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The HFHR prepared an observation report on the Independence March in Warsaw that took place on 11 November 2013. “The report is based only on the information prepared by ten independent observers from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights who participated in the monitoring – on their reports and on their recorded video and photographic materials”, says Danuta Przywara, President of the HFHR. “Hence it should not be treated as comprehensive observation but as an objective summary of what the observers managed to see”, adds Ms Przywara.

Human rights defenders and their NGOs working on the rights of women or related to gender face more and more risk, including those working on sexual rights, such as the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people (LGBT). The United Nations needs to send a strong signal.

On issuing decisions denying refugee status to foreigners, the Office for Foreigners (OF) automatically banned them from re-entering Poland, despite the fact that there was no legal ground for imposing such a ban. The [Polish] Refugee Council revoked such decisions. Only in September 2013 did the Office inform about its change of practice in this regard. Currently, the HFHR calls on the OF to revoke their negative decisions issued before a change of policy.

Human Rights House Network program for lawyers and human rights defenders “International Law in Advocacy” supports the multifaceted cooperation with the ODIHR OSCE, the results of which were new workshops for participants and the Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Human Rights Activists

Программа Сети Домов прав человека для юристов и правозащитников «Международное право для защиты общественных интересов» поддерживает разноплановое сотрудничество с ОБСЕ БДИПЧ, результатами которого стали новые обучающие семинары для участников и руководство для подготовки программ и обучению правам человека.

Упраўленне Вярхоўнага камісара Арганізацыі Аб’яднаных Нацый па правах чалавека выпусціў новы даведнік для прадстаўнікоў грамадзянскай супольнасці аб тым, як выконваць рэкамендацыі ААН ў сферы правоў чалавека. Ён можа прапанаваць добрыя прыклады таго, як павысіць эфектыўнасць і бачнасць міжнародных працэдур і стандартаў на нацыянальным узроўні.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights launched a new guide for civil society on how to follow up HR recommendations. It may offer good examples on how to increase the efficiency and visibility of international procedures and standarts at the national level.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard the case of Łukasz Kasprowicz, a blogger charged with insulting on his blog the mayor of Mosina, Zofia Springer. The case has been pending for four years now. In January this year, the Circuit Court acquitted the blogger. However, the mayor of Mosina filed a cassation complaint with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment, remanding the case for retrial.

Belarus is the last in Press Freedom Index among the countries of the “Eastern Partnership” program of the European Union. Due to the continuous occurrence of disturbing signals about situation with mass media the International Observation Mission sent a special representative to Belarus.