Of Note Following review of the trial-monitoring report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan issued a lengthy written response addressing the specific issues raised in the report relating to conduct of the prosecutions, including compliance with international fair-trial standards. The response denied any errors or deficiencies in connection with any aspect of any of the trials and stated that the criminal trials were carried out “in strict conformity with the procedural legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan and universally recognized norms of international law”. One major issue in contention throughout the trials and raised in the ensuing report and response was the right of the monitors to access trial information, including court documents, and to speak to participants, including prosecutors, defence lawyers, and defendants in accordance with the criminal procedure of Uzbekistan. Trial-Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners 145