Iraqi prison staff attend course in Barcelona on human rights in the penitentiary system

Barcelona (ACN).- The Centre d'Estudis Jurídics i Formació Especialitzada (Specialised Training and Legal Studies Centre) of the Catalan Ministry of Justice wrapped up a special course this Friday designed for penitentiary centre staff. Some 20 pupils attended the course, among which included directors and prison workers from all regions of Iraq. The course was developed under the European-Iraqi cooperation programme of the EU. Under the title ‘Developing penitentiary management standards within the framework of human rights’, the 3-week course is directed towards strengthening the modern penitentiary system of Iraq. It aims to promote the improvement of the penal justice system so that it is more in line with the principles of democracy.

Subjects covered in the course included international penitentiary regulations, the purpose of the penitentiary system, inner classifications, community life, sanctionative procedures, surveillance, the training of penitentiary professionals, ethics and values of prison staff, etc. The course also included visits to Barcelona penitentiary centres and workshops about themes such as social services and psychiatric health in prisons.

Mission EUJUST LEX

The course was organized by the Centre d'Estudis Jurídics i Formació Especialitzada and Department of Prisons of the Catalan Government together with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID).  The programme was funded under the civil project ‘EUJUST LEX’.

EUJUST LEX, the European Union Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq, began in March of 2005 when the European Union Council established a communal project between the European Union and Iraq to strengthen its penal system. The AECID works to develop diverse integral cooperation programmes that contribute to the development of human rights in Iraq.