Introduction This report and ODIHR’s 2007 report on human rights defenders are a response to recommendations made at the March 2006 Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on “Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions: Legislative, State and Non-State Aspects”.4 In follow-up to this meeting, ODIHR established a focal point for human rights defenders and national human rights institutions to monitor and report on the situation of human rights defenders in the OSCE region and to strengthen involvement with NHRIs in this regard (see Annex IV of this report). In addition to its own monitoring and reporting, the focal point carries out a number of other programmatic activities: capacity-building activities for NHRIs; assisting defenders in monitoring the freedom of peaceful assembly on the basis of ODIHR’s Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly;5 and developing a guidebook on freedom of association. The situation of human rights defenders was also discussed at the July 2007 SHDM on the “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights”.6 Some of the key recommendations made at this meeting included calls for a regular review of whether effective remedies were available to human rights defenders and calls that steps be taken to ensure the independence and functioning of NHRIs. The issue of human rights defenders was also addressed during the 2007 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, in particular during the working session on freedom of expression, free media and information, and the working session on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, ombudsmen and independent NHRIs.7 Key recommendations made at the HDIM included that steps be taken to ensure that NGO legislation is in line with international commitments and that harassment of defenders be stopped. The March 2007 SHDM on “Freedom of Assembly, Association and Expression”8 was also relevant to the issue of defenders, as participants discussed some key rights that are vital for their work. Structure of the report Section 1 highlights key issues regarding the situation of human rights defenders across all 56 OSCE participating States during the period from April 2007 to April 2008 based on three main sources of information: information collected in the course of ODIHR’s monitoring work; published information; and information submitted by 4 “Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions: Legislative, State and Non-State Aspects”, OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting, 30-31 March 2006, <http://www.osce.org/item/18830.html>. 5 Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (Warsaw: ODIHR, 2007), <http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2007/03/23837_en.pdf>. 6 “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights”, OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting, 1213 July 2007, <http://www.osce.org/conferences/shdm2_2007.html>. 7 “OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting: Consolidated Summary”, OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, 24 September-5 October 2007, <http://www.osce.org/item/31194.html>. 8 “Freedom of Assembly, Association and Expression: Fostering Full and Equal Participation in Pluralist Societies”, OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting, 29-30 March 2007, <http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2007/04/24208_en.pdf>. 6