Report on presentation of Third periodic report of Serbia on implementation of International Covenant on civil and political rights

Representatives of the Ministry of Justice, as members of delegation of Republic of Serbia to the UN committee for human rights, have taken part in presenting Third periodic report of Serbia on implementation of International Covenant on civil and political rights. Delegation of the Ministry of Justice was composed of Čedomir Backović, Deputy Minister for European Integration and International Projects and Head of the Negotiating Group for Chapter 23, Vladimir Vukićević, consultant for human rights, Aleksandra Stepanovic, independent adviser in Administration for enforcement penal sanction within Ministry of Justice. Further on Serbian delegation was comprised of representatives from Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Issues, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Science and Development Technology, Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-government, Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office, War Crimes Prosecutors’ Office, Supreme Court of Cassation, Office for Relations with Churches and Religious Communities, Ministry of Culture and Information, Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office for Human and Minority Rights.

Serbian delegation presented the Third periodic report of Serbia to the Committee on human rights of UN which is comprised of following experts Ms. Tania María ABDO ROCHOLL, Paraguay, Mr. Koita BAMARIAM, Mauritania, Mr. Yadh BEN ACHOUR, Tunisia, Ms. Sarah CLEVELAND, United States of America, Mr. Ahmad Amin FATHALLA, Egypt, Mr. Olivier de FROUVILLE, France, Mr. Christof HEYNS, South Africa, Mr. Yuji IWASAWA, Japan, Ms. Ivana JELIC, Montenegro, Ms. Ilze Brands KEHRIS, Latvia, Ms. Marcia KRAN, Canada, Mr. Duncan Laki MUHUMUZA, Uganda, Ms. Photini PAZARTZIS, Greece, Mr. Mauro POLITI, Italy, Mr. José Manuel SANTOS PAIS, Portugal, Ms. Anja SEIBERT-FOHR, Germany, Mr. Yuval SHANY, Israel, Ms. Margo WATERVAL, Suriname.

Procedure before the Committee was the following in the introductory speech the head of Serbian delegation Ms. Suzana Paunovic, presented the key point of the third periodic report, which was then followed by series of questions and follow up question by the UN committees members.

The presentation was split in two sessions first taking place on Tuesday, 7 March, afternoon, covering following topics: self-determination, equal rights protection recognized in the covenant, equal rights of men and women, emergency situations, application of the provisions of the covenant, right to life, prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, prohibition of slavery, the right to liberty and security of person, psychosocial counseling against persons deprived of their liberty, prohibit the detention in case of non-contractual obligations, freedom of movement, expulsion of aliens, the right to a fair trial - equality before courts.

Second session took part on Wednesday, 8 March, morning covering following topics: nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege - no crime is no punishment without law (not permitted by law), right to legal personality, right to private life, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, promotion and termination propaganda for war or racial, national or religious hatred, right of free assembly, right to free association, protection of the family, protection of children, right to selection - electoral system, equality before the law, minority rights of their culture, faith and language.

During the course of discussion with committee members representatives of Ministry of Justice provided input regarding several topics of interest to the experts such as violence against woman and children, alternative sanctions, procedures in case of death of inmates, penal sanctions against incest and Common-law marriage, realization of Action Plan for national strategy for judicial reform, automatic case allocation, progress made regarding capacity building of Judicial academy and etc.