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A court in China’s western region of Xinjiang, which was rocked by ethnic violence in 2009, appears to be stalling an appeal hearing in the case of an ethnic Uyghur journalist handed a 15-year jail term, Radio Free Asia reports. Gheyret Niyaz a 51-year-old journalist and webmaster was accused of criticizing the Chinese authorities in 2009 and was given 15 years in jail.

Recent violations against human rights defenders in Ukraine raise concerns about their safety. Two cases of assaults against activists Dmytro Groysman and Andrei Fedosov, right, point to a worsening climate for human rights in the country and for those who seek to defend them.

Polish officials investigating a now-shuttered secret CIA prison in this country have given a Saudi terror suspect victim status, a legal advance in the detainee’s effort to show he was mistreated by interrogators, officials said Wednesday. Legal experts said Poland’s move to grant the status of victim to Abn al-Rahim al-Nashiri recognizes the validity of his claims even as U.S. courts have refused to allow cases involving rendition to move forward for national security reasons.

Collecting signatures for presidential hopefuls has been the main political event in the country for a month already. To be registered as a candidate one has to collect 100.000 signatures of Belarusian citizens. Incumbent Lukashenka was the first to reach the threshold. To do so his campaign office used nearly criminal practices of exploiting state employees, school teachers and medical staff.

Eleven international freedom of expression organisations have submitted an open letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev calling for the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned Editor-in-chief Eynulla Fatullayev. Fatullayev’s continued imprisonment constitutes a breach of Azerbaijan’s international legal commitments and a violation of Fatullayev’s rights.

Збор подпісаў за кандыдатаў на пасаду прэзідэнта ідзе ў краіне амаль месяц. Паводле заканадаўства, кожны з кандыдатаў павінен сабраць не менш за 100000 подпісаў. Першым, хто зрабіў гэта, стаў дзейны прэзідэнт краіны А. Лукашэнка. Зрабіць гэта дапамагла антызаконная эксплуатацыя паднявольных дзяржслужбоўцаў, настаўнікаў ды ўрачоў.

On the 100th session of the UN Human Rights Committee held in Geneva on October 13-14 2010, the Human Rights Committee recognised the answers of the Polish Government to the list of issues prepared in connection with the VI Periodic Report on the realisation of the resolutions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Ahead of Burma’s upcoming Parliamentary elections, election observers and foreign journalists will not be allowed into Burma for its first polls in two decades, officials say. The restriction is the latest in a series of moves that critics say guarantees Burma’s first elections in 20 years will favor the military government.

Ahead of Azerbaijan’s upcoming Parliamentary elections, nine organisations are launching a new report titled “Free Expression under Attack: Azerbaijan’s Deteriorating Media Environment”. The report findings come out of a joint freedom of expression mission to the country in September 2010 and highlight the Azerbaijani government’s failure to comply with its international commitments to promote and protect freedom of expression.