HUMAN RIGHTS   25 ACTIVITIES HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING ODIHR maintained an overview of human rights developments across the OSCE region, with a view to identifying trends, challenges and examples of good practices in the implementation of human dimension commitments. On 21 September, ODIHR published its 2016 Background Paper on the Death Penalty in the OSCE area. It provides an update on the status of the death penalty in OSCE participating States and aims at promoting constructive discussion of this issue. The 2016 background paper had a specific focus on the relationship between capital punishment and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In 2016 ODIHR also completed its third cycle of assembly monitoring and published, on 16 December, its third report on Monitoring Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Selected OSCE Participating States. The report covers the observation of 24 assemblies in Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, ­L atvia, Poland and Sweden between April 2015 and July 2016. The main goal of assembly monitoring is to identify gaps and challenges, as well as examples of good practices, in how participating States meet their commitments on freedom of peaceful assembly. The report includes the main findings of the monitoring exercises, as well as recommendations to participating States aimed at promoting full compliance with OSCE human dimension commitments and other international human rights standards. Through questionnaires sent to all participating states, as well as desk research and other sources, in 2016 ODIHR gathered information on the situation of human rights defenders across the OSCE area, using its Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders as the main benchmark. A comprehensive report will be published in 2017. ODIHR also continued to monitor the situation in relation to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and to call for the facility’s closure. HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT ADVICE ODIHR produced publications and developed and provided expert advice on the implementation of human dimension commitments to participating States and other stakeholders, and participated in expert meetings and discussions at the international and ­national levels. ODIHR published, in March, its Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies, a tool providing guidance for the police in facilitating the right to assemble peacefully. The handbook was written primarily for police officers working in the OSCE area who have command responsibilities, at any level. It forms the basis of training sessions offered by ODIHR on this topic. As part of its work on Freedom of Religion or Belief, in October and November ODIHR convened a series of consultation meetings on freedom of religion or belief and security in London, Washington D.C., Warsaw and Kyiv. The events brought together 77 experts on freedom of religion and belief, as well as representatives of civil society and IGOs, religious or Kishan Manocha, ODIHR’s Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief, addressing members of the Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, 4 October 2016 in Warsaw. (OSCE/Maria Kuchma)