Lesson #3: Arrest and Detention

Mistreatment of arrested and detained persons in Macedonia is an issue for concern. The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visited Macedonia in 1998, and heard a significant number of allegations of physical 
ill treatment by police of detained persons both during arrest and detention. During the previous lesson: "Addressing Common Questions about Human Rights and Policing" discussions explored some common police attitudes towards arrested persons which could result in human rights abuses occurring. This lesson will explore in greater detail why arrested and detained people are vulnerable to abuses and will outline the basic rights of the accused. At the end of the lesson, the participants will be asked to form working groups to develop 
their own set of working regulations based upon knowledge acquired from the points covered.

The goal of this lesson is to examine why arrest and detention is an area that is vulnerable to human rights violations and to identify types of police behaviour which constitute mistreatment during arrest and detention procedures.

At the conclusion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

1. Outline the reasons why arrest is a vulnerable area for human rights violations
2. Describe the powers of arrest for police officers in Macedonia
3. State the considerations and responsibilities of the police officer when detaining a person
4. Define the term "torture" and recognise those acts which constitute torture
5. Demonstrate understanding of the definitions of torture and degrading treatment via the examination of a case study
6. Develop a set of regulations concerning human rights during arrest and detention