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The entire world applauded when Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma’s pro-democracy opposition and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, was freed on 13 November. Her release means that Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo is now the only winner of this prestigious award to remain in detention.

On 18 and 19 November, the two bloggers – Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade were released after 16 months of detention. The releases were conditional. HRHN together with many other international rights groups has since their detention in July 2009 called on the Azerbaijani government to free the two bloggers. In their video blogg after their release, the bloggers thanks all organizations and persons for their support during their imprisonments.

Звычайны беларускі студэнт Мікалай Дзядок знаходзіцца за кратамі ўжо больш за два месяцы. Малады чалавек быў затрыманы на хвалі так званых “спраў анархістаў” напачатку верасня 2010 г. Праваабаронцы ўжо назвалі факт утрымання “адвольным”, незаконным, салідарныя з ім студэнты ўжо паспелі напісаць адкрыты ліст. Але пакуль далейшы лёс Дзядка застаецца пад пытаннем. Сітуацыя пагаршаецца і палітычным “ухілам” справы.

One year ago, on November 16, 2009, the Russian lawyer and whistle blower Sergey Magnitsky died in the pre-trial detention centre Matrosskaya Tishina at the age of 37. Magnitsky represented the interests of the Hermitage Capital Fund and revealed fraud from the Russian budget carried out with the participation of Russian law enforcement officers. As a result Magnitsky was arrested himself and held in prison without trial.

The liquidation by a court in Minsk of the “Movement Forward”, a research and educational initiative, came as no surprise. The organization’s leader Uladzimir Niakliayeu is one of the better-known oppositional candidates to the presidential chair. Just like some other NGOs and parties have experienced, ensuring the freedom of association is clearly beyond the Belarusian government’s priorities.

The Marek Nowicki Memorial Lectures is an event organized every year in Budapest and Warsaw. This year in November 2010 the lecture was delivered by Juan E. Méndez and was dedicated respectively to the following issues: “Transitional Justice, Peace and Prevention” and “Recent Trends in Transitional Justice”.

Freedom of expression faces many challenges in the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Azerbaijan and Gerogia. There is a clear state domination of the broadcast media, legal barriers persist, critical news sources removed, violence against journalists cases have been not effectively investigated and prosecuted. Finally, despite legal provisions, public bodies have failed to establish procedures to process freedom of information requests.

Amnesty International has called on European governments to provide justice for the victims of the CIA’s unlawful rendition and secret detention programmes which led to the enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment of a number of people.

For some 20 years, Aung San Suu Kyi has been denied her rights, held by force behind the walls of her home, and punished for her faith in democracy, human rights and in the rights of the people of Burma to live free from fear. Yesterday Aung San Suu Kyi was freed. International organisations call on the government of Burma to immediately release all of the prisoners of conscience in the country.