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On 30 October Mazyr circuit court ruled to transfer the leader of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich (right) from Mazyr colony to the supermax jail. Since then and up to 8 November, the whereabouts of Zmitser remained unknown.

Coming from a country where an equivalent of one Exxon Valdez volume of crude oil is spewed into our environment yearly, it is inescapably clear that the petroleum sector is a very polluting one. It is obvious that there cannot be this level of ecological impunity without human rights being considerably trampled on, said the 2012 Rafto Prize laureate Nnimmo Bassey in his keynote address at the Rafto Conference on 3 November.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has issued recommendations to the Togo state urging it to ensure that land contracts with foreign companies do not result in forced eviction, internal displacement, or the increased food insecurity of women and girls.

The Open Society Justice Initiative has submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Sergei Magnitsky’s mother. Mr Magnitsky was a Russian attorney who died in prison arrested in the wake of unveiling a corruption scandal allegedly implicating high-ranking Russian officials.

According to press reports, in March 2012 the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent about 30 income tax returns to Belarusian opposition activists. The documents, mailed to Belarus, disclosed income from per diems paid during a conference in Warsaw. The reports were commented by Danuta Przywara, President of the HFHR:

30 кастрычніка выязны Мазырскі суд пастанавіў перавеcці лідара «Маладога Фронту» Змітра Дашкевіча (на фота) з мазырскай калоніі ў «крытую» турму. З тае пары і аж да 8 лістапада пра месцазнаходжанне Змітра нічога не было вядома.

Appeal Statement of Nongovernmental Organizations to Parliament of Georgia to Nominate Mr. Ucha Nanuashvili on the position of Public Defender of Georgia

Index on Censorship and ARTICLE 19 are concerned about recent attacks on freedom of expression in Greece, where, at the time of the economic crisis, the authorities are attempting to limit criticism of the government. It is not an appropriate response for a democratic European government to limit press freedom in order to protect political power, the NGOs say.

On 9 October Minsk Economic Court ruled to close the institution for the protection of prisoners’ rights “Platforma” in Belarus for violation of the tax laws. Belarusian human rights defenders view the closure as an attempt to pressure the civil society in Belarus. “Platforma” has lodged an appeal against the decision of the court.