Aug292017

Boštjan Škrlec: New National Member for Slovenia at Eurojust

EU

The Hague, 29 August 2017

Boštjan Škrlec began his career as a State Prosecutor in 1999. He has more than 20 years of experience in the judiciary. Being recognised as a prosecutor with considerable professional expertise by the Prosecutorial Council, he was seconded to the Office of the Prosecutor General in 2005 and to the Ministry of Justice in 2007.

Throughout his professional career, Mr Škrlec has been involved in international relations and cooperation. He has participated in numerous international projects and has worked with international institutions in the field of criminal justice. He has been a member of the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures (MONEYVAL) at the Council of Europe since 2005, and is currently participating in the work of its European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Since 2011, he is a contact point for Slovenia in the Genocide Network.

Mr Škrlec is a regular speaker at the Centre for Judicial Training at the Ministry of Justice and has participated as a speaker in several meetings and seminars organised by Eurojust. Currently, he is actively participating in the Twinning project between the Republic of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on strengthening the law enforcement agencies in that country.

In 2007, during the Slovenian EU Presidency, he chaired the working group negotiating the Council Decision on the strengthening of Eurojust and obtained in-depth knowledge about Eurojust as an EU body. From 2008 to 2012, Mr Škrlec served as the State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia. He actively participated in preparation and adoption of legislation introducing important reforms, such as plea bargaining in criminal procedure and the establishment of the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

Before joining Eurojust, Mr Škrlec was the Director General at the Office of the State Prosecutor General of the Republic of Slovenia.

Upon his appointment, Mr Škrlec said, ‘It is with a strong sense of responsibility that I am taking over the tasks of the National Member of Slovenia. Increasing terrorist threats, growing cybercrime and human trafficking are presenting major challenges to investigation and prosecution of criminal offences. My intention is therefore to invest my knowledge, experience and energy into improvement of cooperation between Slovenian prosecution authorities and authorities of other Member States to enhance their efficiency when prosecuting the most dangerous types of cross-border crime. With energy, dedication and commitment, I will, together with my colleagues at the Slovenian Desk at Eurojust, aim to sustain and improve the existing high-quality standards, which are enabling Eurojust to achieve its success at establishing the European Union as an area of freedom, security and justice.’

Photo: © Eurojust

Aug292017

Myanmar: UN rights chief says violence in Rakhine state ‘predictable and preventable’

United Nations

29 August 2017 – Alarmed at renewed fighting and incitement in the wake of the attacks on Myanmar security forces in northern areas of Rakhine state, the top United Nations human rights official today urged all sides to renounce the use of violence and called on State authorities to ensure they abide by their obligations under international human rights law.

&#8220This turn of events is deplorable. It was predicted and could have been prevented,&#8221 said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noting that &#8220decades of persistent and systematic human rights violations, including the very violent security responses to the attacks since October 2016, have almost certainly contributed to the nurturing of violent extremism, with everyone ultimately losing.&#8221

The High Commissioner called on the political leadership to condemn the inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to hatred that is proliferating, including on social media.

Mr. Zeid also expressed concern about claims by the State Counsellor’s Office that international aid workers were complicit in or supporting the attacks.

&#8220Such statements are irresponsible and only serve to increase fears and the potential for further violence,&#8221 he said. &#8220I am extremely concerned that the unsupported allegations against international aid organizations place their staff in danger and may make it impossible for them to deliver essential aid.&#8221

Mr. Zeid said the perpetrators of the attacks on security personnel must be brought to justice, as must those who have been attacking the civilian population.

State authorities should issue clear instructions to security forces to refrain from using disproportionate force, minimize damage and injuries and respect the right to life, he said.

&#8220The State has a duty to protect those within its territory &#8211 without discrimination,&#8221 stated Mr. Zeid.

&#8220I call on the Government of Myanmar to follow the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, headed by Kofi Annan, for an integrated and calibrated response to the situation in Rakhine state, to address rather than sacrifice human rights concerns in the interests of maintaining peace and order,&#8221 he said.

The High Commissioner also expressed concern about thousands of Rohingya having fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since the attacks, adding to the tens of thousands who have been arriving in Bangladesh since October 2016.

UN refugee agency urges open borders for people fleeing violence in Rakhine

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today communicated to the Government of Bangladesh its readiness to support the country in assisting refugees crossing the border.

As of Sunday, it was estimated that some 5,200 people had entered Bangladesh from Myanmar since Thursday. Several thousand were reported to be in locations along the Myanmar side of the border.

The agency is aware of several reported instances of people being prevented from entering Bangladesh. UNHCR believes it is of the utmost importance that Bangladesh, which has hosted refugees from Myanmar for decades, continues to allow Rohingya fleeing violence to seek safety there.

UNHCR also called on the international community to support Bangladesh in doing so, with all necessary aid and other help.

Aug292017

News story: Green light for lorry ‘platooning’

HM Government

The UK’s first HGV ‘platooning’ trial, jointly funded by Highways England and the Department for Transport, has been given the green light.

Overseen by Highways England, TRL (the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory) will carry out the trials, which will see how lorries can accelerate, brake and steer in sync through wireless technology.

Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England’s Chief Executive, welcomed the announcement, and stressed that safety will be an integral part of the trials:

We are pleased to be supporting the government’s ambition for the UK to be a global leader for innovation.

The trial has the potential to demonstrate how greater automation of vehicles – in this instance, HGVs – can deliver improvements in safety, better journeys for road users and reduction in vehicle emissions.

Investing in this research shows we care about those using our roads, the economy and the environment, and safety will be integral as we take forward this work with TRL.

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.