From January to May 2008, Youth Initiative for Human Rights recorded 14 cases of citizens complaining about treatment from police officers. Torture is forbidden by a number of international and domestic legal regulations. Convention against torture and other ruthless, inhuman or humiliating punishment forbids any kind of inhuman behavior. The convention defines "torture" as any infliction of pain or grave bodily or psychological injuries, with the purpose of getting confession or information from one person or other, or to punish a person for the deed they have done, or are accused of, in order to intimidate or put pressure on that person, or for any other reason based on any kind of discrimination, if the pain or suffering is inflicted by official person, or any other person acting as an official, or instigated by them, or with their explicit or silent approval.

Over the past three weeks six justice advocates have organized four workshops in Bosnia and Herzegovina entering the final stage of year long efforts in the peer to peer education challenging issues of the recent past. The workshops were held in Tuzla, Kalesija, Mostar and Bratunac, with a total of 65 young citizens from BiH participating and were done with support and in cooperation with Swedish Helsinki Committee.

Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), supported by the Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (SHC), organized on April 26th and 27th a training course in Belgrade entitled “Mechanisms for Human Rights Advocacy and Protection”.

Journalists from Kosovo and Serbia agree that mutual cooperation should be continued after Kosovo's final status has been defined, because it is perceived as essential for objective reporting. At the gathering of journalists, which the Youth Initiative for Human Rights organized between April 13 and 15 at Kopaonik, 26 journalists from Serbian and Kosovar print and electronic media spoke critically of current cooperation and exchange of information, as well as of the way the media report on negotiations concerning Kosovo's final status.

On March 22nd, Carl Gershman, President of National Endowment for Democracy (NED), gave a lecture in Novi Sad, titled A Different Balkan: Reality or Hope? Organized by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, the lecture targeted members of non-governmental organizations, youth activists, and members of political parties' youth branches from Serbia, Mr. Gershman spoke of youth potentials in creating a different society in Serbia and in becoming the initiators of youth activism in the region. Youth from all over Serbia, from Novi Pazar, Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Sad, Subotica and Kikinda filled the hall of the Vojvodina Assembly.

Between January 25th and 28th, a Regional training on the ICC, organized by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights and the Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Around 60 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia and Kosovo gathered for the training. In order to facilitate the work, after the first day of plenary sessions the participants divided into three groups depending on their interests.

Representatives of ten print and electronic media from Kosovo visited Belgrade and Novi Sad in the period September 4-7, 2006. The visit, organized by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, is a continuation of the project “Advancement of Media Reporting on Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue: A Look at the Other Side”, initiated in June 2006 when a group of Serbian journalists visited Prishtina.

On Tuesday, July 11th, at the Memorial Center in Potocari, 505 Bosniaks who had been exhumed from several secondary mass graves were buried. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights marked the 11th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica by carrying out activities in nine towns across Serbia in order to pay respect to the Srebrenica victims and emphasize the necessity for society to accept the truth about this crime.

From 25 to 28 June, YIHR organized a four-day visit to Pristina for 15 journalists from Serbia. The visit was part of the YIHR’s project, “Improvement of Media Reporting on the Serbia - Kosovo Dialogue: Look on the Other Side”. The project began as a response to biased and subjective reporting of the Serbian and Kosovar media. By organizing meetings with prominent political leaders, representatives of civil society, institutions and the media, YIHR aims to bring journalists closer to the developments of the respective societies.

Visiting program ended it’s third visit; YIHR organized a public discussion with Mr. Stephen B. Heintz, President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; seminars for youth in Prishtina, Priboj, Pljevlja and Budva; event on Europe’s Day in Prishtina – Different but equal; YIHR office conducted a trial testing of the implementation of the law on free access to official documents

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