OSCE/Piotr Markowski Democratization Dominika Bychawska, a Polish lawyer (left), and Ekaterina Kouznetsova, Associate Professor, Belarusian State University, at a workshop on reform of the legal profession and access to justice, Krakow, Poland, 13 November 2008. in the Armenian capital beyond the Election Observation Mission that had been operating there since 10 January. After a team of human rights experts from ODIHR travelled to and remained in Yerevan through March and April with the aim of keeping the OSCE Chairmanin-Office informed on the situation and advising on possible future activities, the Office launched a trial monitoring project to assist the Armenian authorities with the implementation of their international obligations and commitments concerning the right to a fair trial, and to develop recommendations for reforms in the criminal justice sector. The recommendations will be presented to the authorities in 2009. Supporting the adjudication of war crimes The investigation, prosecution and adjudication of war crimes continue to be a central issue on the agenda of many South-Eastern European 22 Annual Report 2008 countries. The approaching closure of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague heightens the need to assist these countries’ legal systems in dealing with these cases according to international standards and practices. In August 2008, ODIHR, together with the ICTY and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and in close co-operation with relevant field operations, initiated a review of ICTY and OSCE knowledge-transfer activities to benefit South-Eastern European judiciaries, in order to assess the capacity-building needs of these judiciaries in adjudicating the war crimes cases sent back from the ICTY. This project will identify best practices and lessons learned, and will serve as a basis for future activities to enhance capacity in local jurisdictions.