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On several occasions this week, the freedom of expression through assembly and demonstration has been attacked all over Uganda, as the police has clamped down on civilians taking part in demonstrations against rising fuel and commodities prices. -Human Rights Network Uganda is gravely concerned about the unjustified and excessive use of violence, says its Chief Executive Mohammed Ndifuna, right.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons From the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia, 35, 204 families’ houses have been damaged by natural disasters. Officials estimate that a further 11, 000 families live in houses that have been damaged by natural disasters and are in urgent need of resettlement. The government has not developed a long-term strategy for managing ecological-migration and domestic law doesn’t include a definition for those who must migrate due to ecological factors. This goes against international standards and means that people are left without protection.

Civil and political activists are being interrogated all around Belarus after the deadly blast in the Minsk metro on 11 April. Journalists are getting warnings for “dissemination of unconfirmed information”. Human rights defenders express their concern and call upon the law-enforcement agencies not to inflame suspicion and fear in the society.

Member organisations of the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA) are deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating freedom of expression situation in Azerbaijan. In recent weeks there has been a wave of arrests and beatings of activists and journalists in connection with a series of pro-democracy protests in the country as well as an increase in pressure against non-governmental organizations.

Пасля выбуху ў Мінску 11 красавіка па ўсёй Беларусі дапытваюць грамадскіх і палітычных актывістаў. Журналістам выносяць папярэджанні “за распаўсюд неабгрунтаванай інфармацыі”. Праваабаронцы занепакоеныя і заклікаюць праваахоўныя органы не нагнятаць у грамадстве атмасферу падазронасці і страху.

The United States government released, on 8 April 2011, its 35th annual Human Rights Reports detailing the human rights situation of 194 countries. In her introduction statement, US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, highlighted three global trends of concern: widespread crackdown on civil society, restrictions and monitoring of internet access infringing the freedom of expression, and repression and discrimination of venerable minorities.

„Let’s exterminate them, let’s strangle this plague”; this is a part of a song written by Polish rapper Bas Tajpana. In his opinion, all lesbian and gay people should be strangled or killed. This song song is undoubtedly an example of homophobic hate speech. In the light of Polish criminal law, homophobic hate speech is not a crime; only incitement to hatred on the grounds of race, nationality and belief is punished.

On April 8, the US Department of State issued the annual report on human rights. in great detail, the report provides updated information on the human rights conditions in over 190 countries. The report dedicates 85 pages to Georgia. It says that the main human rights abuses reported during the year included abuse of prisoners and detainees, poor prison conditions, and arbitrary arrest and detention.

The report Kazakhstan – OSCE 2010: Progress or Regress? On Completion of Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship tells the story of unfulfilled promises during Kazakhstan’s year as Chair-in-Office of the OSCE. It is published by Freedom House in co-operation with a coalition of Kazakhstani human rights organizations, OSCE 2010: Kazakhstan NGOs Coalition, including Norwegian Helsinki Committee.