The Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s Regional Office in Amman and the Regional Office of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner in Lebanon (OHCHR) recently signed a letter of cooperation to produce a joint training manual to be used by judicial institutes in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Based on a training methodology newly developed by the Institute and its judicial partner institutions, the manual will elaborate on the application of the Rabat Plan of Action related to freedom of expression and the prohibition of incitement to hatred, hostility and violence.
Specifically, the manual will equip judges with the knowledge and the tools to distinguish between an act of hatred and discrimination that constitutes a criminal offence and a manifestation of freedom of expression.
“The cooperation between RWI and the OHCHR on the development of this training manual is very timely as it tackles a contemporary and controversial issue not only in the Arab world but also at the international level,” says Carla Boukheir, head of RWI’s Regional Office in Amman.
The Institute is keen on joining efforts with other entities active on similar initiatives particularly those centered on enabling the judiciary to think unconventionally and to interpret and analyze the national laws from a human rights perspective with the ultimate goal of engendering innovative means of applying international human rights principles in national courts.