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In November 2010 local elections were held in Poland. After the ballot, Robert Kamionowski, a lawyer, filed an election protest arguing that a breach of the electoral law had occurred during the elections. In May the Appellate Court dismissed the appeal against the decision to summarily dismiss the election protest concerning legality of the local elections in the town of Białołęka.

On 13 May, “Stop the witch hunt in Belarus” open hearings in the Lithuanian Seimas brought together prominent politicians, human rights defenders and civic activists from Belarus, Lithuania etc. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, the opening of a photo-exhibition was organised by the Belarusian Human Rights House during the hearings.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights decided to join as a third party the proceeding of Jan Olszyński v. Poland (Application No. 35410/09) before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Foundation drafted an amicus curiae brief regarding the application of Article 1 of the Protocol No 1 of the European Convention of Human Rights to the facts of the present case.

The draft Strategy of Belarusian Human Rights Movement was adopted by the 2nd Belarusian human rights forum in September 2010. The draft was elaborated by the Expert group which consisted of the experts from the leading Belarusian human rights NGOs, such as Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, human rights center “Viasna”, Center for Legal Transformation, Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs of Belarus.

Amnesty International 2011 Human Rights Report evaluates the human rights situation in 157 countries for the year of 2010. With regards to Georgia, four issues are emphasized: the aftermath of armed conflict, internally displaced people, police and security forces, and violence against women and girls.

The Anti-homosexuality bill that was scheduled to be discussed and tabled for a vote in the Ugandan parliament on 11 May, has been deferred to the next parliamentary session, commencing in June. The mandate of the current parliament ends on 18 May, but other business will prevent the bill from being considered before this session ends.

The leading Belarusian opposition politician and former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov has been sentenced to five years hard labour for his protest against the falsified elections of December 2010. Sannikov, the leader of European Belarus, was detained after protests against the disputed re-election of Alexander Lukashenko on 19 December last year. The trial of Sannikov’s wife Irina Khalip, a journalist with Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, began last week.

13 траўня ў Літоўскім Сойме прайшлі адкрытыя слуханні “Спыніць паляванне на вядзьмарак у Беларусі”, у якіх прынялі ўдзел выбітныя палітыкі, праваабаронцы і грамадскія актывісты. Там жа адбылося адкрыццё фотавыставы, арганізаванай Беларускім Домам правоў чалавека з нагоды 15-годдзя Праваабарончага цэнтру “Вясна”.

On the eve of its 50th anniversary Amnesty International launched its global human rights report. The report documents specific restrictions on free speech in at least 89 countries, highlights cases of prisoners of conscience in at least 48 countries, documents torture and other ill-treatment in at least 98 countries, and reports on unfair trials in at least 54 countries.