Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Human rights protection one of the most important elements of judicial reform

Belgrade, 9 June 2006

Serbian Minister of Justice Zoran Stojkovic said today that implementation of international standards in the protection of human rights in the judiciary is one of the most important elements of judicial reform in Serbia.

From left: Vida Petrovic-Skero, Lance Clark and Zoran Stojkovic

Author: FoNet

Speaking at the presentation of a campaign by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for judicial reform and the rule of law titled “Be certain of your rights”, Stojkovic said that citizens must be aware of their rights, in order to protect them.

He said that when a citizen is aware of his rights, he also knows the mechanisms for protecting them, and in that manner knows which organs can be approached in case those rights are violated.

According to Stojkovic, the most important promoters of citizens’ rights should be the media.

The Minister said that judges and prosecutors must be trained on the implementation of international conventions concerning human rights, and that it is also Serbia’s obligation to do so because it is a signatory of many international documents regarding the issue.

Serbian Supreme Court President Vida Petrovic-Skero said that protection of human rights is the basis of the judicial system. She stated that it is necessary that legislation and the judiciary protect human rights and that citizens should be aware of those rights and how to use them.

Resident coordinator of the UNDP in Serbia Lance Clark said that the campaign “Be certain of your rights” is part of a wider project of judicial reform which consists of two components.

He explained that one component concerns the promotion of the judiciary in human rights protection and advanced training for judges to implement international norms in the judiciary, while the other part deals with educating citizens about their rights and raising awareness of mechanisms which can be used for protecting these rights.

The implementation of the campaign “Be certain of your rights” will be conducted by the UNDP in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre for professional education and advanced training of judges and prosecutors, with the support of the Serbian Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court.