Human Rights I n order to help participating States fulfil their obligations to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, ODIHR monitors and assesses implementation of, and compliance with, human rights commitments, and also provides expert advice and assistance, including training and capacitybuilding. ODIHR’s human rights programmes have three main activities in common: kk Collecting information, monitoring, and reporting on the implementation of commitments; kk Supporting the implementation of commitments; and kk Addressing key human rights issues in the OSCE region. Main Issues Participating States have made extensive and detailed commitments in the areas of human rights and the rule of law. The effective implementation of these commitments remains a challenge, in many areas, and for all states. Consequently, they have created a number of specific OSCE instruments to monitor these commitments and to assist them in this regard, including the work of institutions like ODIHR. In co-operation with numerous partners, governments, civil society, and international organizations, ODIHR has developed specific tools to fulfil its mandate, as well as detailed tasks from the participating States. Areas of specific focus include the following: kk Threats to fundamental freedoms: Effective implementation of commitments not only implies the existence of strong institutions and guarantees for a vibrant civil society, but also the necessary political will. Participating States have committed to fight terrorism and extremism in full respect of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. In some countries, this fight is being used as a pretext to reinforce the power of the authorities and to restrict human rights. Also, non-governmental organizations, including human rights defenders, face a variety of obstacles while trying to conduct their activities, including restrictions on their freedoms of association and assembly. kk Protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism: International efforts to combat terrorism are in some cases jeopardizing fundamental human rights, while certain counter-terrorism efforts have led to violations of human rights, including OSCE commitments. For example, individuals and rights groups have raised concerns about the protection of the rights of terrorist suspects being transferred from one state to another. The practices of irregular rendition and the use of secret detention centres and holding suspects in detention indefinitely without charge pose clear threats to human rights. kk Death penalty: Participating States have committed to keeping the question of capital punishment under consideration and to exchanging information on abolition of the death penalty. Some of the participating States that retain the death penalty continue to treat information on capital punishment as a state secret, and the level of public discourse on the use of the death penalty is often limited. OSCE commitments and international human rights law place a number of safeguards on the use of the death penalty, such as the requirement to ensure that trials leading to the imposition of the death penalty comply with national and international fair-trial standards. Concerns remain about the imposition of the death penalty following trials that fail to comply with fair-trial standards. Annual Report 2007 41