This project started as a regional project in 2002 and until 2004 was implemented by Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Human Rights Centre of the University in Sarajevo, Croatian Helsinki Committee in Zagreb and Human Rights Action in Podgorica.In 2004, eight seminars with up to 30 participants each were held in Sarajevo (2 courses), Belgrade, Pula, Novi Sad, Opatija, Igalo and Budva. Issue addressed on this seminars were: right to fair trial, right to peaceful enjoyment of property, prohibition of discrimination/rights of minorities and vulnerable social groups, prohibition of slavery and forced labour/trafficking in human beings, prohibition of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of punishment/right to liberty and security of person, right to privacy/freedom of expression/freedom of media, economic, social and cultural rights, ICTY/ICC/trials for the war crimes in the former Yugoslav countries/organised crime.
Participants were 214 legal professionals from the region. Majority of them were judges, but also prosecutors and deputy prosecutors, court advisors and judicial associates, attorneys, NGO representatives. All participants were granted with a certificate of attendance following the completion of the course. Seminars had very interactive approach that implied combination of lectures, workshops, panel discussions and moot court sessions. This method has proved to be particularly approachable to potential trainees and has accordingly shown significant results.
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 web pages dealing with human rights issues and links to the partner organizations.
