reporting to local government institutions and international organizations within the Universal Periodical Review (UPR). Taking as a basis the results of monitoring of the human rights situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina as evidenced in the Report, the Justice Network will implement advocacy activities, and also encourage activities that allow a stronger influence of citizens through civil society organizations in the process of making of new decisions and implementation of existing regulations in the field of justice. In this way, the Justice Network will give its contribution in encouraging an active participation of its members and civil society in the development of an independent, efficient, accountable and lawful actions of the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We use this opportunity to thank all those who were involved in the preparation of analyses and development of this publication. Special thanks goes to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides technical support to the BiH Justice Network and its members through the Justice Sector Development Project II (JSDP II).

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LJUDSKA PRAVA I PRAVOSUĐE U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI (2012-2013) - Izvještaj o provedbi preporuka u sektoru pravosuđa u BiH iz Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda Vijeća za ljudska prava Ujedinjenih nacija

Author(s): Adrijana Hanušić,Amra Mehmedić,Elma Demir,Midhat Izmirlija,Nedim Čosić,Nedim Jahić,Nina Šeremet,Sanela Rondić / Language(s): Bosnian

Od svog nastanka, 1948. godine, sa nastankom Univerzalne deklaracije o ljudskim pravima, međunarodni režim za ljudska prava zasnivao se na tradicionalnim mehanizmima zaštite prava razvijenih od strane Ujedinjenih nacija (UN), koje su dale značajnu ulogu državama. Naime, države su primarni akteri u međunarodnim procesima provedbe, ali i monitoringa ljudskih prava, odnosno države i istovremeno garantuju prava, ali i vode proces samo-monitoringa i izvještavanja. U nedostatku kapaciteta UN tijela da direktno prate stanje ljudskih prava u svim zemljama članicama, onda kada zemlje članice propuste biti dovoljno samokritične, pokazalo se da važnu ulogu igraju nevladine organizacije, čija je jedna od osnovnih uloga monitoring i izvještavanje o zaštiti ljudskih prava i zagovaranje njihove bolje zaštite kod domaćih institucija vlasti i međunarodnih organizacija. Efikasna zaštita ljudskih prava zahtijeva snažan angažman civilnog sektora i na državnom, ali i na međunarodnom nivou, jer su organizacije civilnog društva jedini subjekti koji kontinuirano prate stanje na terenu, te rade na podizanju svijesti o postojećim pravima i pozivaju donosioce odluka na odgovornost u slučaju njihovog kršenja. U tom pogledu revidiran je i proces praćenja i izvještavanja o stanju ljudskih prava od strane Ujedinjenih nacija (UN) i od 2008. godine uspostavljen je novi instrument: Univerzalni periodični pregled (UPP) od strane Generalne skupštine UN-a rezolucijom 60/251 2006. godine, koja UPP definiše kao novi međunarodni instrument u borbi za ljudska prava kojeg UN Vijeće za ljudska prava primjenjuje u procesu praćenja stanja ljudskih prava u državama članicama UN-a. Svake četiri godine, svih 192 države članice UN-a, predstavljaju predmet UPP pregleda kroz koji se na univerzalan i jednoobrazan način vrši procjena ispunjavanja međunarodnih obaveza i opredjeljenja u pogledu ljudskih prava u cilju stvaranja demokratskog pritiska na vlade država da unaprijede situaciju u svojoj državi u pogledu ljudskih prava, te da se bore protiv neravnopravnosti i svih oblika diskriminacije. UPP se provodi kroz proces interaktivnog dijaloga kroz koji zemlja, čije se stanje ljudskih prava prati, prezentira svoj izvještaj, odgovara na pitanja i dobiva preporuke od drugih zemalja. Potom se neformalno usvaja izvještaj koji uključuje sve preporuke date zemlji u pregledu, a koji se ponovo zvanično usvaja na sljedećoj redovnoj sjednici Vijeća za ljudska prava. Oko 16 zemalja UN-a jesu predmet pregleda u okviru svake sjednice Vijeća, a 48 ih je predmet pregleda svake godine. Pored država, UPP pruža i mogućnost uključivanja nevladinih organizacija u ovaj proces. Naime, aktivnosti prije i nakon pregleda izvještaja ključne su za implementaciju konkretnih preporuka iz ishodnog dokumenta i tokom ovog perioda nevladine organizacije mogu ostvariti značajan uticaj kroz aktivnosti monitoringa, analize i zagovaranja. Neki od instrumenata učešća nevladinih organizacija u UPP procesu su: angažman u konsultacijama s vladom svoje države; podnošenje izvještaja interesnih grupa prema Vijeću za ljudska prava; lobiranje drugih država za davanje određenih preporuka; prisustvovanje sjednicama UPP radne grupe, kao i prisustvovanje i učestvovanje u sjednicama Vijeća za ljudska prava; te popratne aktivnosti vezane za zagovaranje za implementaciju preporuka. Prepoznavajući važnost novo-uspostavljenog mehanizma za praćenje ljudskih prava, ali i ulogu, koju su u istom dobile nevladine organizacije, Mreža pravde u BiH prihvatila je UPP kao instrument u svom radu, već u aprilu 2010. godine. Nakon konsultacija između članica, Mreža pravde se uključila u UPP proces kroz izradu UPP preporuka za BiH, koje su predstavljene od strane tročlane delegacije Mreže pravde na 14. sjednici UN Vijeća za ljudska prava, 11. juna 2010. godine u Ženevi. Pored pripreme preporuka i njihovog predstavljanja u Ženevi, u organizaciji Mreže pravde, održana je i obuka o ovom mehanizmu za predstavnike civilnog društva i sektora pravde. Također, za istu ciljanu grupu održana su dva okrugla stola u Sarajevu i Banja Luci na kojima su definisani zaključci koji naglašavaju potrebu za efikasniju primjenu UPP preporuka u pravosuđu BiH. Polazeći od ovih zaključaka, tokom strateškog planiranja Mreže pravde u 2010. godini, dogovoreno je da monitoring i izvještavanje o stanju ljudskih prava kod domaćih i međunarodnih institucija predstavlja primarni oblik djelovanja Mreže. Time je Mreža pravde - koja okuplja 64 nevladine organizacije, a čiji je osnovni cilj da pruža podršku institucijama vlasti u jačanju efikasnosti, neovisnosti i odgovornosti pravosudnog sistema Bosne i Hercegovine, kao i kvalitetnog informisanja, obrazovanja i zastupanja interesa građanki i građana u sektoru pravde - identificirala monitoring i izvještavanje o ljudskim pravima kao osnovni mehanizam pomoću kojeg nastoji realizirati svoje ciljeve. Razvoj pravosudnog sistema u BiH koji efikasno štiti ljudska prava i promiče vladavinu prava, nije moguć bez detaljne i stalne procjene rada sistema koja prati usklađenost domaćeg zakonodavstva i međunarodnih standarda. Sa ovim ciljem osnovana je i Radna grupa za izradu izvještaja „Univerzalni periodični pregled (UPP) o stanju ljudskih prava u Bosni i Hercegovini“ Mreže pravde, koja već od 2010. godine provodi proces monitoringa institucija sektora pravde na osnovu procjene provedbe UPP preporuka na koje se obavezala Bosna i Hercegovina u oblasti pravosuđa. Po treći put predstavnici nekoliko nevladinih organizacija – i to Asocijacije za demokratske inicijative, Centra za ljudska prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Inicijative mladih za ljudska prava BiH, organizacije TRIAL, Udruženja tužilaca FBiH, Udruženja stručnih saradnika i savjetnika u sudovima i tužilaštvima u BiH, i Udruženje sudija BiH - zajednički su radili na monitoringu provedbe preporuka UN Vijeća za ljudska prava u pravosuđu BiH u sektoru pravosuđa u periodu od 2012. do 2013. godine. Kao rezultat ovog monitoring rada objavljuje se već po treći put publikacija Ljudska prava i pravosuđe u Bosni i Hercegovini: Izvještaj o provedbi preporuka u sektoru pravosuđa u BiH iz Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda Vijeća za ljudska prava Ujedinjenih nacija (2011. – 2012.). Izvještaj Ljudska prava i pravosuđe u Bosni i Hercegovini predstavlja nastavak već započetnog rada na primjeni UPP mehanizma i istovremeno predstavlja jedinstvenu publikaciju ove vrste. Cilj objavljivanja navedene publikacije jeste uvid u proces provedbe dobivenih preporuka UN Vijeća za ljudska prava, odnosno od strane njenih država članica, a nastalih kroz proces Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda (UPP). Monitoring procesa provedbe UPP preporuka od strane članica Mreže pravde, fokusira se na pravosudni sistem, odnosno uključuje samo one preporuke koje su identifikovane kao krucijalne za unaprjeđenje sektora pravosuđa u BiH. Pored općeg pregleda zaštite ljudskih prava kroz pravosuđe, autori su identifikovali i preporuke za donosioce odluka s ciljem da podstaknu institucije vlasti na efikasniju i ažurniju primjenu UPP preporuka u sektoru pravde i kako bi ispoštovale obaveze koje je preuzela Bosna i Hercegovina prema međunarodnoj zajednici, ali i prema svojim građanima. Nadamo se da će Izvještaj biti koristan izvor informacija, ne samo predstavnicima pravosuđa, nego i nevladinom sektoru, te da će inicirati i razvoj interesovanja za konkretne akcije kod organizacija civilnog društva za djelovanje u oblasti pravosuđa. Mreža pravde će svakako nastaviti i u budućnosti sa aktivnostima monitoringa zaštite ljudskih prava u sektoru pravde, te će nastojati razviti i daljnje aktivnosti kada je u pitanju izvještavanje u okviru Univerzalnog periodičnog pregleda (UPP) prema domaćim institucijama vlasti ali, i međunarodnim organizacijama. Uzevši kao osnovu rezultate monitoringa o stanju ljudskih prava u Bosni i Hercegovini navedenih u Izvještaju, Mreža pravde će vršiti i zagovaračke aktivnosti, te će ohrabrivati aktivnosti koje omogućavaju jači uticaj građanki i građana kroz organizacije civilnog društva na proces donošenja novih odluka i implementaciju postojećih propisa u oblasti pravde. Na ovaj način, Mreža pravde će dati svoj doprinos u poticanju aktivnog odnosa svojih članica i civilnog društva u cjelini ka razvoju nezavisnog, efikasnog, odgovornog i zakonitog djelovanja pravosuđa u BiH. Koristimo ovu priliku da se zahvalimo svima koji su bili uključeni u realizaciju pripreme analiza i izradu publikacije. Posebno se zahvaljujemo Američkoj agenciji za međunarodni razvoj (USAID), koja kroz Projekat razvoja sektora pravosuđa II pruža tehničku podršku Mreži pravde u BiH i njenim članicama.

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WRITTEN COMMENTS BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE (ERRC submission to the European Commission on the enlargement component of the EU Roma Framework May 2017)

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The report commissioned by DG NEAR The Thematic Evaluation on IPA Support to Roma Communities, clearly identified why EU funding did not have a discernible impact on Roma inclusion in the first round of IPA assistance. The findings from the first round of IPA funding raised a number of concerns: - Credible assessment of project effectiveness proved to be difficult “because of poor design of indicators and means of verification, together with scarce project level evaluation”; - Even in the sphere of education where most progress has been made the report concluded that “Evidence for improved educational attainment is piecemeal and anecdotal – but points strongly in the right direction”; - Displacement projects were not designed specifically for Roma, but for all displaced persons so there were no Roma-specific activities, objectives or indicators. Specifically for the Roma population, sustainability is highly questionable and there are concerns that housing projects creating (or re-creating) segregated communities. - Housing projects are expensive and relatively insignificant interventions compared to the scale of the needs. - Employment projects have not achieved any notable successes; - Monitoring at country, programme and project level remains very poor. At country level, there are some efforts to provide indicators and data on the situation of Roma communities, but there is an almost complete lack of comparable information over time to show changes. The recommendations concerning political will, financial allocations, robust monitoring, gender equity, and the “need for a strong, independent and sustainable civil society”, mirror the challenges facing the EU Framework. What is clear from ERRC’s various submissions, advocacy, research and litigation in the enlargement countries of the western Balkans over the past years is that for Roma inclusion to be effective, national and local authorities must prioritise combating all forms of discrimination; ending residential and school segregation; challenging ethnic profiling and police brutality; addressing statelessness and ending forced evictions; and ensuring access to justice. The need to step up the fight against all forms of discrimination against Roma including institutional racism, which is evident in the enlargement countries, is something that is common to all of the Member States of the European Union. The Commission in its 2016 Communication on the EU Roma Framework, explicitly called on Member States to demonstrate greater political will to combat discrimination, described rising anti-Gypsyism as “a specific form of racism”, and urged public authorities to distance themselves from racist and xenophobic discourse that targets Roma. When it comes to anti-Roma hate speech and hate crime, the Commission bluntly stated that authorities’ failure to take action effectively amounts to complicity: “it is important to realise that a reluctance to act also contributes to the acceptance of intolerance in societies.” The ERRC fully agrees with the Commission’s observations, and it is clear from this ERRC submission and the previous one, that Roma in enlargement countries face similar or even more serious problems than in many EU Member States. As mentioned earlier, the ERRC welcomes the Commission’s statement that enlargement policy remains focused on the “fundamentals first” principle, which includes the rule of law and fundamental rights, with specific mention of the “need to better protect minorities, in particular Roma.” Therefore, the ERRC recommends that the Commission work with the governments of enlargement countries to put in place “robust monitoring mechanisms” on Roma inclusion that align with the EU Framework, and to establish an annual reporting schedule that coincides with that of the Member States. This would allow for greater transparency and meaningful comparability between Member States and aspirant countries. It is important from the outset to send a signal to these countries that combating discrimination and racism is a priority for the Commission in its “fundamentals first” policy approach to further enlargement. Based on our common experience of the EU Framework, ERRC fully endorses the Commission’s assertion that “stepping up the fight against racism and discrimination” remains essential to making any advances in “reducing the socio-economic gap between the Roma and non-Roma population in the Western Balkans and Turkey” up to 2020 and beyond.

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Prison System in Serbia in 2011

Author(s): Ivan Kuzminović,Ljiljana Palibrk / Language(s): English

Over the past ten years, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS) has conducted dozens of visits to prisons in Serbia, with the aim of making an assessment of the human rights conditions for imprisoned and detained citizens. Since 2001, the HCHRS has visited all 28 institutions for the execution of criminal sanctions, many of which several times. In a vast number of reports, the HCHRS has conducted analyses and noted non-compliance with solutions prescribed by national legislature and international law on the one hand, and with common practices in the system of execution of criminal sanctions on the other. During the first visits to prisons in 2001, it was determined that human rights conditions were extremely poor. At that time, there were around 6,500 convicted and imprisoned persons in Serbia. Ten years later, resulting from vast efforts by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations (OSCE, UN, CoE), but that of the state as well, the human rights conditions in prisons have been significantly improved, primarily when the decreasing practice of torture and introduction of new (contemporary) legal solutions in the field of criminal sanctions are concerned. The implementation of the institute of alternative execution of criminal sanctions has finally begun in 2011. It includes the possibility of serving a sentence in home confinement (with or without electronic monitoring) for persons serving prison sentences of up to one year, or the conversion of the prison sentence to community work. However, the number of sentenced and detained persons in prison has nearly doubled over the same period of time.

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Prosecuting War Crimes

Author(s): Tihomir Ponoš,Zoran Pusić,Vesna Teršelič,Josip Kregar,Mladen Stojanović,Sovjetka Režić,Miren Špek,Marko Sjekavica,Milena Čalić-Jelić,Jelena Đokić Jović,Maja Kovačević Bošković,Emina Bužinkić,Bruno Vekarić,Maja Munivrana Vajda,Mirko Klarin,Vesna Alaburić,Drago Hedl,Boris Pavelić,Suzana Kunac,Eugen Jakovčić,Veselinka Kastratović,Nikolina Židek / Language(s): English

CHAPTER 1 Historical, political and legal aspects of war crimes trials; CHAPTER 2 First 10 years of war crimes trials in the Republic of Croatia - from 1991 to 2000; CHAPTER 3 War crimes trials from 2000 to 2011/ Facing the mistakes from the 1990s; CHAPTER 4 Achievements and drawbacks of war crimes trials; sanctioning of hate speech until 2013; CHAPTER 5 The role and the influence of the ICTY on Croatian judiciary; The media and monitoring of the war crimes

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Сигурността на децата в дигитално разслоено общество

Author(s): Vladislava Dimitrova / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

This report presents a literary study of the safety of children in the perspective of time from the first to the third wave of social development in the Alvin Tofler. Nowadays, it is the safety of children that is one of the most frequent discussion topics, which brings together conscious scientific, political, civic, parental thoughts and actions. The main research question is: whether and in what direction the need for safety of children is changing in historically different societies? To achieve this goal, the conceptual framework of the research is introduced – child, childhood, security, digital inequality. Then a summary historical projection of the development of children‘s security in different societies is presented to reach the third part, whose emphasis is on aspects of children‘s safety today, in the information, networked, digitally layered society of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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Земно правосъдие в света на мистичното: процесът срещу „Върколака от Бедбург“ през 1589 г.

Author(s): Nikolay Yanev / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

This text reconstructs the events leading up to the brutal execution of the German peasant Peter Stumpp, accused of making a pact with the devil and, in the guise of a wolf, committing a series of gruesome murders between 1564 and 1589 in the vicinity of Cologne. Using available sources, it presents details about the convicted man, his modus operandi, the type of victims, and other aspects to reveal a realistic crime, stripped of supernatural elements and understandable by today‘s standards of credibility. The aim is to challenge those theoretical approaches that reduce the explanation of the „witch hunts “ in the pre-modern and early modern period to a mere tool of social control. By reassessing the perspective of the prosecution, we seek to demonstrate that such seemingly fantastical trials could serve an important function—protecting society from the threat of inhuman, bestial cruelty. In the socially constructed reality of the 16th century, the „Peter Stumpp“ case provided contemporaries with as legitimate an explanation of the world as the logical frameworks of rational science do for us today.

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