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-The United Nations Human Rights Council should reject the Sudanese government’s request to terminate the mandate of the special rapporteur on human rights in the Republic of the Sudan, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the council members today.

In a press release issued today, the Council of Europe expresses concern about some of the proposed changes to the legislation regulating non-governmental organisations and media in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Amendments as proposed, which will be reportedly submitted for parliamentary decision this Friday, may create serious obstacles for the freedom of expression and normal functioning of the civil society in the Republic of Azerbaijan. They may even lead to the closing of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Baku.

Tasim Kucevic (48) who physically attacked the woman on April 21st in front of the Courthouse in Sarajevo, has declared himself guilty. The woman is Safija Mahmutovic, aunt of 2 young girls who were Kucevic’s women trafficking victims. One girl, Almira Cajic, commited suicide back in 1996 after Kucevic took her in Italy from refugee camp, while the other girl was killed, also in Italy.

Radio Erena (“Our Eritrea”), a Tigrinya-language station broadcasting by satellite to State of Eritrea, began operating today in Paris, five days ahead of World Refugee Day. The result of an initiative by Eritrean journalists based abroad and supported by Reporters Without Borders, the station is offering freely-reported, independent news and information to Eritreans in State of Eritrea.

A petition from Kosovo NGOs and different medias in Kosovo and Albania, requesting the Kosovo Assembly to undertake steps to protect freedom of expression, independent media and democracy in Kosovo, is open for signatures.

According to Renesansa’s recent informal statement there are 87 women in Federation of B&H, who are on the waiting list for the cure against breast cancer, Herceptin (which is in most regional countries available for all women in need of it). Triggered by this fact, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights wrote a public statement and addressed it to B&H authorities urging them to instantly eliminate this shameful waiting list.

A new report by the independent Russian HR organisation Memorial on the human rights situation in the Chechen Republic and Ingushetia concludes that the situation in both republics have gone from bad to worse in the last 18 months. More people are getting abducted and killed, fewer dare to report these incidents, and women’s rights are constantly violated, the report concludes. Right, Svetlana Gannushkina of Memorial.

На адзін дзень, 6 чэрвеня, Універсітэцкі пляц у Осла ператварыўся ў трыбуну для мясцовых і міжнародных праваабаронцаў, прадстаўнікоў Сеткі Дамоў правоў чалавека. У самым цэнтры нарвежскай сталіцы актывісты заклікалі ўлады краін Усходняй Еўропы і Каўказу спыніць гвалт над сваімі грамадзянамі. У тым ліку, і над беларусамі.

Fiery television debates, and the tactics of Ahmadinejad’s own supporters, have emboldened Iran’s newspapers, says Meir Javedanfar.