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Coinciding with the release today of the Women´s League of Chinland´s report Unsafe State. State-Sanctioned Sexual Violence Against Chin Women, the first to document systematic use of rape as a weapon in the Chin state of Western Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), the Norwegian Burma Committee once again addresses the Norwegian state pension fund´s 200 million Norwegian kroner investment in the south Korean company Daewoo, who openly cooperates with the Burmese junta. (27-MAR-07)
  

25 March is the Freedom Day for the democratic part of Belarusian society. This year more then 10 000 people went into the Minsk streets for the peaceful demonstration. About 100 of them were detained before and during the action. The most horrified thing was that for the first time since Soviet time Republic of Belarus has met the case of punitive psychotherapy. (27-MAR-07)
 

Coinciding with the release today of the Women´s League of Chinland´s report Unsafe State. State-Sanctioned Sexual Violence Against Chin Women, the first to document systematic use of rape as a weapon in the Chin state of Western Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), the Norwegian Burma Committee once again addresses the Norwegian state pension fund´s 200 million Norwegian kroner investment in the south Korean company Daewoo, who openly cooperates with the Burmese junta. (27-MAR-07)
 

The World Movement for Democracy (WMD) expresses its concern about the recent and growing number of violations of human rights in Vietnam. Since February there has been an evident increase in state repression of individuals who are involved in religious, human rights, and/or pro-democracy work. The arrests and interrogations violate international standards of human rights and Vietnam’s own Constitution, which upholds human rights for the citizens of Vietnam in the political, civic, economic, cultural, and social realms. (26-MAR-07)
 

Tonight, in relation to this year´s Newroz celebrations, the Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) hosts a meeting with the formerly imprisoned Kurdish opposition politician Selim Sadak, right, of the DTP party. Like Leyla Zana, Sadak was an elected MP in the Republic of Turkey in 1994, when he was imprisoned on political grounds for ten years. (26-MAR-07)
 

Last week the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and the Human Rights House Foundation (HRH F) sent a letter to the General Procurator in Minsk asking for the release of youth activists (picture ). The Norwegian NGOs consider the charges to be politically motivated. Despite the persecution of the opposition and the preventive arrests of youth activists, more than 10,000 Belarusians celebrated Freedom Day in Minsk yesterday, according to Charter ´97. (26-MAR-07) 
Letter to general procurator 
Read more about the Freedom Day
  

On 20 March, the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgment in the case of Alicja Tysiac, right, vs. Republic of Poland. The Court announced that Republic of Poland violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights defining the right to respect for family life. It awarded her damages in the amount of 25,000 EUR, as well as returned the costs of proceedings in the amount of 14,000 EUR. (24-MAR-07)

A “March of Dissent”, planned by a group of President Putin´s opponents and critics to be held in Nizhny Novgorod today, 24 March, was forbidden by local authorities.  Together with Norwegian PEN and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, HRHF has reacted strongly and sent a letter expressing deep concern about the unfolding events. (24-MAR-07)
 

UN Human Rights Council continues to discuss changes in Special Procedure institution’s activities. The possible result of this review could be the liquidation or limitation of Special procedure institution’s abilities. The Belarusian authorities are among those who propose special measures to weaken the Special Procedures by limiting their independence. 17 international human rights NGOs start a campaign to support Special procedures. (21-MAR-07)