ODIHR and OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine co-organize annual trial monitoring meeting in Kyiv

Participants from eight OSCE field operations and 16 non-governmental organizations from across the OSCE region shared experiences and exchanged good practices at the 16th annual trial monitoring meeting. The event was organized in Kyiv by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine from 12 to 14 June 2018.

This year’s meeting gathered a total number of 42 participants, including 16 men and 26 women.

“This meeting has traditionally been a unique forum for fruitful discussions and peer-to-peer exchange on challenges and good practices. This year, we also wanted to explore new areas of monitoring, and we have received valuable contributions on how we could proceed with this work in the future,” said Karine Simonsen, Rule of Law Officer at ODIHR.

“Trial monitoring is valued by our partners for its practical, evidence-based recommendations on how to make concrete improvements in the rule of law,” said Jeff Erlich, Senior Project Officer with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “One of the main advantages the OSCE brings to trial monitoring is the standards developed through years of experience in field missions, which are analysed, reviewed and used by ODIHR to further refine its approach”.

Various topics were discussed during the meeting, including challenges related to monitoring closed court sessions and corruption cases. The participants also explored how the existing trial monitoring methodology could be adapted in order to monitor new areas, such as the processes of selection, appointment, evaluation and promotion of judges. The meeting included a training component on selected fair trial rights.