OSCE trains civil society activists in Kyrgyzstan in human rights monitoring

BISHKEK, 1 February 2011 – A three-day capacity-building training course on human rights monitoring organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights(ODIHR) with the support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek started today in Bishkek.

Twenty human rights defenders from different regions of Kyrgyzstan are taking part in the training course. The goal is to strengthen the defenders’ skills in detecting and monitoring human rights violations, report writing, advocacy and communicating with law enforcement agencies.

Lilian Darii, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “This initiative will equip Kyrgyzstan’s civil society with the tools to monitor the human rights situation skilfully and in an unbiased manner that shall serve as a basis for reporting and enabling relevant state authorities to address human rights abuses.”

Omer Fisher, Human Rights Adviserat ODIHR, added:"Civil society is playing a very important role in Kyrgyzstan's challenging human rights situation and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is supporting the country's human rights defenders through this course."

Aygul Matieva, the Head of the Osh-based Foundation for Democracy Development and Law, said the training course was particularly relevant to human rights defenders in the aftermath of the June 2010 events: “After June I have been increasingly confronted with complex challenges, at the centre of which are people’s lives. When cases of ill treatment, sometimes even torture, are reported to us, we often lack the means to contact the relevant authorities and receive feedback. I am confident that this training course will help us to increase our potential as civil society and, at the same time, improve our co-operation with governmental agencies on implementing human rights commitments.”