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On 19 February several HR organisations sent a letter to Belarusian law enforcement agencies with a dialogue proposition. They offered to discuss freedom of assembly and security measures during mass demonstrations especially what concerns creating legal and other obstacles for mass media covering these events.

Media PR Campaign has become an active tool for the Georgian government to discredit NGOs and human rights defenders in media outlets since December of 2009. National TV-Channels have released telecasts where human rights defenders were declared to be traitors.

16 and 17 February for independent journalists were marred as days of violations and persecutions. Two representatives of independent media were subjected to harsh treatment by law enforcement agencies. On 16 February, Yulia Darashkevich, a photo correspondent for Naša Niva, was held for three hours at the police station. Next day, Maryna Koktysh from Narodnaja Volia had her working place searched.

Human Rights House Zagreb sent open letters to the president of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic and the Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, regarding the almost forgotten case of Vesna Balenovic (on right), who was removed from her position after pointing out criminal actions in the company she was working.

Head of Studio “Reporter”, journalist Vakhtang Komakhidze requests the Government of Switzerland political asylum because he fears for his own and his familys life. His wife reports to the Interpress news that her husband has received several threatening phone calls where his family members were threatened with death. Currently, Komakhidze is in Geneva, in a refugee asylum.

Amnesty International calls on both sides to protect Afghan civilians as NATO and Afghan forces continue a major military offensive against Taleban in the southern province of Helmand.

More than sixty media, civil society and human rights representatives from the North Caucasus gathered in Moscow on 16 February 2010, together with leading Russian NGOs to discuss joint actions for improving the state of freedom of expression in the North Caucasus.

Myanmar’s government must halt its repression of ethnic minority activists before forthcoming national and local elections, Amnesty International warned in a major report released on 16 February 2010.

Група прадстаўнікоў праваабарончых арганізацый Беларусі 19 лютага накіравала шэрагу кіраўнікоў сілавых структур лісты з заклікам да перамоваў з праваабаронцамі. Тэмай для абмеркавання павінны стаць свабода сходаў і забеспячэнне правапарадку пры іх правядзенні, у тым ліку перашкоды дзейнасці СМІ пры ажыццяўленні імі сваіх прафесійных абавязкаў на вулічных акцыях.