Publications

The Strategy lays down five principles of co-operation: partnership, transparency, accountability, mutual informing and independence of non-governmental organizations which were pillars for implementation of activities aimed towards improving cooperation between the Government and NGOs.

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2014 is intended to provide a concise update to highlight changes in the status of the death penalty in OSCE participating States and to promote constructive discussion of this issue. It covers the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

Hate Crime Data Collection and Monitoring: A Practical Guide was written in co-operation with national experts, partner international organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations with responsibility for monitoring hate crimes at the national and international levels. It sets out 'Ten Practical Steps' that need to be taken to improve recording systems, to understand the extent of under-reporting and to encourage victims to report hate crimes. It aims to contribute to efforts to fill data gaps and gain a better understanding of the prevalence and impact of hate crime across the OSCE region.

Prosecuting Hate Crimes: A Practical Guide was written in cooperation with the International Association of Prosecutors to improve the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes across the OSCE region. The guide is relevant to different legal systems and legislative frameworks and complements ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT). This guide aims to explain the impact of hate crimes by highlighting their specific features compared with other crimes. It presents the most common issues that arise for prosecutors in dealing with these crimes, with an emphasis on evidence of bias motivation, which is the distinguishing factor in hate crimes.

Prosecutors and Hate Crimes Training (PAHCT) is a programme designed to improve responses to hate crimes by prosecutors. PAHCT is tailored to the needs and experiences of each country in which it is used. This programme is short, compact and flexible. It is designed to be integrated into existing training efforts and to draw on local resources. The standard PAHCT curriculum is customized to the hate crime context of the implementing state and to the laws and criminal justice procedures. PAHCT is best applied in co-operation with national training institutions for prosecutors and prosecutorial authorities. PAHCT can be delivered as a training of trainers or through training sessions provided directly to prosecutors. The training of trainers lasts three days, while a typical course for prosecutors only takes one and a half days.

The present publication builds on the Guidelines to Assist National Minority Participation in the Electoral Process by including new material on the development of international standards and good practice in the field of promoting the participation of national minorities in electoral processes.

The Analytical Report on the Implementation of the Decentralization Process is the result of a field research and desk analysis which were conducted by the Democratic Governance Unit of the OSCE Mission to Skopje during the period July 2012 and July 2013. It grounds its findings on a survey questionnaire (field research) in selected municipalities, a desk review completed on the basis of written materials collected at central government institutions, legal analysis and roundtable discussions with relevant stakeholders. The aim of the Report is to assess the progress made in decentralization process implementation in specific key reform areas related to the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

The newsletter covers the OSCE Office in Yerevan activities for the period of 1 January  - 1 July 2014.

This user guide for lawyers and journalists on the application of defamation norms has been developed with the OSCE support. It introduces all step-by-step procedures on pre-trial and court proceedings related to defamation and insult cases. The guide was developed by Ara Ghazaryan, Deputy Director of Arni Consult and member of the Information Disputes Council and Artak Zeynalyan, human rights activist of the Rule of Law NGO. It is not available in English.

The report provides an assessment of freedom of the media in Kosovo, implementation of applicable legal framework which provides for freedom of expression and of the media, access to information, the protection of sources of journalists, professional reporting standards and level of self-censorship/censorship in the media, including intimidation and threats against journalists. It also assesses the work of media institutions in protecting freedom of the media. The report poses two overarching questions: the first asking about challenges and violations of freedom of the media and safety of journalists in Kosovo, and secondly, it explores the responses to violations and challenges to freedom of expression and of media and safety of journalists.