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On the June 30, 2009, the District Court in Zielona Gora (Signature: VII KA 437/09) upheld a verdict condemning former „Gazeta Wyborcza” journalist Robert Rewiński for libel. The journalist was lawfully convicted, after five years of criminal litgation, for an article describing the improper use of public funds at Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska (the Environmental Conservation Fund) in Zielona Góra. The court agreed that Rewiński was acting in the public’s interest; however, he was not cautious enough and used false information, infringing on the reputation of the private accuser. The above statements were used to justify his conviction.

The new draft of the Gender Equality Law BiH (GELBiH) is finally released, and the Gender Agency BiH presented several improvements on the law. However, the working group for the new draft of the GELBiH2 decided to remove the clause on “harassment and violence based on sexual orientation”.

Сетка Дамоў правоў чалавека далучылася да кампаніі “Не артыкулу 193.1!”, якая ажыццяўляецца пад эгідай Асамблеі НДА з мэтай дамагчыся скасавання часткі 1 артыкула 193 Крымінальнага кодэксу Рэспублікі Беларусь.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) renewed its call of immediate end of hostilities in Mogadishu as the 6th journalist this year was shot dead today in the capital city.

HRH Network has joined the campaign “No to Article 193.1!” The campaign is headed by the NGO Assembly and its goal is to force cancellation of the article 193.1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code.

Association Renesansa from Bosnia and Herzegovina is organizing petition signing in Sarajevo for the elimination of the waiting list for the cure against breast cancer, Herceptin. In the most regional countries, this cure is available for all women who suffer from the breast cancer, while 87 women in Federation B&H are on the waiting list for it.

-One day, this journalist is sentenced to death. Two years later he gets a ten-year sentence. We reiterate our call for his immediate release.-Reporters without Borders

“The Ethiopian parliament should bring an end to the legal affront on independent civil society by rejecting the current Draft Anti-Terrorism Proclamation which requires significant amendments if basic human rights, notably the freedom of expression and assembly, protected under the country’s national, regional and international obligations are to be respected,” says the international human rights defenders’ organisation Frontline.

The parliament ruled on 30 June to drop all measures intended to severely restrict NGOs activities. It was with a mixture of joy and surprise that Azerbaijani civil liberties activists received the news that the draft law had been scrapped. But there continues to be grave concern among activists and human rights organisations, reports Vugar Gojayev