[legal-professionals] OSCE provides international human rights training to judges from Serbia and Montenegro

BELGRADE, 30 July 2004 - Thirty judges depart Belgrade on Sunday to attend
a two-week training course on International Human Rights at the American
Bar Association's Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI)
Institute in Prague.

The project is part of the judicial reform programme the OSCE Mission to
Serbia and Montenegro is providing to judges throughout the country. The
judges selected from more than 400 candidates are from various regions of
Serbia and Montenegro.

The recent ratification of international human rights agreements by Serbia
and Montenegro demonstrates the country's firm commitment to increase the
level of human rights protection.

"An independent and well-trained judiciary is a vital component of the
protection of human rights," said Ilias Chatzis, Head of the OSCE
Mission's Rule of Law and Human Rights Department.

"The judges participating in the training programme will be better
prepared to apply international human rights standards in the service of
justice and to promote equality for all the people of Serbia and
Montenegro."

The focus of this two-week programme will be to prepare the 30 judges to
implement these international human rights agreements. As they become more
familiar with these rights and how they have been interpreted by
independent monitoring and evaluating bodies, judges will be better able
to press for implementation in the course of their professional activity.

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