COPENHAGEN, 26 September 2011 In a speech at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Matteo Mecacci, Chair of the OSCE PA's human rights committee, pointed to OSCE expertise in election processes, rule of law, migration, and human rights as areas that need attention in countries now in transition after the Arab Spring.

“These events remind us that the mandate of our Organization is still relevant for millions of people who live both inside and outside our territory,” he said.

Calling for a release of all prisoners of conscience, Mecacci mentioned the Parliamentary Assembly’s Working Group on Belarus and the fact its members have been unable to visit Minsk and civil society representatives in the country since the December 2010 protests following the presidential election.

He pointed to overcrowded prisons, including in Italy, as a symptom of judicial systems in need of reform throughout the OSCE region and ripe for more international dialogue to improve practices.

“This is an area where the OSCE could develop new ways to permanently monitor the judicial and the prison systems of our countries to avoid actions conducted in the name of justice and security being used to hide violations of individual freedoms,” he said.

In his address, Mecacci also mentioned cases in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the United States on a variety of human rights issues, including press freedom, freedom to assemble, fair elections and the death penalty.