Adequate response to bias motivated crimes through education for apprentices

As a part of the project „Fighting Hate Crime in BiH“, financed by Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the OSCE in Vienna and implemented by Sarajevo Open Centre in partnership with OSCE Mission in BiH, education was held for apprentices of prosecutor’s offices and courts on the subject of bias motivated crimes.

Education for improving capacity of apprentices was held on 19th and 20th February in Sarajevo. The goal of education was to present participants with casies of bias motivated crimes that could help them in their future work in prevention and fight against bias motivated crimes, as well as improving capacity for better use of legislation related to aforementioned crimes.

Education consisted of theoretical lectures and examples from legal practice. Apprentices were lectured by domestic experts who are dealing with bias motivated crimes. On the first day of the education, apprentices were listening to the session about international obligations which BiH adopted that were related to bias motivated crimes. The session was held by Marko Janeček from Ministry of Security of BiH. On the same day there was discussion about prejudice as a motive for committing bias motivated crimes. The session was held by Naida Kučukalić from Sarajevo Open Centre.

On the second day of the education, participants were lectured about actions of prosecutor’s offices and courts dealing with bias motivated crimes, examples from legal practice, as well as good and bad treatment in legal practice. Participants were guided by Ljiljana Filipović, judge at Supreme Court of FBiH, through aforementioned topics. On the same day a discussion was held about monitoring cases of bias motivated crimes, presented by Amra Hamidović from OSCE Mission in BiH.

Twenty three apprentices from the following institutions participated in the education: Muncipal Court in Sarajevo, Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office in Sarajevo, District Court in Banja Luka, District Prosecutor’s Office in Banja Luka.

This training is part of a series of trainings and educations which will be continued in the upcoming two years period, in order to strengthen capacity and knowledge of people who work in institutions of law enforcement, in courts and prosecutions, but also of representatives of civil sector.