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Woeser, famous Tibetan blogger and human rights defender was awarded prestigious award by The Prince Claus Fund for her outstanding achievements in the field of human rights. During Chinese crackdown in Tibet in 2008, Woeser’s blog became a primary source for world media. Woeser kept posting daily updates on situation in Tibet relaying on her contacts with other Tibetan human rights defenders. Her articles were translated in numerous languages and the blog itself attracted around three million readers every day

Chinese authorities made a false claim to convince the Thai government to extradite a Uyghur last month for his alleged involvement in ethnic riots, a Uyghur exile group claims. Nur Muhemmed was arrested by local police on 6 August for illegally entering Thailand and was handed over to China, following pressure from Beijing. In the recent years Chinese authorities have put constant pressure on foreign countries to extradite dissidents living abroad.

On Monday, 5 September, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, the Polish Chamber of Press Publishers and Association of Local Newspapers launched the campaign ‘Let’s delete Article 212 of the Criminal Code’.Currently, article 212 provides for a penalty of fine or limitation of liberty (community work) for the offence of defamation.

Mexico enacted a controversial law on 18 August, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging government-financed treatment for drug dependency free of charge. The new law is a part of changing Mexican policy on drugs war. José López, last year laureate of Rafto Foundation, criticised ‘the war on drugs’ as ‘a mere simulation’.

Belarus can still hear the echoes of Minsk “mass riots” case which happened after the presidential elections on 19 December 2010. The political prisoners are beginning to be released in small groups, but the lawyers who worked with the accused ones continue to be disbarred.

У Беларусі яшчэ чуваць адгалоскі справы “аб масавых беспарадках” пасля прэзідэнцкіх выбараў 19 снежня 2010 года ў Мінску. Палітзняволеных пачалі выпускаць невялікімі групамі, але адвакатаў, якія працавалі з абвінавачанымі, працягваюць пазбаўляць ліцэнзій.

While Index supports whistleblower initiatives such as Wikileaks, it expresses concern over the need for careful redaction of documents in order to protect dissidents living under authoritarian regimes like Belarus. Publicity and criticism bring results as the Royal Bank of Scotland has announced that it will no longer engage in “any type of capital-raising” on behalf of the government of Belarus after an Index and Free Belarus Now campaign.

The Human Rights House in Oslo together with dozens of other HR organizations has publicly condemned recent demolition of the Institute for Peace and Democracy in Baku. Earlier, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee sent a letter to Azerbaijani authorites including the President Ilham Aliyev, and demanded to investigate and bring persons responsible for demolition to justice.

In mid-August a train derailed near Piotrków Trybunalski, central Poland. One person died and more than eighty others were injured in the crash. By order of the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski, the train driver who had been in charge of the locomotive was remanded in custody pending trial.The counsel for the defendant appealed against the court’s decision. The HFHR filed an amicus curiae brief with the court which heard the appeal.