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Burmese nationals who fled the country following the 1988 popular uprising are allowed to return to their country, President Thein Sein, right, said in his recent speech. Human rights activists believe this statement is ‘nothing more than a PR exercise’. In today’s Burma, close to 2,100 political prisoners are behind bars, among them monks, journalists, politicians and relief workers.

As the amount of the internet users grows rapidly each year all over the world, the internet becomes more powerful tool to express one’s opinion. The online activity is more visible; it affects more people and is treated as a real behaviour, not the virtual one. There is an obvious change of perception of the internet recently. The proof of it is imprisonment of two social network users in UK and three internet writers in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam.

It has come to the attention of the HFHR that in June 2011 the Polish Prosecutor General’s Office has provided Belarusian authorities with details of the Polish bank accounts held in the name of Ales Belyatsky, head of the Human Rights Centre Vesna, a Belarusian human rights advocacy. We have received these disturbing news from Mr Belyatsky’s associates.

Another hearing in the case for personal interests infringement brought against A.J. was held before the Circuit Court in Tarnów. The claimant, mayor of the town of Ryglice, asserts that he lost the local elections because of an insulting comment of an anonymous user that had been posted under an article at the respondent’s blog. He makes his claim even though A.J. almost instantly blocked the comment.

On 12 August Ales Bialiatski was charged under Part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (concealment of income on a large scale). The term of Ales Bialiatski’s custody was extended for another two month. Human rights defenders consider it as a prosecution for civic activities and continue to collect personal guarantees for Bialiatski.

12 жніўня Алесю Бяляцкаму было выстаўленае абвінавачанне ва ўтойванні даходаў у асабліва буйным памеры па ч. 2 арт. 243 Крымінальнага кодэкса. Тэрмін утрымання Алеся Бяляцкага пад вартай падоўжаны яшчэ на два месяцы. Праваабаронцы лічаць гэта пераследам за грамадскую дзейнасць і працягваюць збіраць паручальніцтвы за Бяляцкага.

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is very disappointed that the human rights activist and laureate of the Sakharov Freedom Award Evgeniy Zhovtis on 2 August again was rejected in his appeal for early release. The trail of E. Zhovtis is a just a minor reflection of overall situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the situation of human rights defenders, freedom of expression and free media.

There are two news from Azerbaijan this week. The first one is negative as the authorities in Baku demolished the building, which was used by several local NGOs as offices, as part of an urban renewal project. The second one is more positive because long years jailed journalist Eynulla Fatullayev has finally received compensation from the government and has established a new human rights movement.

HFHR regrets to inform that on 4 August 2011 our friend Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Centre Vesna and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights was arrested in Minsk, Belarus. Ales has been long engaged in promoting democracy and human rights in Belarus. In June, he was presented with the Freedom Award in Wrocław.