Democratization: Rule of Law ents a direct protection for detainees and can point to and address human rights violations. As a result of monitoring, which is carried out as a democratization assistance tool in direct dialogue and co-operation with the authorities, recommendations are made for addressing identified shortcomings. The enhancement of professional standards of official staff through training, workshops, and seminars contributes to the overall improvement of the functioning of the criminal-justice system. The ODIHR has supported the prison administrations in Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan in establishing institutionalized monitoring of places of detention by civil society. In Armenia, for example, two distinctive monitoring bodies have been operational for several years already: one for places of detention under the authority of the police (police arrest); the other for monitoring places of detention under the authority of the Central Prison Administration of the Ministry of Justice (for pre-trial detention and post-trial prison sentences). The ODIHR’s assistance to the Armenian prison monitoring board in 2006 focused on capacity-building initiatives to enhance understanding and implementation of relevant international standards. The ODIHR also supported the start-up of the monitoring board for detention facilities under the authority of the police and provided assistance through the organization of training seminars and workshops. In Kazakhstan, a system for public monitoring of the penitentiary system has been gradually established in the regions of the country since 2005. The ODIHR continued its previous engagement by providing training for monitors and mid- and senior-level staff of detention facilities. In addition, the ODIHR facilitated discussions between the authorities and civil society organizations on the establishment of public monitoring in police detention facilities. In Kyrgyzstan, the ODIHR held a series of consultations with the Presidential Administration and the Interior Ministry on public monitoring of places of detention and also provided expert advice to an informal working 30 Annual Report  group established by the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General’s Office, in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Bishkek and the Penal Reform International Office in Central Asia, to discuss legislative changes to expand public monitoring to police stations. As in previous years, the ODIHR continued to work closely with governmental partners and NGOs to promote ratification and implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which entered into force in June after ratification by 20 countries, including many OSCE participating States. The national monitoring mechanisms in the OPCAT framework could serve in the future as an effective preventative instrument against torture. In 2006, the ODIHR advocated for the establishment of national monitoring mechanisms for places of detention in the participating States that lack them. In co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Moldova, a conference on torture prevention was held in Chisinau in May. The event brought together representatives of civil society and the government, including officials from the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor-General’s Office, and the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. Participants discussed procedural safeguards for the prevention of torture, as well as investigation and redress for torture victims. Implementation of OPCAT was prominent on the conference agenda. Prosecutorial reform The ODIHR promotes the reform of the prosecution and the judiciary to ensure that the legal systems of participating States comply with international standards and OSCE commitments. The reform of prosecutors’ offices and the strengthening of the powers of the courts especially in post-communist countries is a long process. The ODIHR lobbies for various aspects of reform and works with prosecutors’ offices in the region. A particular concern is that prosecutors’ offices do not enjoy sufficient autonomy from the government and, in some participating States, are frequently used to settle politi-