DEMOCRATIZATION Tina Gewis (r), Chief of ODIHR Rule of Law Unit, together with Nataliya Nikitenko (l), Head of Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Constitutional Legislation and State Structure of the Kyrgyz Jogorku Kenesh, and John McGregor (c), the Deputy Head of OSCE Centre in Bishkek at Fifth Expert Forum on Criminal Justice for Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 24 November. Andrei Borisovich Novoselov In 2014, ODIHR prepared two joint legal opinions, with the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission), on draft legislation pertaining to the independence of the judiciary, focusing on the selection, performance evaluation, discipline and career tracks of judges in Moldova and the disciplinary responsibility of judges in the Kyrgyz Republic. This continued the Office’s legislative support to these countries’ judicial reform efforts. Trial Monitoring OSCE participating States have acknowledged the importance of trial monitoring as a tool to ensure greater transparency in the implementation of OSCE commitments and have agreed to allow monitors to be present in courts as a measure to promote confidence building. In line with this engagement, ODIHR has developed its trial-monitoring programme to assist OSCE participating States in their legal and judicial reform processes, in line with OSCE commitments. ODIHR completed the monitoring of 14 criminal cases against high-ranking individuals from the former Georgian government and published the OSCE/ODIHR Georgia Trial Monitoring Report on 9 December 2014. ODIHR’s monitoring of these trials, at request of the Georgian authorities, began in February 2013 and covered 327 court hearings, and followed the methodology laid down in its t­ rial-monitoring tools, including Trial Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners. The report provides concrete recommendations to the Georgian authorities and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice sector on how to improve the respect for fair trial rights in criminal proceedings in Georgia. In fulfilling its role as a depository for OSCE’s trial­ monitoring work and methodology, ODIHR also supports OSCE field operations in their trial­ monitoring activities. On 5 and 6 March, ODIHR trained 25 NGO monitors in the Osh region of ­Kyrgyzstan on fair-trial rights and trial-monitoring methodologies, upon request of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. On 6 and 7 May in Belgrade, ODIHR supported an OSCE Mission to Serbia trial-monitoring project and selected NGOs to participate in a training course on trial-monitoring methodologies. To support civil society actors in South Eastern Europe engaged in trial-monitoring activities, ODIHR conducted country assessments from 7 to 13 September in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in partnership with Court Watch Foundation Poland. These assessments aimed to develop trial-monitoring activities that are based on the engagement of citizens and provide for improved sustainability of trial-monitoring efforts as a means to support judicial reforms. ODIHR Annual Report 2014 27