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A suicide bomb attack on Wednesday 29th October outside the Ethiopian consulate in Hargeisa, Somaliland, injured three journalists, who were walking before the premises of Ethiopian mission. Journalist Mohamed Harun Ahmed of Somaliland Space Chanel was severely injured as his two legs were broken by the detonation.

In a statement dated 29 October, English PEN voiced its concern on the well-being of dissident poet Sakit Zakhidov, following reports that he was taken out of a prison medical centre prematurely, and was assaulted upon his return to penitentiary #14 in Baku, where he is serving a three-year sentence.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the attack and attempted abduction of journalist and media advocate Geoffrey Ssebagala by unidentified men in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Monday 27, October and called on authorities to ensure his safety.

CJFE is extremely concerned by the systematic harassment of Ugandan journalist Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, who has been charged for the second time in two years with “promoting sectarianism” and “incitement to violence”.

The heavy fighting in North Kivu, DRC, has intensified over the last 48 hours causing massive displacement of tens of thousands of people towards Goma, the provincial capital. Most of the fighting has concentrated around the town of Kibumba in the Rutshuru territory, from where about 40,000 people – many of whom were already displaced – have fled northwards in the direction of Kanyabayonga. Others have fled from Rutshuru town and surrounding villages towards the Ugandan border.

A Tehran appellate court upholds the 11-year prison sentence imposed on journalist Mohammad Sadegh Kabovand for creating a human rights organization in Iran’s Kurdish northwest.

Shelia Kawamara Mishambi, the Chairperson UWONET, right, said measures put in place by the Republic of Uganda Government to protect women and children against violence have proved to be inadequate, ineffective and biased against the victims. She said this while addressing a Press Conference at UWONET Offices in Kampala on the 29th October 2008.

A cross-political parliamentarian delegation from the Norwegian Parliament led by Vice-President, Olav Gunnar Ballo, right (of the Socialist Left Party), will visit Tibet between 10 and 18 November. ”The purpose of the visit is to increase knowledge of the political, economic and social conditions in Tibet” said Mr Olav Gunner Ballo. The delegation aims to have a broad dialogue, including issues related to human rights, during their meetings with local representatives.

Initiative for Establishing a Regional Commission for Truth-seeking and Truth-telling About War Crimes (RECOM), held a meeting in the eastern Croatian town, Vukovar on Friday, October 24th.