Women’s colony staff are already provided with the necessary documents

A seminar ‘European System of Human Rights Protection’ was held in Chernihiv as part of the project ‘Improving criminal-executive legislation—public expertise and support’ with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

On 21 February 2008, at the request of the administration of Chernihiv Penal Colony No. 44, members of the charitable organisation ‘Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Centre’ prepared and conducted a seminar-training ‘European System of Human Rights Protection’ for the staff of this institution.

In the course of the seminar, the following issues were highlighted: the significance of the Convention, which lies not only in the scope of rights it ensures but also in the mechanism of protection established in Strasbourg to consider possible cases of violation of the Convention and to supervise the observance by states of their obligations under the Convention and what the Convention guarantees.

Ukraine is obliged to ensure to every one of its citizens the opportunity to enjoy the rights and freedoms protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. The system must function, first and foremost, at the national level. If this does not happen, then every person can—subject to appropriate conditions—file an application to the European Court of Human Rights. The structure of the court, the procedure, and the conditions for filing applications to the European Court of Human Rights were discussed at the seminar.

The case of ‘Poltoratsky v. Ukraine’ was analysed at the seminar.

Members of the charitable organisation prepared a package of documents for the women’s colony staff for use in their work, among which were: the European Convention on Human Rights, a sample application to the European Court of Human Rights, the procedure and conditions for filing applications, and other materials.