Latest

Human Rights House of Sarajevo, member of the Human Rights House Network, seeks international support in fight against the attack on human rights defender, Enver Murgic (on right).

On 11 January 2010, the third anniversary of Eritrean journalist Fessehaye “Joshua” Yohannes’ death in detention, Reporters Without Borders wrote to Manfred Nowak, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, asking him to do everything possible to obtain an improvement in the conditions of journalists imprisoned in State of Eritrea.

Справаздача Міжнароднай камісіі юрыстаў па Беларусі, на аснове якой беларускія ўлады будуць праходзіць працэдуру Універсальнага перыядычнага агляду (УПА) у траўні 2010 годзе, з’явілася на рускай мове. Такім чынам, афіцыйны Мінск мае час, каб падрыхтавацца да адказу па 5 пунктах, прадстаўленых у дакуменце.

Index on Censorship welcomes Google’s announcement that it will no
longer co-operate with Chinese government censorship of its search engine
www.google.cn. Index on Censorship editor Jo Glanville: “Google’s decision to be transparent has already had a direct impact. This could be the start of a whole new approach to dealing with regimes that censor.”

The Western Sahara peace activist Aminatu Haidar, right, switched within hours from being on the verge of death from an enforced hunger strike in Spain to being held under house arrest at her home in El Aaiun. When you are fighting for civil rights for your country, your life is constantly at risk.

Late December, B.a.B.e. representative Suzana Kunac presented significant research results on attitudes towards the European Union among Croatians. Youth are the most sceptical, it seems.

By the end of the year 2009 two independent newspapers face the pressure of Belarusian authorities. National paper “Narodnaja Volia” got the official warning and local newspaper “Hazieta Slonimskaja” was not registered. Belarusian officials quite obviously treat state media in different way than independent media, which is confronted with new attacks.

The situation for journalists grows ever bleaker in Mexico as another newspaper editor José Alberto Velázquez López was shot dead lately last year. In Cuba, 26 print journalist remain imprisoned, bloggers attacked. Some positive news come from Argentina where the government fulfilled their promise to decriminalize defamation.

The opposition Social Democrat, Ivo Josipovic, has won Croatia’s presidential election by a wide margin. Mr Josipovic has pledged to lead an “uncompromising fight against corruption” and to help the government complete EU membership talks this year.