First training course for human rights lawyers launched

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union and the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group have held the first session of a year-long training course on using national and international mechanisms for defending human rights in strategic litigations. During the course, defence and other lawyers from all regions of Ukraine learned about the procedures in the European Court of Human Rights, as well as standards for admissibility of applications, case law, practical issues regarding preparation of applications, as well as the use of the Court’s urgent procedures. They also reviewed the opportunities for applying various mechanisms within the United National structure. The course was presented by: Volodymyr Yavorsky, UHHRU Executive Director Inna Hrebenyuk, Chief Consultant for the Central Scientific Expert Department of the Verkhovna Rada, Arkady Bushchenko, lawyer and KHPG legal expert Oleksy Hutsup, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Government’s Representative in the European Court of Human Rights The lawyers present also took part in simulated hearings into two cases and were able to gain some idea of what it would be like in the European Court both for applicants and for the government. Within the framework of the seminar, there was also a training session on defending the interests of victims of human trafficking, specifically applying Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This was organized by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, in cooperation with the OSCE. It was aimed at: • Improving lawyers’ ability to represent the rights and interests of human trafficking victims; • Increasing protection of these victims’ rights and interests; • Creating networks of lawyers specializing in countering human trafficking in Ukraine. Participants had the chance to learn the experience in France in combating human trafficking, with this shared by a member of the French Committee on Combating Modern Slavery.