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The 20 year old Azerbaijani activist Jabbar Savalanli, arrested last February, was pardoned late December 2011. But still more than 15 demonstrators from last years mass rallies in Baku remain imprisoned.

During the year of 2011 Georgian Parliament adopted approximately 400 legislative amendments. Following laws have been adopted: Law on Assemblies and Manifestations, Code of Imprisonment, Law on Personal Data, Law on Operative-Investigative Activity, etc. The last amendments were done at the special session on December 28 where Georgian parliament adopted several laws among them are Organic Law on Political Unions of Citizens and Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection.

Two Chinese dissident writers Chen Xi and Chen Wei were sentenced to ten and nine years in prison for «inciting subversion of state power» in essays published on Chinese websites overseas.

The Rafto Foundation is seeking nominations for the 2012 Rafto Prize for Human Rights. Every year since 1987, the Rafto Foundation has awarded the Rafto Prize to advocates of human rights and democracy

The absence of information following several violent clashes on 16 December between police and demonstrators in Zhanaozen exemplifies Kazakhstan’s lack of progress in protecting and promoting the right to freedom of expression. Recently everal international NGOs including article 19, outlined necessary reforms that the Kazakh government must make to demonstrate its genuine commitment to democracy and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and information

On 6 January the amendments to the Administrative Offences Code and Code of Executive Procedures of Administrative Offences will come into force in Belarus. The amendments stipulate fines for violation of Internet filtering.

У Беларусі з 6 студзеня ўступаюць у сілу змяненні і дапаўненні ў Кодэкс аб адміністрацыйных правапарушэннях і Працэсуальна-выканаўчы кодэкс аб адміністрацыйных правапарушэннях, паводле якіх за парушэнні ў Інтэрнэце будуць штрафаваць.

In January 2012 the amendment to the Criminal Enforcement Code came into force. The new legislation significantly modifies the law governing post-conviction proceedings. One of the key changes relates to the complaint procedure available for prisoners. The legislator considerably limited the principle of two-instance complaint proceedings. Under the new law, a convicted person may appeal against a judicial decision issued in the enforcement proceedings ‘only where a statute so provides’.

At least 14 people have been killed and 86 people wounded in clashes between police and demonstrators in the Mangistau region in Western Kazakhstan. The unrest follows seven months of conflicts between striking oil workers and authorities, and reportedly started in Zhanozen on 16 December, when people attacked a stage set up for the Independence Day event. – It is of paramount importance that investigations into the clashes and the resulting deaths are conducted in an independent and transparent way, said Bjørn Engesland, Secretary General of NHC