From 22-24 July 2015, the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) and the Regional Office for South Asia, in collaboration with the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (NPA), held a national workshop in Hyderabad, India entitled "Effective Investigation of Terrorism Cases while Respecting Human Rights".
The workshop is the third activity under the train-the-trainer (ToT) initiative in India, which explores different international law aspects of counter-terrorism. The workshop aimed to improve investigation techniques for the effective prosecution of accused individuals, by addressing issues related to the preservation and admissibility of evidence. About 30 participants, including judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials, were in attendance.
The workshop provided participants with a forum to discuss a range of topics, including interviewing techniques while respecting human rights and the rule of law in counter-terrorism cases, as well as special challenges posed by the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes.
UNODC/TPB experts gave presentations on the international legal framework against terrorism, as well as the usefulness of special investigative techniques (SITs) and the importance of their implementation while respecting human rights. National and international experts from the Philippines and the United Kingdom shared their experiences regarding SITs, and participants engaged in a panel discussion on surveillance of the Internet and contemporary social media in accordance with international human rights standards and the prohibition of discrimination and "profiling" of suspects. Participants also received training on knowledge-transfer skills, which selected participants would utilize in acting as trainers for other trainees, at the follow-up ToT workshops.
The national ToT workshop was followed by a regional workshop on SITs within a rule of law framework, which was also held at the NPA in Hyderabad from 27-29 July 2015. About 28 criminal justice officers, including judges, police officers and prosecutors from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka were in attendance.
Representatives from each country provided an overview of their respective legal frameworks governing the use of SITs. The workshop participants observed the importance of incorporating international human rights standards into domestic legislation, and while conducting effective criminal investigations and prosecutions of crimes related to terrorism. Participants requested UNODC's ongoing assistance in the development of guidelines on best practices related to interrogation techniques in terrorism cases to assist them in carrying out investigations while respecting human rights.
The workshops were conducted under the UNODC Global Project on Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism, with the financial support from the United States of America.