Representative of the Network member organizations discussed the work carried out by the Network during the past 6 months, highlighted the main achievements of the Network as well as the fields and directions where the Network should become more active in the upcoming moths. The Network members also devised the awareness raising strategy of the Network and the services it offers to human rights defenders as well as the strategy to raise visibility and knowledge about the Network’s activities among other stakeholders at the national as well as regional and international levels.
The Network members jointly sent information to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders about security and protection of human rights defenders in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The information will be used in the next report of the Special Rapporteur.
During the regional meeting the member organizations also discussed the amendments to the Armenian law on NGOs which obliges NGOs to grant narrative and financial report on its activities to any person on request.
On November 25 the Network members and the Human Rights Centre held silent action against arbitrary detention of 3 activists of movement “November 7” on the 23rd of November while they were peacefully an with out violation of the law expressing their opinion about the government policies and actions in Georgia. The action was covered by various Georgian media outlets.
On the same day the Human Rights Centre and the Network held a conference Civil Society 20 years after the fall of totalitarian regimes in the South Caucasus: Analyzing the Past, Planning the Future. The speakers on the conference revisited the work of civil sector during the last 20 years, spoke about peace building initiatives in the region and how conflicts influence the work of human rights defenders. The need for and the priorities of the new agenda for the human rights defenders in the new geopolitical situation was also discussed.
The next regional meeting of the Network will be held in May 2010.
