Judges, prosecutors, lawyers providing state-guaranteed legal aid and judicial assistants will participate in a new online course on „Asylum and Human Rights” developed by the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) and tutored by the National Institute of Justice. The launch of the e-course took place on Monday, February 12, 2024, within the framework of the Council of Europe Project "Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova.".
„Today, taking into consideration the sensitive regional context that prompted massive population movements, it is more crucial than ever to support firmly our commitment to the rights of refugees and promote an asylum policy that is based on the principles of justice, humanity and solidarity. The new course will be an important contribution of the HELP Programme and the Council of Europe in developing the professional capacities of the beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice”, said Ecaterina Popa, in her welcoming message, ad interim Director of NIJ, HELP focal point.
Marius Ciprian Toth, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, said: „Managing migration and asylum requires collective efforts, but legal professionals – judges, lawyers, prosecutors and judicial assistants – play a significant role in assisting refugees, including displaced persons in Ukraine. This HELP course is an opportunity to familiarize them with international and European standards in asylum matters, as well as the relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union, explaining both the applicable measures of the Council of Europe and those of the European Union”.
On the launch of the event moderated by Tatiana Bedros, senior project coordinator, Oana-Georgiana Girlescu, project manager, Training Division in the field of justice and human rights, CoE directorate-general for human rights and the rule of law, and Oleg Palii, CoE consultant were presented the recent evolutions of the Council of Europe HELP Programme and aspects of the national asylum legislation, including the challenges of ensuring human rights in the current geopolitical context. About the process of adaptation to the national legal order of the course, the mode and stages of its completion spoke HELP national tutors, CoE consultants Cezara-Elena Polisca and Ion Bocan.
The HELP „Asylum and human rights” course is focused on presenting the international and European asylum framework, as well as the relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The five modules address priority issues related to asylum: non-refoulement, right to life and prohibition of ill-treatment, detention and reception, family life and the right to an effective remedy.
