Representatives of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Judge Dragomir Vukoje and Registrar Emira Hodžić, took part in the Fifth Regional Rule of Law Forum for South-East Europe, which was held in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, on 16 and 17 March 2018.

The topic of the 2018 Forum was the prohibition of torture, inhuman and/or degrading treatment and punishment, in conjunction with Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Participants in the Forum presented their works and papers pertaining to state’s positive obligations and the applicability of Article 3 to the deprivation of liberty and mistreatment, especially of vulnerable persons, including children and those with mental health problems, immigration-related mistreatment, as well as the use of evidence obtained by torture in the framework of criminal proceedings.

This was the fifth such regional rule of law forum with the participation of representatives of the highest judicial authorities from the entire region, representatives of supreme and constitutional courts, heads of judicial councils, directors of judicial academies and institutions, agents before the Strasbourg Court, as well as NGO representatives and distinguished jurists, experts in their fields.

The objective of the Forum, organized by the AIRE Centre and the Civil Rights Defenders, with the support of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish Government, Regional Cooperation Council and GIZ, is to promote the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in the region, support regional cooperation in further development of the rule of law and human rights, and provide assistance in the process of region’s EU integration.