APPENDIX 1 ODIHR Annual Report on Police-Related Activities for 2015 Submitted as appendix to the Secretary General Annual Report on Police-Related Activities in accordance with Decision 9, Paragraph 6, of the Bucharest Ministerial Council Meeting, 4 December 2001 Introduction The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) provides police-related assistance to governments and civil society in OSCE participating States, in close co-operation with other OSCE executive structures and international organizations. General Police Development and Reform Police Development and Reform within Security Sector Reform In 2015, ODIHR prepared legal opinions upon request. These legal opinions provided concrete recommendations for amendments to respective drafts or existing legislation concerning security and criminal justice sector reform in order to ensure their compliance with relevant international human rights standards and OSCE commitments. In particular, ODIHR collaborated closely with TNTD/SPMU to prepare the legal opinion on the Draft Law on Police of Serbia1, which was published on 7 October 2015. In 2015, ODIHR initiated a research on criminal procedure reforms and fair trial rights in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) jurisdictions, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo2, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia, have engaged in reforms of their criminal justice systems in the past decade to increase procedural efficiency and respect for human rights. During 2015, ODIHR conducted field assessment visits in Sarajevo, Zagreb and Podgorica to collect statistics and the views of legal practitioners, including the police, on the potential impact of such legal reforms and their implication on fair trial rights and rights of victims. The research 130 1 OSCE/ODIHR Opinion on the Draft Law on Police of Serbia (7 October 2015), available at http://www.legislationline.org/documents/id/19874. 2 All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. specifically addresses areas where the role and responsibilities of the police are crucial. ODIHR will prepare an assessment report highlighting the main features of the reforms and recommendations on possible areas for improvement in upholding fair trial rights. During 2015, ODIHR participated in a follow-up event to present the key recommendations of the “Joint OSCE/ ODIHR and Council of Europe Opinion on the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia3”, following its publication in the August 2014 Findings from the Georgia Trial Monitoring Report published on 9 December 2014. ODIHR also discussed current criminal justice and judicial reform issues with key criminal justice actors in order to identify possible follow-up assistance activities in Georgia. ODIHR also provided legislative assistance to Kyrgyzstan by reviewing and commenting on its new draft Criminal Procedure Code4. Throughout 2015, ODIHR also supported criminal justice sector reform efforts in Moldova and Georgia, by reviewing and commenting on draft legislation pertaining to the prosecution service in these countries, in co-operation with the Council of Europe, more specifically the Venice Commission, the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law and the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors5. 3 Available at http://www.legislationline.org/documents/id/19351. 4 OSCE/ODIHR Opinion on the Draft Criminal Procedure Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, 19 June 2015, available at http://www.legislationline.org/documents/id/19834. 5 OSCE/ODIHR-Venice Commission Joint Opinion on the Draft Amendments to the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, 4 November 2015, available at http://www. legislationline.org/documents/id/19883; and OSCE/ODIHR-Venice CommissionConsultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) Joint Opinion on the Draft Law on the Prosecution Service of the Republic of Moldova, 23 March 2015, available at http://www.legislationline.org/documents/id/19747.