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On 30-31 May the Russian Research Center for Human Rights in cooperation with Conference of International NGOs of the Council of Europe held a conference ‘Respect for Human Rights in Closed Establishments of Russia’ in Yekaterinburg.
Representatives of Council of Europe, member organizations of the Center, as well as other regional NGOs, members of Public Supervising Committees and media representatives discussed the results of the monitoring of human rights violations in closed establishments and the work of Public Supervising Committees.

Са з’яўленнем эканамічных праблем, недахопу замежнай валюты, росту цэн і дэфіцыту тавараў у Беларусі значна ўзмацніўся ціск на журналістаў, якіх улады абвінавацілі ў “стварэнні ажыятажу”. Праваабаронцы і журналісты ў Беларусі ды па-за яе межамі лічаць гэта знакам, што прапагандысцкая машына афіцыйнага Мінска “ўжо не спрацоўвае”.

On May 26, more than a dozen journalists covering the dispersal of a demonstration in front of the parliament building in Tblisi were physically injured by Georgian riot police. Some journalists were beaten. Cameras and other equipment were confiscated or broken. Reportedly, in most of the cases, the attacks on the journalists were targeted and conducted deliberately.

The situation in Aba prefecture, a heavily ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province, remains tense as Chinese security forces detained about 300 Tibetan monks for a month from the Kirti monastery. Chinese security forces launched a huge military crackdown in the region after the monk, named Phuntsog, died on March 17 after setting fire to himself and shouting protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.

On 12 June 2011 there will be a parliamentary election in Turkey. The 1994 Rafto Prize laureate, Kurdish, Leyla Zana, is again a candidate for election to the Turkish Parliament. Having a conviction with a three year prison sentence hanging over her, she hopes that the election can lead to a Civil, Democratic and Liberalistic Constitution.

After four years of wrongful imprisonment, the Azerbaijani government has pardoned journalist Eynulla Fatullayev. He was released ahead of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day on 28 May. His release was welcomed by many in Azerbaijan and also by international media groups, human rights, free speech organizations that had campaigned on his behalf for years.

The Human Rights House Foundation and the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius are taking firm measures to ensure that the June session of the UN Human Rights Council adopts the resolution on situation in Belarus and appoints a Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in the country.

Right after midnight of May 26, 2011the special forces units used rubber bullets, tear gas and water canons to disperse a protest rally organized by the Public Assembly. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia, 8 policemen, one journalist and 27 civil citizens were injured. Two people died – a policeman and a civilian. 90 people are placed in the preliminary detainment cells imposed with two-month administrative imprisonment. Criminal Case has been filed against several of them.

According to the recent media reports the police officers were ordered to remove banners with ‘anti-government slogans’ held up by football fans protesting against the government’s decision to close certain stadiums. The HFHR is convinced that the presence of ‘anti-government slogans’ written on banners does not, on its own, authorise the law enforcement agencies to intervene in the protest.