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- Published: October 22, 2018
Training for Moroccan forensic scientists in Casablanca
From 9 to 11 October 2018, the IRZ together with the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Moroccan Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine (SMML) organised a seminar on the “Principles of Criminal Law and the Code of Criminal Procedure” and “Incorporating and developing a professional code for forensic scientists”.
The event was part of a three-year project, which the IRZ is leading together with the Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The project is supported by the German Foreign Office as part of the Transformation partnerships with North Africa/the Middle East during the period from 2017 to 2019.
The aim of this project is to support independent legal and forensic medicine in Morocco by providing continued training and education for forensic scientists and to improve the cooperation between the justice system and legal and forensic medicine by providing continued training for judges and public prosecutors in legal and forensic medicine.
The three-day seminar was the first of its kind, to which only Moroccan forensic scientists were invited. The first part of the seminar gave the forensic scientists an insight into the provisions of the German Code of Criminal Procedure. The cooperation between the justice system and legal and forensic medicine was addressed here. In concrete terms, explanations were provided of the involvement of legal and forensic medicine in criminal proceedings and how potentially inaccurate reports are handled.
The second part of the event provided an introduction to the work of legal and forensic medicine, with a comparison between Morocco and Germany. The current situation and the various tasks involved in legal and forensic medicine were discussed in detail. Other issues concerning training, liability and insurance were also addressed. The topic of the “Production of reports”, which was discussed using the practical example of “sex crimes”, was of great importance.
The following experts were appointed by the IRZ to take part:
- Zakaria Arousi, Head of criminal sanctions and judicial affairs at the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office;
- Andreas Stüve, Senior Public Prosecutor, Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office;
- Prof. Dr. Ahmed Belhouss, Director of the Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Morocco;
- Prof. Dr. Michael Bohnert, Director of the Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg;
- Prof. Dr. Knut Albrecht, Director of the Brandenburg Regional Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine.
It was clear that the topics discussed at this first event of its kind were met with great interest by the participants. They took an active part in discussions and made the most of the opportunity to ask plenty of questions.
A further consolidation event is due to take place at the end of November.