Along with public prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General, the exercise featured the participation of Supreme Court judges, criminal investigators from the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), representatives from the Mozambican armed forces (FADM) and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM).
The exercise, conducted with funding from the Federal Republic of Germany, built upon theoretical knowledge acquired in previous UNODC trainings and addressed the urgent need for hands-on training in evidence management.
Participants learned about concrete and practical skills required to handle and preserve evidence in line with international best practices, effective management of the chain of custody of evidence, while ensuring the admissibility standards in legal proceedings in compliance with the principles of the rule of law and international human rights standards.
Moreover, the exercise served as an opportunity to further strengthen inter-agency collaboration and enhance information-sharing among relevant institutions – a key objective of UNODC’s technical assistance initiatives. Considering the complexity of terrorism investigations and the involvement of various institutions and mandates, effective inter-agency cooperation is critical in conducting comprehensive investigations, ensuring successful prosecutions, and ultimately delivering justice.
Delivering justice to those responsible for acts of terrorism through a rule of law-abiding criminal justice approach, in line with human rights standards and humanitarian law, remains imperative in preventing further terrorist activity and allowing displaced persons to safely return to their communities. UNODC remains committed to supporting Mozambique strengthen its counter-terrorism capacity and building on the accomplishments and progress achieved together so far.
Footnote:
UNODC works to build the capacity of national criminal justice systems to prevent and counter terrorism more efficiently through capacity-building workshops at the national, sub-regional and regional levels, sharing legislation expertise on implementing anti-terrorism legislation and other measures in compliance with the rule of law and international norms and standards on human rights, and promoting regional and international cooperation between Member States.
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