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14 красавіка на свабоду выйшаў экс-кандыдат у прэзідэнты Андрэй Саннікаў (на фота). 15 красавіка раніцай быў вызвалены Зміцер Бандарэнка, давераная асоба кандыдата ў прэзідэнты Андрэя Саннікава. Указ аб памілаванні падпісаў прэзідэнт Беларусі Аляксандр Лукашэнка.

In 2011, more than 60,000 people sought help in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after exhausting all judicial remedies before national courts. Now some EU member states propose reforms of this institution because of a huge number of applications. Dozens of European organizations see these efforts as a threat and call to refrain from further reforms of the ECHR.

In March 2012, the European Court of Human Rights accepted a unilateral declaration of the Polish Government and decided to strike the case of Sroka v. Poland off the case list. The case concerned the criminal judgement against an editor-in-chief found guilty of refusing to publish a correction to an article.

In Katowice, a tactical unit of the police deployed to arrest a wanted criminal targeted the wrong apartment and subdued an innocent couple. The HFHR issued a letter to the Chief Commissioner of the Police, expressing concern over the course of the unit’s action.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development must maintain demands that Turkmenistan and Belarus meet set benchmarks before any investments in the restrictive countries are made. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee participated in a meeting at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, discussing the Bank’s balanced approach towards Belarus and Turkmenistan.

Burma’s by-elections on 1 April have been widely covered by international media. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she hopes Sunday’s by-elections marked the start of a new era in Burma.

Former political prisoner, 23-year-old Aliaksandr Malchanau (right) was found guilty of stealing scrap metal from a closed workshop of a metal stamping plant. The ex-prisoner had no other ways to make a living.

Былы вязень Плошчы, 23-гадовы Аляксандр Малчанаў (на фота) прызнаны вінаватым у крадзяжы металалому на тэрыторыі зачыненага цэху заводу цяжкіх штамповак. Другіх сродкаў для існавання ў былога палітвязня проста не было.

According to human rights and free speech organisation Article 19, the year 2011 has seen both positive and negative developments regarding freedom of expression and freedom of information in the region of East and Horn of Africa. Unfortunately, restrictive legislation in all East and Horn African countries continued to operate last year, with no signs of the acts that violated international and regional standards on freedom of expression being repealed.