Overview OSCE/Jens Eschenbaecher Ambassador Janez Lenarčič (Right), meeting with his predecessor, Ambassador Christian Strohal, 9 June 2008. Lenarčič took over as ODIHR director on 1 July. affairs, with a special emphasis on women’s participation. In the area of human rights, the Georgia assessment mentioned above came in addition to a multitude of other activities carried out during the year. For example, ODIHR extended its presence in Armenia following the observation of the February election to be able to keep the Chairmanship informed of developments in the aftermath of the violent post-election clashes in March. A report with recommendations was submitted to the Armenian authorities. ODIHR has also observed the trials of those indicted following the March violence, and engaged with Armenian authorities and civil society to improve the implementation of freedom of peaceful assembly commitments. The second report on the situation of human rights defenders in the OSCE region, published in December, identified a number of alarming 6 Annual Report 2008 trends, but also highlighted positive measures taken by States to support the work of defenders. ODIHR is conducting programmatic activities to assist in addressing these trends. ODIHR published a number of new practical resources in 2008 that have already been used actively to promote human rights standards in the fight against terrorism, respect for the human rights of armed forces personnel, and the consideration of gender aspects in security sector reform. The Office also produced a study on compensation for victims of human trafficking; the OSCE Ministerial Council adopted a decision that included reference to this issue in Helsinki in late 2008. ODIHR’s work to assist participating States in strengthening tolerance and non-discrimination and combating hate crimes has progressed considerably during the year. The annual report on hate crimes in the OSCE region, published in October, identified a continued pattern of