Latest

On the 28-th of December, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree to approve national plan of actions for human rights protection. Preamble of the decree reads that the plan has been adopted with the purpose to continue reforms in field of human rights, to bring national standard acts in this field in full correspondence with international standards, to improve state agencies’ activities from viewpoint of human rights, to expand legal education of population and develop relationships between state and civil society. (29-DEC-06)
 

On December, 20th the State Duma refused to ratify the Protocol 14 for changes in the European Court of Human Rights, aimed at increasing the efficiency of European Court’s of Human Rights work. The Protocol would help to decrease a number of unconsidered cases and a period for preparing a ruling as well. (28-DEC-06)
 

On December, 20th the State Duma of Russia refused to ratify the Protocol 14 for changes in the European Court of Human Rights. The Protocol is aimed at increasing the efficiency of European Court’s of Human Rights work and was ratified by all countries – members of the European Union – except the Russian Federation. The Protocol would help to decrease a number of unconsidered cases and the period for preparing a ruling as well. However without ratification of the Protocol by the Russian Federation the document won’t come into force. (28-DEC-06)
  

The “Institute of Human Rights and Civil Stance,” a local NGO in the Republic of Azerbaijan, determined people who distinguished themselves in the field of human rights and building a civil society in 2006, most of the recipients were members of the press. “The freedom of speech and freedom of the media situations are getting worse. However, despite of human rights violations, the number of people struggling for citizens´ rights and freedoms is growing”, said the director of the Institute Ilgar Ibrahimoglu (on the right). (26-DEC-06)
 

The oppositional political parties started to propose alternative methods to influence the negative processes in the public-political life of the country. The “Azadlig” bloc discusses its temporary suspension, while the ADP plans to initiate the joint “national forum” to start the dialogue with the government. (23-DEC-06)
 

The students of Independent University stopped the long-lasting hunger strike for a while. This protest action is temporarily suspended for a big pressure of national and international community because of the sharp deterioration of students’ health state. The court on the case still continues. (21-DEC-06)
 

Turkmenistan’s president Saparmurat Niyazov died this morning. He has been responsible for one of the most repressive regimes in the world. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) expresses in their press release today that they hope that the tyrant’s death will at last create a window of opportunity for the Turkmen people to freely elect a new leader and create a society where the respect for fundamental human rights is reinstated. (21-DEC-06)
  

On December 12th 2006 armed law enforcement agents raided the offices of one of the Russian opposition parties “United Civil Front” headed by Garry Kasparov. This incident took place just before a planned for December 16th protest action “March of Dissent”. The march was organized by Kasparov´s movement and other opposition groups and was held in Moscow. (20-DEC-06)
 

The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders´ Network (EHAHRD-Net) is greatly appalled by the continued harassment of media workers in the Republic of Somalia, the latest being the arrest of the Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Mr. Omar Faruk Osman, right, together with Ali Moalim Isak, the NUSOJ Organising Secretary. (19-DEC-06)