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The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has published the report ‘Class action suits after a year from their introduction’. ‘The institution of a class action suit is not a revolutionary change in the Polish law’, says Marek Niedużak, the author of the report. ‘Still, this is an important step towards a better access to justice’, he adds.

Concerns about the continuously deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus were raised by the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) at the most recent UN Human Rights Council session. In its oral statement, HRHF highlighted the escalating repression against human rights defenders and their organisations, lawyers, journalists and political activists.

Released on 14 September, political prisoners have told about the conditions of their imprisonment, threats and pressure from the side of administration. Meanwhile, a number of Belarusian intellectuals expressed their concern regarding the conditions of detention of political prisoner, Zmitser Dashkevich.

Вызваленыя 14 верасня палітвязні распавялі пра ўмовы свайго ўтрымання ў турмах, пра пагрозы ды ціск з боку адміністрацыі. Прадстаўнікі беларускай інтэлігенцыі тым часам выказваюць сваю занепакоенасць з нагоды ўмоваў утрымання палітвязня Змітра Дашкевіча.

The Human Rights House Tbilisi (HRHT) is organizing a Peace Week dedicated to the International Day of Peace. Numerous activities are scheduled to commemorate the day.

Five opposition activist and five journalists have been recently arrested in Ethiopia under abusive Anti-terrorism law. Terrorism charges brought against two Ethiopian journalists and one Swedish reporter on 6 September could see them imprisoned for up to 20 years if convicted.

Series of cross-border air strikes by Turkey has killed up to 100 Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish military leadership. However, government’s continued military action against Kurds is criticised both by the opposition and many Middle East analysts. The ruling party is also blamed for inability to stop the oppression of its ethnic minorities and silencing critical voices.

Several key areas where Russian government has yet to make a progress if the country wants to be more democratic remain to be a core issue with regard to human rights within Russian Federation. It was outlined during the visit of human rights defenders from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee to St. Petersburg and Moscow on 8-12 September.

The Senate’s Human Rights, the Rule of Law and Petitions Committee and the Legislative Committee of the Polish Senate held a joint meeting. The agenda of the meeting included the amendment to the Penal Execution Code. The draft law proposes major changes to the current wording of the Code. The HFHR presented its position on the issue of legislative changes.