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On 22 August OSCE/ODIHR observation mission, which will work in Belarus during the parliamentary election campaign, was opened in Minsk. Observers have promised that their work will be transparent and open, but the representatives of the Belarusian CEC are already being pessimistic and critical of the observers.

The HFHR called the Minister of National Defence for explanations regarding the Poland’s military plans to purchase unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs, also known as “drones”) to be used by an independent combat unit. In May this year, Gazeta Wyborcza reported that the MND plans to acquire 41 sets of unmanned aircrafts and two sets of armed drones with similar combat capabilities to those of US Predator UCAVs used in military operations performed in locations such as Pakistan.

Article 19 has recently provided the reviews of the access to information legislation and the civil law regime concerning defamation in Kazakhstan. The organisation’s overall assessment of the Draft Law on Access to Information is positive, though several problems have been identified. The legislation regarding defamation, however, despite some positive elements, fails to provide safeguards for free expression, organisation states.

22 жніўня ў Мінску была афіцыйна прэзентаваная назіральніцкая місія БДIПЧ АБСЕ, якая будзе працаваць у Беларусі падчас парламенцкай кампаніі. Назіральнікі паабяцалі, што іхняя праца будзе празрыстай і адкрытай, аднак прадстаўнікі ЦВК настроены песімістычна і ўжо пачалі крытыкаваць назіральнікаў.

Lately, the government of Georgia and the ruling party – United National Movement [UNM] became targets of strict criticism from two international institutions simultaneously. Co-rapporteurs from Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and OSCE PA Pre-Election Mission laid out particular concerns about current situation in Georgia and demanded the government to create equal conditions for all political parties during pre-election campaign.

With the release of its concluding observations addressed to Mexico, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expresses concern about harmful cultural practices and violence directed at indigenous rural women, as well as their lack of access to land, property and justice, and asks for better implementation of women’s rights in the country.

Ecuador’s president has invited UK government to talks over the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on the condition that Britain guarantee it will not enter the diplomatic mission in London where Assange has sought shelter. Computer hacker Assange, whom Swedish prosecutors want to question over accusations of rape and sexual assault, jumped bail and fled to the Ecuadorian embassy nine weeks ago.

Belarusian KGB not only follows the election campaign, but also tracks news on human rights websites. The president of the Belarusian Human Rights House Tatsiana Ravyaka was questioned in regard to one of the articles on spring96.org website.

The National Council of Judiciary responded to another letter of the HFHR concerning the issue of judges copying passages from justifications written in other cases. The NCJ upheld its previous position on the matter. In addition, it condemned the practice of repeating lexical, stylistic and punctuation errors in the copied passages of statements of reasons.