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The Human Rights House Network’s (HRHN) annual meeting opens today in Vilnius, Lithuania. For the first time, the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile hosts the series of events which will go on until Saturday. Following the two-day meeting, an international conference will address the human rights situation in the Republic of Belarus and the Baltic states. Finally, there will also be a particular Belarusian forum.

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia recently commented to the draft amendments and supplements to the Law on Electronic Communications noting that the proposed amendments and supplements present severe interference in the sphere of privacy of citizens with illegal and arbitrary access of the body for interception of communications, without any adequate guarantees against abuse.

In a statement published on 15 September, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee expresses concerns regarding the severe threats against Natalia Radzina, Svetlana Kalinkina and Nicolai Khalezin. According to NHC, after the tragic death of Aleh Byabenin on 3 September 2010, pressure has mounted against journalists and friends of Byabenin, who have questioned the authorities’ hastened conclusion that he committed suicide.

The Appellate Court considered Eynulla Fatullayev’s appeal from the earlier convictions yesterday. Fatullayev, right, a prominent Azeri journalist, has been convicted on various charges, including terrorism and tax evasion. Many international organizations, including the Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Union, considered those charges to be frivolous and have called on the Azerbaijani government to release the journalist from jail.

Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Moscow – among them partners of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee such as Moscow Helsinki Group, Memorial, Golos, Human Rights Watch, and Centre for Human Rights and Democracy – received letters from the Prosecutor’s Office late on September 13. They were requested to present all documents detailing their activities early the next day.

The recipient of the Rafto Human Rights Prize for 2010 will be announced on 23 September 2010 at the Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen. The announcement of the recipient will be webcasted on the Rafto website. The Prize laureate will be honoured at a ceremony on 7 November 2010, at the National Venue of Theatre in Bergen, Norway.

On 16 September 2000, Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze ‘disappeared’ on his way home from work and was later found dead. To date none of the masterminds behind his killing has been brought to justice. To commemorate Georgiy and honour journalists in the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, who, like him, were killed because of their work, on 16 September, 2010 Article 19 and IMS are hosting an international conference in Kyiv to redefine advocacy strategies to combat impunity.

A coalition of nine freedom of expression organizations undertook a joint mission to Republic of Azerbaijan from September 7-9. In a joint statement released on 15 September, organisations call for the Azerbaijani government to immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned journalists, and appeal to authorities to put an end to the climate of impunity gripping the country.

У прынятай заяве аўтарытэтная праваабарончая арганізацыя Нарвежскі Хельсінскі камітэт патрабуе, каб беларускія ўлады гарантавалі бяспеку незалежных журналістаў Наталлі Радзінай, Святланы Калінкінай і Мікалая Халезіна. Нагодай прыняцця заявы стала тое, што гэтыя асобы – сябры нядаўна загінуўшага Алега Бябеніна, якім невядомыя пагражаюць смерцю.