The Coalition “All for Fair Trials” in partnership with the Foundation Open Society-Macedonia started with the implementation of the project “Strengthening the capacities of investigative journalists in the areas of Chapter 23, with a focus on the judiciary” from 1 September 2020 to 30 June 2021.
The purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of journalists in the areas of Chapter 23, with a focus on the judiciary, which will contribute to objective and impartial information of the public as a prerequisite for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU. At the same time, the implementation of this project will improve the cooperation between civil society organizations and journalists, and will also increase the general public awareness on topics in the field of justice and their importance.
So far, in the period from November 2020 to February 2021, 3 thematic trainings for journalists on topics related to the field of justice have been held by domestic and international experts.
The trainings on the course of the criminal procedure, the competencies of the institutions and the courts as well as the rights of the participants in the procedure were held by Prof. Gordana Lazhetic, PhD, professor at the Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus” in Skopje and legal expert Natali Petrovska, executive director of the Coalition All for Fair Trials.
The training on the topic: “The ECtHR’s practice in relation to the public in court proceedings, media freedom, public interest and the right to a fair and just trial” was held by Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, PhD Judge of the Supreme Court and former judge of the European Court of Human Rights and Velimir Delovski, MA, consultant and former lawyer in the Register of the European Court of Human Rights.
In the following period, within this project, 10 investigative stories will be published by journalists on topics in the field of justice: “Obstacles on the way to a functioning judiciary” with a special focus on criminal justice.
At the same time, in order to contribute to sensitizing the public about the importance of standards for fair and equitable trial, and in the direction of Chapter 23 and promotion of EU values within the project, an online campaign is being conducted to acquaint citizens with the manner of functioning of the European Union. The following link contains the quiz with questions related to the European Union.
More information about the project can be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/38uV9RA
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11 March 2021