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Western Sahara: civilians attacked by Maroccan security forces
Moroccan security forces repeatedly beat and abused people they detained following disturbances on November 8, 2010, in the Western Sahara capital city of El-Ayoun. Security forces also directly attacked civilians.
Writer: we have very little impact on culture without free speech
In his speech at the European Writers’ Parliament in Istanbul, Hari Kunzru raised the issue of writer’s labour value in internet age, the privatization of public space, degradation of meaning of words and use of language to produce nationalism. He also criticized Republic of Turkey on s free speech violations.
CAT: BiH not making sufficient efforts to prevent and punish torture
The UN Committee against Torture (CAT), at its recent meetings held in the beginning of November, examined measures adopted by Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to prevent and punish acts of torture. While CAT recognises that BiH has made progress in implementing the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the conclusions also reveal that obstacles remain to its full implementation by BiH authorities.
Arbitrary detention of a Belarusian student opposed by university fellows
A student of the European Humanities University in exile Mikalai Dziadok has been behind bars for more than two months now. Dziadok was detained in the wake of the so-called “case of anarchists” in early September 2010. His fellow students have appealed to the international community with a request to protest against this detention, called ‘arbitrary and illegal’ by human rights defenders of Republic of Belarus.
Azerbaijan and Burma: two countries, one strategy?
Both Burma and Republic of Azerbaijan let their parliamentary elections, held on the same day – 7 November 2010 – be followed by the release of high-profile political prisoners. While the world condemned the unfair elections, the releases of Aung San Suu Kyi and two Azeri bloggers were widely applauded. Both regimes seem to want to turn international attention away from difficult topics.
Public prosecutor is also responsible
Trade Union of Public Prosecutors and Prosecutor’s Office Employees in the Republic of Poland demands the salaries of similar amount to those of the “old” European Union countries. Due to this occurrence, Civil Development Forum Foundation together with Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, present a report by Karolina Kremens and Artur Pietryka entitled “Public prosecutor’s professional responsibility”.
The UN Committee Against Torture alarmed by severe human rights violations in Ethiopia
The human rights situation in Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is in decline. Despite the State party’s assurances that a wide range of criminal code provisions and other laws ensure that the country’s international and domestic obligations under the Convention Against Torture are met, in practice these legal provisions have no effect.
Poland has not ratified the Biomedical Convention
Republic of Poland still has not ratified the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine, although it signed this document already in 1999. What is important, in the Republic of Poland there is lack of appropriate provisions that would regulate the issues that arise in the relationship among medicine, ethics and law.
UN Member States should vote against proposed resolution on “vilification of religions”
Article 19 and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) urge UN Member States to vote against the draft resolution proposed at the current session of the UN General Assembly on “combating religious hatred and vilification of religions”. The content and implications of a new draft resolution are even more far reaching than earlier resolutions on combating ‘defamation of religions’.