The ODIHR side event took place during the 2026 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference as part of a project funded by the European Union, with support from France, Norway, Italy and Switzerland.

Participants shared experiences from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on how to handle conflicts of interest and respond fairly to ethical concerns.

Public trust in parliaments grows when integrity shapes everyday decisions. Today, ODIHR brought together parliamentarians and civil society representatives to discuss how codes of conduct can help build that culture. 🧵⬇️

Experts and practitioners discussed how legislative safeguards, independent oversight and civil society action can help ensure that surveillance complies with human rights standards and does not discourage people from participating in public life.

Today, ODIHR launched a new publication examining the human rights implications of surveillance at assemblies and strategies for independent monitoring.

Surveillance must not undermine the right to freedom of peaceful assembly or the work of human rights defenders. 🧵⬇️

Police practitioners and human rights experts shared approaches to these challenges at an ODIHR side event co-organized with @CDJI_official during the 2026 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

The discussion brought these questions into police interview rooms: how can investigators establish the facts without coercion? How can safeguards against torture protect people’s rights and prevent unreliable evidence from leading to wrongful convictions?

“The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent, unjust in its application, irreversible in its consequences and incompatible with human dignity.” Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski writes these words in his introductory essay to ODIHR’s new report on the death penalty.

The event was held as part of ODIHR’s project “Supporting the Human Dimension of Security in Ukraine in Times of Crisis”. 📸 Piotr Dziubak

The discussion explored how crimes are documented and legally classified, and how domestic prosecutions may complement international proceedings. Participants also considered the role of defence lawyers in safeguarding fair trial rights.

National courts play a central role in adjudicating war crimes cases. Their application of international law to procedural and substantive issues can shape approaches to similar cases beyond Ukraine, as well as broader international criminal justice policies.

🇺🇦 Legal experts examined how war crimes trials in Ukraine can contribute to advance international justice, both within the country and beyond. 🧵⬇️

Election day in Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 270 members of ODIHR’s election observation mission are following the vote across the country. In Sarajevo, Head of Mission Tana de Zulueta (left in the first photo) speaks with the head of a polling station board.