Summary In this report, the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) identifies patterns of human rights violations affecting human rights defenders in the OSCE area in the period from April 2006 to April 2007. The first ODIHR report of this kind, it is a result of a number of OSCE human dimension meetings that highlighted the situation of human rights defenders and is part of the work of the ODIHR’s Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions. The Focal Point was created in response to these meetings in order to monitor the situation of human rights defenders, to identify issues of concern, and to promote their interests, together with strengthening co-operation with national human rights institutions. On the basis of an overview of cases, the report identifies four areas of particular concern: continuing physical attacks on defenders, whether actual or threatened; the curtailment of the freedom of association of defenders; the failure to respect and protect defenders’ freedom of assembly; and the often severe restrictions placed on the freedom of movement and right to liberty of defenders. The report is intended to generate action in support of effective implementation of relevant international commitments by the OSCE participating States. It concludes by putting forth a number of recommendations on how OSCE participating States could strengthen their commitments and practical measures to protect human rights defenders and facilitate their work. v