Somalilandsun- From November 21st to 23rd EUCAP Nestor, in cooperation with EU NAVFOR (Somalia) Operation Atalanta, organised a Legal Maritime Workshop for prosecutors and police officers in Mogadishu.
The eleven participants, including a female prosecutor, learnt about and exchanged views on several legal and maritime security related topics including: The Somali legal system for the Maritime Police Unit, the activities and achievements of EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta in fighting piracy, and examples of prosecution of maritime crimes due to the cooperation between the police and the prosecutors.
The Workshop’s purpose was to enhance the participants’ knowledge of maritime crimes prosecution and highlight the importance of cooperation between the police and the prosecutors.
EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta’s Legal Advisor Verity Fane-Bailey explained her mission’s mandate and interacted with the students on piracy and related criminal activities.
EUCAP Nestor’s Legal Advisor George Stefanescu, captured the audience’s attention by presenting different scenarios in his case studies. The result was a 360 degree of engagement by the participants, working together as if they had real cases to solve.
The Workshop is part of an ongoing effort to help strengthen the cooperation between Somali police and prosecutors. A previous seminar for police and prosecution was organised by EUCAP Nestor in Mogadishu last September.
“Only by continuous professional cooperation between the police and the prosecution is it possible to serve the public, implementing the rule of law. The police and prosecution should have a common aim: that of an effective, fair and unbiased criminal justice system chain, adherent to international human rights standards” said EUCAP Nestor’s police advisor Jasper Ritzema, one of the lecturers at the Workshop.
EUCAP Nestor is a civilian EU mission, under the auspices of the Common Security and Defence Policy, which assists Somalia in strengthening its capacity to ensure maritime security and in particular to fight piracy. www.eucap-Nestor.eu
