Regional: Harmonization of judicial practices in adjudicating firearms cases

27 - 29 February 2024, Tirana and Podgorica, As part of the Project Justitia, UNODC organized meetings with the judiciary from all Western Balkans jurisdictions. The aim was to facilitate harmonization of judicial practices in firearms cases through the development of the 2nd edition of firearms case law collections and training for judges. Representatives from Prosecutor’s Offices, Judicial Academies, and SALW Commissions contributed to the events.

The events provided an overview of the methodology, development process, and goals of the UNODC’s firearms case law collections. This set the stage for discussions on contentious legal questions. The judges, prosecutors, and legal experts engaged in an exchange on defining larger quantities of firearms and convertible firearms, as well as complexities with establishing specific manners of commission of firearms-related offences.

The first result from the events included the identification of judicial practices to be covered under  the 2nd edition of the firearms case law collections. The participants explored the scope of the upcoming edition, emphasizing relevant material and procedural issues in criminal proceedings, main topics of their interest and case law systematization strategies.                        

Recognizing the importance of judicial training, the UNODC’s events further contributed to the development of a training course for judges. This course aims to provide judges with thorough understanding of firearms, their parts and ammunition, with knowledge to better interpret forensic evidence, and to offer insights into emerging threats and legal challenges. The Judicial Academies reiterated their commitment to collaborate in the project activities. They contributed towards the sustainability of the project results by changing their curricula and including the UNODC’s training.

This activity is implemented with financial support provided by Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Norway through the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Trust Fund and supported by the European Union