Project Retraining Lawyers in Transition Countries of Southeast Europe started in January 2002 and lasted until March 2009 with the permanent support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs trough Belgrade Office of the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). For the very successful realization of this project Belgrade Centre is thankful to the staff of the NPA Office in Belgrade and Ms. Gro Hillestad Thune who coordinated our actions with the Norwegian institutions and courts.

Project web page http://www.seelawyers.net has been updated and maintained during the whole project in five languages (Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian and English). The web page provides information about the project since its beginning (programs, lists of participants, materials and documents) but also other information relevant for the human rights practitioners, links to the most useful webpages dealing with human rights issues and links to the partner organizations.

Overview of the seminars organized by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in cooperation with partner organisations from the region of Southeast Europe 

Year 2002
Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe, Lovran, Croatia 12. – 21. April, 22 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  2. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe, Belgrade, Serbia, 24. May – 1. June, 31 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  3. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe, Petrovac, Montenegro, 21. – 30. June, 31 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  4. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6. – 15. September, 32 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  5. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 25. October – 3. November, 31 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro

Year 2003 
Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Fair Trial, Belgrade 12. – 16. March, 25 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  2. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Property, Opatija, 2. – 6. April, 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  3. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Prohibition of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Budva 14. – 18. May 20, 25 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  4. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Prohibition of Decrimination, Sarajevo, 21. – 25. May, 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  5. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Liberty and Security of Person and Right to Fair Trial, Belgrade 4. – 8. June, 26 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  6. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to a Fair Trial and Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Property, Sarajevo, 25. – 29. June, 23 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  7. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Rights of Minorities and Vulnerable Groups and Prohibition of Discrimination, Budva, 17. – 21. September, 22 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  8. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Liberty and Security and Right to Fair Trial, Opatija
    15. – 19. October, 27 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  9. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Economic, social and cultural rights, Belgrade 19. – 23. November 28 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro

Year 2004

Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Fair Trial, Sarajevo 4. – 8. February, 30 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  2. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to a Fair Trial and Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Property, Igalo 17. – 21. March, 28 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  3. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Rights of Minorities and Vulnerable Groups and Prohibition of Discrimination, Belgrade 21. – 25. April, 34 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  4. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Prohibition of Slavery, Forced Labour and Trafficking in Human Beings and Organised Crime, Pula 12. – 16. May, 34 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  5. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – The Prohibition of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment/Right to Liberty and Security of Person, Novi Sad 16 – 20 June, 27 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  6. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Privacy, Freedom of Expression and Media Rights, Opatija
    15.-19. September, 30 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  7. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Economic, social and cultural rights, Bečići 13. – 17. October, 28 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
  8. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Trials for the War Crimes, Organized Crime and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo 24. – 28. November, 26 participants from the region and Norway

Year 2005 

Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights Action Montenegro – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation – FORUM Skopje, Macedonia) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Freedom of Expression and the Rights of Media
    Petrovac 09. – 12. June, 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  2. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Fair Trial, Trafficking in Human Beings and Organised Crime, Trials for the War Crimes in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo 15. – 18. September, 27 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  3. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Property/Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Pula 20. – 23. October, 32 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  4. Regional Human Rights Seminar for Lawyers in Transition Countries of South East Europe – Main Procedural Rights under the ECHR (Articles 5 and 6)/Prohibition of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Belgrade 17. – 20. November, 35 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro

Year 2006 – 7

Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights Action Montenegro – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation – FORUM Skopje, Macedonia) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Arrest, detention, imprisonment. Prohibition of torture, inhuman and  degrading treatment. Right to liberty and security. Budva 14. – 16. September 2006.
    25 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  2. Prohibition of Discrimination, Lovran 5. – 7. October 2006., 23 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  3. Right to peaceful enjoyment of property/Economic, social and cultural rights/corruption, Skopje 19. – 21. October 2006., 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  4. Rights of vulnerable groups/domestic violence/protection of child and juvenile justice/trafficking of human beings, Belgrade 1. – 3. March 2007., 31 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  5. Right to fair trial. Organized crime. Derogations and restrictions of human rights, Sarajevo 29. – 31. March 2007., 21 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  6. Meeting of Supreme Courts Judges, Belgrade 26-27. April 2007., 18 Supreme Court Judges from region and Norwey

Year 2007 – 8

Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights Action Montenegro – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation – FORUM Skopje, Macedonia) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Prohibition of Discrimination, Igalo  20. – 22. September 2007., 23 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  2. Organized Crime and Trafficking, Zagreb 18. – 20. October 2007., 23 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  3. Child Custody: International Aspects and Risks, Belgrade 8. – 10. November 2007., 23 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  4. Insult, Slander and Compensation, Sarajevo 15. – 17. November 2007., 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  5. Prohibition of Torture, Skopje 10. – 12. March 2008., 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  6. Meeting of Supreme Courts Judges, Sarajevo 27. – 28. March 2008., 18 Supreme Court Judges from region and Norwey

Year 2008 – 9

Organized by – Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in co-operation with partner organisations from the region (Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights Action Montenegro – Podgorica, Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation – FORUM Skopje, Macedonia) supported by NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid)
Lecturers – from the ex-Yugoslav countries and judges from Norway

  1. Freedom of Expression and its allowed restrictions – insult, defamation, compensation and punishment, Igalo 9. – 11. October 2008., 24 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  2. Right to family life – International instruments and their application in child custody cases, Zagreb 13. – 15. Nvember 2008., 34 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  3. Prohibition of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment, Sarajevo 5. – 6. March 2009., 26 participants from the region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro
  4. The jurisdiction of supreme courts and constitutional courts in preventing and remedying human rights breaches, Beograd 26. – 27. March 2009., 18 Supreme and Constitutional Court Judges from region and Norwey
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Civil and Administrative Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR – article 6, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 30. January 2009.      
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Criminal Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR –  article 6, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 6 February 2009.        
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Criminal Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR –  article 5, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 6. March 2009.           
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Civil and Administrative Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR – article 8, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 20. March 2009.         
  • Seminar for Attorneys at Law – Representing applicants before the European Court of Human Rights, Novi Sad, 23. – 24. March 2009.
  • Seminar for Attorneys at Law – Representing applicants before the European Court of Human Rights, Nis, 25. – 26. March 2009.
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Civil and Administrative Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR – article 9 and 10, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade 24. April 2009.
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Criminal Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors – ECHR –  article 8(2), (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 15. May 2009.
  • Seminar for Supreme Court Advisors on Civil and Administrative Law and for Constitutional Court Advisors –  ECHR – article 1 protocol 1, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy), Belgrade, 22. May 2009.
  • Seminar for Commercial Court Judges –  ECHR – article 6 and 13, (Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Judicial Training Centre of Serbia in co-operation with Balkan Trust for Democracy)  Belgrade, 26. – 27. June 2009.