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In a letter to President Lukashenko, the Human Rights House Foundation has condemned the political campaign against Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva. The newspaper, one of the last independent voices in the country and the last newspaper in the Belarusian language, was not given a registered legal address in the country’s capital, Minsk. In the Belarusian context, this means that the newspaper won’t get a legal status. (27-APR-06)
 

English PEN´s Writer in Prison Committee supports writers persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.  The PEN prisoner of the month for April is film-maker and democracy campaigner Jennifer Latheef. Latheef was charged with terrorism and with inciting a riot by the Maldives government and was subsequently jailed for 10 years on 12 September 2005. (26-APR-06)
 

In solidarity with the Chernobyl demonstrations in the Republic of Belarus, the Norwegian coalition Belarus16 held a modest demonstration in front of the Norwegian parliament, this evening at 6:00 PM. Berit Lindeman of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee stated that also now that the elections are over, it is equally important to show solidarity with the Belarusian population and the people that are still in prison. Simultaneously, in the Republic of Belarus, more than 10,000 people defied threats by the police and took the streets to commemorate the Chernobyl disaster which took place 20 years ago and to show their dissatisfaction with the Lukashenko regime. (26-APR-06)
 

English PEN´s Writer in Prison Committee supports more than 700 writers persecuted worldwide for exercising their right to freedom of expression. As part of their campaigning work, PEN has been highlighting an individual case each month since 2003, initiating appeals to heads of state and relevant government departments and providing vital background information about the country and the writers concerned. The PEN prisoner of the month for April is film-maker and democracy campaigner Jennifer Latheef. Latheef was charged with terrorism and with inciting a riot by the Maldives government and was subsequently jailed for 10 years on 12 September 2005. (26-APR-06)
 

Over the last few days, Republic of Turkey and Islamic Republic of Iran have moved lage numbers of army personnel and equipment to the border areas facing the Kurd parts of Northern Iraq. Leader of theNorwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) Vidar Birkeland says in an RKR press release today that the deployments make a serious threat against the stability not only of the Kurdish parts of Iraq but of the entire region. Unlike the rest of Iraq, the Kurdish parts have until recently been marked by peace and stability. (25-APR-06)
 

On 11 April 2006 the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights published a report devoted to the problem of preventing torture at Polish closed institutions. This report constitutes a summary of a three-year program financed by the European Commission and performed simultaneously in six countries by six national Helsinki Committees (Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Republic of Poland, the Russian Federation, Serbia/Montenegro and Hungary). (22-APR-06)

Head of the Belarusian coalition of opposition, Aleksandr Milinkevich, right, today met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of International Development Erik Solheim. The Foreign Minister said that following Milinkevich´s meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday, the Norwegian government agreed to extend the financial support to civil society, human rights organisations and independent media in the Republic of Belarus. He suggested to channel the support through the Norwegian Helsinki Committe, which has worked in the Republic of Belarus for years and has an extensive network of contacts in civil society. (21-APR-06)
 

On 11 April 2006 the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights published a report devoted to the problem of preventing torture at Poland´s closed institutions. This report constitutes the summary of a three-year program financed by the European Commission and performed simultaneously in six countries by six national Helsinki Committees (Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Republic of Poland, the Russian Federation, Serbia/Montenegro and Hungary). (22-APR-06)
 

On Sunday, 16 April, in the center of Moscow on Pushkinskaya Square, about 4,000 citizens gathered in a rally against censorship in mass media and in support of freedom of speech. The protest was attended by well-known journalists, most of whom were dismissed from TV and major media outlets for their truthful reports and criticism against the authorities. (21-APR-06)