Civil Rights Defenders follows the developments in Macedonia and performs advocacy activities to strengthen human rights in the country. Through our previous collaborations, we have monitored the judicial system and trial procedures, detention facilities and police behaviour. Two important laws, which we have promoted together with partners, have been adopted; the Law on free legal aid and the Law against discrimination.
Read about the current human rights situation in our country report Human rights in Macedonia
Ethnic tensions have escalated since 28 February this year, when an ethnic-Macedonian police officer out of service shot two young ethnic Albanians, Imran Mehmet and Besnik Shehapi, in the town of Gostivar. The police has reported more than 30 ethnically motivated attacks since, said Robert Hårdh in an article on Newsmill.
Civil Rights Defenders is deeply concerned over a series of ethnically motivated attacks in Macedonia and urges authorities to take immediate action for a prompt and proper investigation of the violent incidents.
Civil Rights Defenders is organising a two-day regional conference in cooperation with Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) on the theme “The role of civil society, citizens and media in the Western Balkans: Challenges as an opportunity“. The conference will be held in Sarajevo, November 22-23. Journalists, activists and civil society organisations from the [...]
On May 18, 2011, we held a conference in Skopje together with Macedonian Young Lawyers Association and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation. The main purpose of the event was to instigate a discussion among civil society actors about the recently passed Law against discrimination. The law does not meet European or general human rights standards [...]
In 2010 Macedonia passed the long expected law on prevention and protection against discrimination. However, to this date there is not a single decision reached by the domestic courts related to discrimination. Together with our partner Macedonian Young Lawyers Association’s we work to improve anti-discrimination policies, practices and standards in the judicial system in Macedonia. [...]
On April 15th to 17th, we are organising the fifth Moot court competition for law students from the Western Balkans. The students are trained in the procedures of the European Court. Five judges from the European Court will sit on the jury.
On 25th of November the TV station A1 in Skopje was raided by the police. We urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, and the political parties to stop abusing their position for their own political promotion.
The right to liberty and security was violated when 72 persons were unlawfully held in detention, says the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) in a case submitted by our partner, the Macedonian Helsinki Committee in co-operation with Civil Rights Defenders.
(Updated in September 2010) Macedonia has not developed the way many had hoped for, during the last few years. The country has still not met the necessary requirements set up for beginning negotiations for EU membership. The reasons for this are many but the unsolved name issue with Greece and the failure to include the [...]
Through our cooperation with Macedonian Young Lawyers’ Association, we want contribute to the adoption of the best anti-discrimination policies, practices and standards possible within the judicial system in Macedonia. This will be done through strategic litigation.
For the past three years we have assisted the Macedonian Institute for Media, MIM, a training centre for journalists and media professionals, in educating a considerable number of journalists through their One Year Diploma Program in Journalism. In addition to supporting the education of a new generation of journalists in Macedonia, our purpose of cooperating with MIM has been to try to establish a professional self sustainable school of journalism.
Team Prima Iustiniana from the law faculty at the University of Skopje in Macedonia was the winning team of this year’s moot court competition. Team Radomir Lukic from Novi Sad in Serbia was ranked second in the competition.
In April 23-25 Civil Rights Defenders will arrange the fourth moot court competition in Rijeka, Croatia. The involvement of Law schools from five countries, professors, highly experienced judges from the region, makes the Moot Court competition a unique opportunity for education. Ten clubs from Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia will participate. Two judges from [...]
The main objective of our cooperation with the organisation ARKA is to register, and provide identification documents, to around 300 Roma individuals in Skopje, Kumanovo, Kratovo, and Kriva Palanka regions. The registration will give them access to basic human rights; such as the right to education, health care, social allowances, as well as the possibility to get a legal employment and the right to vote in general elections.
In a letter to the Prime Minister of Macedonia Civil Rights Defenders call on the Macedonian government to withdraw the current Anti-discrimination bill, which does not include protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
We have cooperated with the Macedonian Helsinki Committee for more than a decade, with the main focus to enhance awareness and respect for human rights and the rule of law in Macedonia. By providing free legal aid we not only improve people’s access to justice but also monitor the respect of human rights by authorities, and put pressure on authorities to comply with international and national human rights standards.
The overall aim of our cooperation with the Coalition for All Fair Trials is to strengthen the independency, efficiency and impartiality of the judiciary in Macedonia. The Coalition will measure whether there is an improvement in the implementation of the existing laws and how efficient the legal procedure in the judiciary is.
On January 7, 2010, a new law on legal aid came into force in Macedonia. The adopted law represents a major step forward in improving access to justice for vulnerable social groups.
In Macedonia, Roma children are placed in special classes and the segregation is widespread in many areas, Macedonian Helsinki Committee says in its latest monthly report on the human rights situation in the country.
A new law on free legal aid is in process in the Macedonian parliament. But the law lacks crucial components that would guarantee access to justice for all groups in the society. Together with our partner we are now working on having some amendments adopted to the law.
Zarko Hadzi-Zafirov, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, talks about the road towards EU for Macedonia. The presidential and local elections in March 2009 will affect the start of the negotiation talks about EU membership to a large extent. Last year the Macedonian government was heavily criticized for the riots and violence that followed the parliamentary elections, [...]
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