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In collaboration with the Georgian organizations Caucasia and Georgian Human Rights Center and the Austrian Helsinki Committee,the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) is planning to document war crimes and other violations that might have taken place in connection with the armed conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation. NHC’s Aage Borchgrevinck, right, wants to travel to Georgia in the beginning of September to start collecting data. (01-SEP-2008)
 

Navi Pillay, right, officially began her four-year term as the top UN human rights official on Monday. Ms. Pillay, who was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in July by the UN General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Secretary-General, became the fifth High Commissioner for Human Rights since the office was created in 1993. She takes over a growing organization that now has 1,000 staff working in 50 countries with a total annual budget of some US$ 150 million. (01-SEP-08)
 

Cabinet ministers accused by the official human rights watchdog of organising or funding the post-election violence have come out angrily protesting their innocence. In a series of interviews with the Daily Nation, the ministers accused the Republic of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights of spreading lies and rumours in the report presented to the Commission of Inquiry led by judge Philip Waki. (01-SEP-08)
 

Russian human rights defender, chairman of the society “Memorial” Sergey Kovalev (photo)  urged the world community to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia. In his opinion, the Russian Federation began its aggression against Georgia under the pretext of protecting Russian citizens. (31-AUG-08)

The armed conflict in South Ossetia territory and other regions of Georgia which began on 8 August is still continuing. Dozens Russian and Georgian soldiers and hundreds of peaceful innocent civilians were killed. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes to escape the bombing, artillery fire, stray bullets and looting, and ran to various regions of the Russian Federation and Georgia. The city Tskhinvali destroyed and needs to rebuild. Russian armies crossed the border of South Ossetia and remain on the territory of Georgia, in immediate proximity to Tbilisi.

On 22 August the members of Public Committee attached to the Ministry of Justice Eldar Zeynalov, Elmira Alakbarova and Elmari Mamishov, as well as member of the Council of Human Rights Center of Republic of Azerbaijan ZalihaTahirova visited Prison # 10. On 28 August human rights defenders Novella Jafaroglu, Saadat Bananyarli and Chingiz Ganizade visited “Azadlig” newspaper satiric/journalist Sakit Zahidov in Prison # 14 and editor-in-chief of “Realny Azerbaijan” newspapers Eynulla Fatullayev in Prison # 12.  (31-AUG-08)
     

Russian human rights defender, chairman of the society “Memorial” Sergey Kovalev, right, urged the world community to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia. In his opinion, the Russian Federation began its aggression against Georgia under the pretext of protecting Russian citizens. (31-AUG-08)
 

Yesterday, the Association of Saharawis in Norway and the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara (NSCWS) jointly reported the Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara to the police for breaking the Norwegian Penal Act’s paragraph 317, on dealing in stolen goods. Yara has imported 16.800 tons of phosphate from Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco. The state owned company has paid Moroccan authorities for the phosphate, knowing full well that, as an occupier, it does not belong to Morocco, but is instead to be considered stolen goods. (30-AUG-08)
 

On 27 August in the village of Nehrem, in Azerbaijan’s Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, a confrontation occurred between village residents and police.
During the confrontation, three journalists; Radio Liberty correspondents Malahat Nasibova and Ilgar Nasibov, and Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety correspondent Elman Abbasov were beaten. (29-AUG-08)