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The ECtHR proclaimed judgement in the case of Andras Baka v. Hungary. Andras Baka was President of the Hungarian Supreme Court. Following the constitutional reform in 2011 and the transformation of the Supreme Court into a new body, the Curia, he was removed from his function. The ECtHR ruled, among other things, that the dismissal violated the right to have access to a court. The HFHR filed an amicus curiae brief in the proceedings pending before the ECtHR.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has submitted a review of draft premises of a law on video surveillance. The draft, prepared by the Ministry of the Interior at the end of 2013, has been supported by the HFHR. It was noted in the review that surveillance “is a tool that may interfere with the right to privacy and therefore it is essential from the perspective of civil rights and freedoms to put in place a proper legal framework governing its functioning”.

Since 2012, guarded centres for foreigners have undergone visible changes, including the relaxation of the regime. Nevertheless, many things still need to be improved, reads the report “Still Behind Bars” published by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Association for Legal Intervention.

On 2-3 June 2014 the graduates of the “International Law in Advocacy. Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers” project will participate in the conference dedicated to the analysis of conditions and guarantees of realization of professional advocacy activities in Vilnius.

2-3 июня 2014 года в Вильнюсе выпускники проекта “Международное право в правозащитной деятельности. Дистанционное обучение адвокатов правам человека ” примут участие в конференции, посвященной анализу условий и гарантий осуществления профессиональной адвокатской деятельности.

In the run-up to the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship, which was held on 9-25 May in Minsk, the regime of president Lukashenka took ruthless action against the political opposition in Belarus. About 40 people have been arrested and sentenced to between 5 and 25 days in prison: thus, the Belarusian authorities attempted to round up all those prepared to raise their voices against the appalling state of human rights in Belarus, during this ice hockey world championship.

On 26 May 2014 the Court on Grave Crimes has sentenced the two Azerbaijan human rights defenders Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanli to respectively 5 years and 6 months imprisonment and 3 years and 6 months.

Напярэдадні Чэмпіянату свету па хакеі 2014, які прайшоў з 9 па 25 мая ў Мінску, рэжым прэзідэнта Лукашэнкі распачаў бязлітасныя меры супраць палітычных і грамадскіх актывістаў Беларусі. Агулам каля 40 чалавек былі арыштаваныя і асуджаныя на тэрміны ад 5 да 25 сутак – так улады спрабавалі ізаляваць ты, хто падчас чэмпіянату свету па хакеі быў нібыта гатовы выказацца супраць жудаснага становішча з правамі чалавека ў Беларусі.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has presented its comments to the draft premises of a law whose primary objective is to abolish legal incapacitation. The draft aims to replace incapacitation with a system of subsidiary custody, adjusted to the individual needs of a person experiencing difficulties with exercising their capacity to perform acts in law.