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Bosnia: Appeal to Political Parties and Independent Candidates
At the beginning of the election campaign, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through its press release, used an opportunity to appeal to all political parties and independent candidates to run their campaigns fairly, respecting the fundamental democratic principles. (30-AUG-06)
Tibet: Youth, Culture and Economic Warfare
Chinese presence in Tibet, and China´s policies towards the autonomous region, have once again come under scrutiny following charges brought against Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Spain. A group of exiled Tibetans, coordinated by the Madrid-based Committee to Support Tibet (CAT), has filed genocide charges against seven former CCP officials in the Spanish Constitutional Court, where a principle called universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of international cases not involving Spanish citizens, provided the defendants are not being tried in their home country. (30-AUG-06)
Foundations in Poland under threat!
The Polish government elaborated draft amendments to the Law on Foundations. The proposed amendments increase State control over foundations to such an extent that a question arises whether following the approval of the act in this form foundations, which are non-governmental organizations, will still remain non-governmental? (26-AUG-06)
Hatred against immigrants
On August 21st there was an explosion at the Cherkizovski market in Moscow. As a result, 10 people, including two children, died and another 50 people were severely injured. According to the investigation, the explosion was a hate crime. (26-AUG-06)
Foundations in Poland under threat
The Polish government elaborated draft amendments to the Law on Foundations. The proposed amendments increase State control over foundations to such an extent that a question arises whether following the approval of the act in this form foundations, which are non-governmental organizations, will still remain non-governmental? (26-AUG-06)
Countries at the Crossroads 2006: Azerbaijan
“Azerbaijan´s judiciary is corrupt, inefficient, and politicized. It suffers from a number of critical deficiencies, including heavy influence on its work from the executive branch…The poor conduct of the election process is in essence a symptom of far deeper and fundamental challenges confronting the country. The source of the problem rests in an entrenched political culture that retains Soviet-era governance features, among them flawed institutions incapable of achieving sufficient levels of accountability” says the country report of Freedom House. (22-AUG-2006)
Mirza Sakit: a new victim of the regime?
The case of Mirza Sakit, a satirical writer, whose critical poems against corruption and high ranking officials used to appear in “Azadlig,” “Bizim Yol,” and “Baki Bulvari” newspapers, has become In the center of public attention for last 2 months (18-AUG-2006)
IPI Concerned About Freedom of the Media in Azerbaijan
On 11 August 2006, the International Press Institute issued a press released,
where the special concern about press freedom in the Republic of Azerbaijan is reflected
(13-AUG-2006)
Amnesty International: Freedom of expression under attack
On 9 August Amnesty International issued the public statement about the concern at “the sharp deterioration in freedom of expression in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in particular the killing, beating and intimidation of journalists”. The statement says that “a series of violent attacks on journalists and the lack of thorough, effective and independent investigations into these incidents have had a chilling effect on the freedom of expression in the country” (10-AUG-2006)