Forensic services: fruitful exchanges of good practices between Libya and Italy

The CT-MENA project is financed by the European Union and has several missions, including to provide technical assistance for the operational capacity building of partner countries for the fight against terrorism. One of the priorities set is to build the capacities of certain counter-terrorism units and judicial staff to carry out investigations (including for forensic medicine), with full respect for individual rights.

Based on contextual elements, experiences and lessons learned since the project launch and its contacts in the field, the CT-MENA project team has identified this need for forensic services in Libya.

Need for forensic services

In Libya, the Ministry of Justice employs a forensic department with authority to bring evidence before the courts to secure convictions against criminals and terrorists. This department needs to work with a laboratory which is under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior. They both require coordinated capacity building. To address the needs of these two Libyan units, activities have been designed by the CT MENA project with support from EUBAM Libya, some with common objectives.

Three activities to combine theory and practice

A first activity was implemented from 7 to 9 September 2019 in Tunis. Twelve Libyan professionals from the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the Interior – alongside two Italian experts from the Scientific Criminal Investigation Department of the Carabiniers (RaCIS) – exchanged good practices, shared information and promoted coordination between units.

As this activity was a real success, and to take things further in terms of impregnation and providing a practical demonstration of good practices and forensic procedures, a study visit to RaCIS laboratories in Italy took place in Rome in October 2019. It was facilitated by one of the project experts from the corps of the Carabinieri and organised practical sessions with the relevant laboratory tools on various subjects: ballistics, fingerprint analysis, DNA… The objective was for Libyan laboratories to further build their technical capacities as well as their ability to cooperate.

The opportunity of carrying out two activities for the theoretical and practical part of forensic laboratories led CT-MENA to propose a third phase in Rome, which will provide a synthesis of the two previous activities. 

Extensions in Libya and in the region

The exchange of information between the CT-MENA project team and the Libyan counterparts, as well as the satisfaction following these activities, have made it possible to consider conducting specific training. It may even involve the acquisition of equipment to further increase the technical and research activities of Libyan laboratories.  

On a larger scale, an exercise mobilising all the partner countries that have followed a forensic training programme is being considered (with the theme of simulating a terrorist attack and post-attack work by forensic services for investigation purposes).

Furthermore, similar study visits in Italy are planned for other partner countries of the CT-MENA project in which forensic needs have been identified as a priority, i.e. Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and Tunisia.
 

To find out more, consult the CT MENA project sheet