Belgrade, 26 December 2003 – The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights enthusiastically welcomes the ratification of the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the Assembly of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. The ECHR is the most important human rights instrument parliaments and governments of CoE member states are to be guided by when adopting and implementing laws and the courts are to be guided by when applying the law. The citizens of Serbia and Montenegro and all persons under SaM’s jurisdiction shall benefit the most from the ratification of the ECHR. They will be able to apply to the European Court of Human Rights every time they believe that the State Union has violated one of their rights enshrined in the ECHR and that the local courts have not provided them satisfaction.
The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture is an important instrument for the protection of man’s physical and psychological integrity. It envisages special efficient monitoring of the respect of the prohibition of torture.
The BCHR recalls that Serbia and Montenegro is yet to fulfil a whole set of commitments arising from its membership in the CoE.
The ratification of the two treaties will undoubtedly advance the respect of human rights, political freedoms and rule of law in Serbia and Montenegro and that SaM’s citizens will from now on be able to exercise their rights more substantively and more easily.
Beogradski centar podseća da ostaje još niz koje Srbija i Crnoj Gora treba da ispuni na osnovu svog članstva u Savetu Evrope.
Ratifikacija ova dva ugovora će svakako unaprediti poštovanje ljudskih prava, političke slobode i vladavinu prava u Srbiji i Crnoj Gori; i građani će od sada moći da uživaju svoja prava na sadržajniji i pristupačniji način.
