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Prosecutor Jerzy Mierzewski has been removed from investigating secret CIA prisons in Poland – currently, one of the most important case in Poland that may affect the political elites. The decision was unexpected and now serious concerns appear about the future of the investigation. The decision of removing Jerzy Mierzewski was very unexpected and surprising.

On May 23, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) publishes a new report on Georgia with the title, Unable or Unwilling? Georgia’s faulty investigation of crimes committed during the Russo-Georgian war of August 2008. Based on interviews with a large sample of witnesses to and victims of alleged crimes, the NHC concludes that Georgian authorities are at least both partly unable and partly unwilling to conduct an effective investigation into crimes falling within the jurisdiction of International Criminal Court (ICC) allegedly committed during and after the August 2008 war.

English PEN welcomes the conviction and sentencing of two people in connection to the 2009 double murder of freelance journalist Anastasiya Baburova and human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, in a trial described by the Committee to Protect Journalists as ‘a landmark victory in the fight against impunity in press killings in Russia’.

Freedom House downgraded Ukraine from Free to Partly Free in its “Freedom in the World 2011 rankings”. Until that point, Ukraine had been the only non-Baltic former Soviet state ranked in the Free category. International experts remark that new president’s government reveals authoritarian tendencies in the country. The negative effects have included a more restrictive environment for the media, selective prosecution of opposition figures, etc.

Chairwoman of European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights Heidi Hautala sent on 18 April a letter to Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan concerning reports over human rights violations in the country. She urged the authorities to halt the violent repression of demonstrators and tackle the prevailing impunity for attacks against journalists. Read full letter below.

The Human Rights House Foundation, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Rafto Foundation have appealed to the Crown Prince of Norway not to participate at the Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition in Baku 6-7 June. The three organizations fear that the visit can be misused by the Azerbaijani authorities. Read the full letter, in Norwegian, below.

Фундацыя Дамоў правоў чалавека і Беларускі Дом правоў чалавека прадпрымаюць рашучыя дзеянні для таго, каб на чэрвеньскай сэсіі Рады па правах чалавека ААН была прынятая рэзалюцыя па сітуацыі ў Беларусі і прызначаны Спецдакладчык па сітуацыі з правамі чалавека ў краіне.

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev is a 29 year old Harvard-graduate who organized the Facebook-event “Great Peoples Day” on March 11, calling people to join the Facebook-group and to protest the government. Officially, he was convicted for evading military service. On 4 May another youth activist Jabbar Savalan was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment for using Facebook to call for a “Day of Rage”.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights presented its opinion on the Educational Information System Bill. The purpose of the is to create a system for acquiring data required to conduct educational policy and manage the education system. Also, the draft law provides for gathering personal data of pupils and pre-school children. The HFHR has voiced its concerns regarding the Bill.