Summary This report identifies patterns of human rights violations affecting human rights defenders in the OSCE area in the period from April 2007 to April 2008. It also identifies a number of good practices with respect to protecting the rights of human rights defenders. It follows ODIHR’s 2007 report Human Rights Defenders in the OSCE Region: Our Collective Conscience.1 Reporting is an integral part of the work of ODIHR’s focal point for human rights defenders and national human rights institutions. The focal point was created following a number of human dimension meetings where participants expressed concern about the situation of human rights defenders. The focal point’s work2 can be divided into four main tasks: monitoring the situation of human rights defenders; identifying issues of concern; promoting the interests of human rights defenders; and strengthening co-operation with national human rights institutions (NHRIs). On the basis of an overview of a number of specific cases, this report identifies four areas of continued concern with respect to human rights defenders: (1) threats to, and attacks on, their physical integrity; (2) restrictions on their right to liberty and freedom of movement; (3) curtailment of their freedom of association; and (4) failure to respect and protect their freedom of peaceful assembly. During the period under consideration, at least three defenders were killed. Human rights activists were ill-treated in custody, attacked, and injured. They were also threatened – including death threats – harassed, and intimidated. Family members of human rights defenders were also targeted. Defenders were arbitrarily detained, arrested, and fined. There were criminal sanctions for so-called unregistered activities, as well as cases where NGOs were denied registration or were deregistered. The premises of NGOs were subject to raids and attacks. Peaceful assemblies were dispersed violently or not sufficiently protected. The purpose of this report is to highlight these trends and inspire action to counteract them. Such action should be taken, first and foremost, by governments by upholding their OSCE commitments. In order to provide examples of steps that can be taken, ODIHR collected a number of good practices from participating States themselves, as well as from other international organizations, NHRIs, NGOs, and OSCE field offices and institutions. The primary means of collecting this information was a questionnaire that was sent to all participating States.3 The questionnaire focused on actions taken by states with regard to four main areas: respecting the rights of defenders to create an open space for action; protecting the rights of defenders; creating an enabling environment for defenders; and listening to, and addressing the concerns of, defenders. 1 Human Rights Defenders in the OSCE Region: Our Collective Conscience (Warsaw: ODIHR, 2007), <http://www.osce.org/odihr/item_11_28760.html>. 2 The work of the focal point is based on OSCE commitments, including the 1994 Budapest Document, in which participating States “emphasize the need for protection of human rights defenders”. See “Budapest Document 1994: Towards a Genuine Partnership in a New Era”, CSCE, Budapest, 21 December 1994, <http://www.osce.org/item/4050.html>. 3 ODIHR received responses from 21 participating States and the presidency of the European Union. 4