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On July 26, two more lawyers who had defended the accused in the case on the events of December 19, failed to get through the procedure of an extraordinary certification initiated by the Ministry of Justice. The lawyers did not agree with such a decision and intended to challenge it. On this occasion Belarusian human rights activists appealed to the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.

Vietnamese dissident’s appeal against a harsh jail sentence was turned down on 2 August by Appeals Court in Hanoi. As a result legal scholar Cu Huy Ha Vu will spend seven years in prison for “propagandizing against the Vietnamese government”. Roman Catholic priest Father Nguyen Van Ly was sent back to prison on 25 July to serve a sentence for political dissent despite very poor health condition.

On Tuesday, 26 July 2011, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Polish Chamber of Press Publishers submitted their comments to the government’s bill amending the Access to Public Information Act and certain other acts. The comment raised the issue of the bill’s ambiguous provisions, primarily article 5a added directly prior to the document’s publication.

26 ліпеня яшчэ 2 адвакаты, якія абаранялі абвінавачаных па справе 19 снежня, не прайшлі пазачарговую атэстацыю, ініцыяваную Міністэрствам юстыцыі. Самі адвакаты з такім рашэннем не згодныя і гатовыя яго аспрэчыць. З гэтай жа нагоды беларускія праваабаронцы звярнуліся па дапамогу да спецдакладчыка ААН у пытаннях незалежнасці суддзяў і адвакатаў.

Women in many Arab states face discriminatory laws, experience violence and sexual harassment. Sometimes women are even punished for bringing these crimes to publicity. In Sudan the female journalist Amal Habani was sent to prison for reporting on the case of a Sudanese artist who had been raped following her arrest. Human rights defenders complain about inaction of Iran officials as they do not stop brutal sexual assaults in country and do not even condemn them.

-In the middle of this unbelievable violence and sadness, we are moved by the many strong and warm messages of solidarity and empathy from all over the world. We also understand from the news coverage of this tragic event, that it has shaken and saddened a whole world, says Nora Sveaass, Chair of the board of the Human Rights House in Oslo.

Four photo-reporters charged with espionage were released from the courtroom on July 22. Tbilisi City Court sustained the prosecution’s motion to approve the plea bargain deal with the photo-reporters as they pleaded guilty. In the end the court found them guilty of espionage, in particular Zurab Kurtsikidze has been sentenced to a three-year trial period, Natia Gedenidze received a year and a half’s trial period and Irakli Gedenidze and Giorgi Abdaladze have received two four-year trial periods.

Dalai Lama, Rafto laureates and many friends of Norway and its human rights organisations express their sympathy and condolences to the people of Norway. Secretary General of Norwegian Helsinki Committee Bjørn Engesland regrets that the attacks targeted the best Norwegians have: youth, openness, democracy.

The District Court in Września officially allowed the journalist of a local newspaper to read files of a case that had been closed to the public. However, once Tomasz Sz. used this privilege and subsequently wrote an article on the trial, he was held criminally liable. The matter is being monitored by the Observatory of the Freedom of Media in Poland Programme.