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On 17 June, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao became the third high-ranking Chinese official to visit Africa in 2006, signifying the Asian country’s growing interest in the resource-rich continent. President Hu Jintao had visited five countries on the continent in late April. Trade between the People´s Republic of China and Africa skyrocketed to over US$40 billion in 2005 and is only gaining steam. Western countries have begun to examine the ties between African countries and the People´s Republic of China to discern the global effects – financial and political – of China’s new relationships. (31-JULY-06)
 

Having abolished all independent TV channels and big media outlets, the authorities launched a campaign to liquidate all independent radio stations who openly criticized the government and the President.  This year alone two of Russia’s very few objective sources of information “Radio Svoboda’s” and “Voice of America’s” broadcasts were severely curtailed. (30-JUL-06)
 

Many children in the Republic of Kenya are dying everyday as result of violence, abuse and neglect. Many of these violations go unreported which makes it hard to quantify the exact number of children affected. This is according to Millie Odhiambo, right, a lawyer and child’s rights activist in the Republic of Kenya ( 27-JUL-2006)

If there is one subject that the Moroccan authorities are partcularly sensitive about, it is the issue of Western Sahara. Independent weekly magazine Le Journal Hebdomadaire (pictured right) is the latest in a string of publications fined under Morocco’s press code. In the last 12 months, four weeklies or their journalists have been condemned to pay heavy fines or to prison sentences. The magazine´s editor says Le Journal Hebdomadaire is being singled out for their lack of patriotism. (24-JULY-06)
 

Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 61st birthday at her Yangon home in Burma on 19 June. Unlike most birthdays, hers was celebrated under house arrest, and on 27 May she was informed that the junta had extended her detention term for another year. The English PEN Writers in Prison Committee declared her its Prisoner of the Month for July 2006. Suu Kyi has spent the last 17 years in and out of house arrest. As leader of the National League for Democracy and a prominent writer, she was and still is a main target for the military. She was most recently arrested in 2003 when her convoy was attacked and approximately 100 of her supporters were killed. (20-JULY-06)
 

Republic of Kazakhstan has passed amendments to its media law that will impose new restrictions on the media and make aspects such as registration more difficult and problematic. In the weeks before the passage there were pleas from groups including Article 19 asking the president to veto them and a demonstration involving hundreds of activists and journalists in Almaty on 24 June demanding the bills repeal. The Senate ignored these cries of international concern and local outrage and passed the amendments to the Mass Media Law, the Tax Code and the Code of Administrative Offences on 29 June. The president followed, signing them into law on 5 July. (14-JULY-06)
 

On July 11th, ahead of the G8 summit the main leaders of Russian opposition and human rights activists gathered in Moscow for a two-day conference, called Other the Russian Federation. The conference focused on what the real the Russian Federation looks like and on ways to combat the Kremlin´s tightening grip on civil society. Trying to disturb the conference, the police detained many delegates. However, the gathering has also underscored the rifts dividing the opposition. (14-JUL-06)
 

Belarusian democratic society is indignant with the courts’ decision to punish Aliaksandr Kazulin, the former candidate for presidency, with 5,5 years of prison. He was convicted of hooliganism and incitement to mass disorder during March 2006 events. HRC “Viasna” considers the conviction of one of alternative candidates a politically-motivated decision and expresses vigorous protest against this judgement.(14-JUL-06)

On July 5th, the conference of non-governmental organizations “Human rights in the Russian Federation in the year of its presidency in G8 and in the Council of Europe” took place in Moscow. The conference established a systemic human rights crisis and problems with democratic institutions.  The delegates to the conference adopted a petition to the leaders of G8 nations. (10-JUL-06)