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Strong evidence has emerged of the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Burma Army against the Karenni people. A draft report from Christian Solidarity Wordlwide International President Dr Martin Panter presents evidence of chemical weapons use during an incident which is alleged to have happened near Burma’s north western border with Thailand on 15 February. (29-APR-05)
 

In the most recent report on the war crime trials in Croatian courts, the OSCE mission to Republic of Croatia recognized improvement in Croatian judiciary. This improvement also brings a positive reflect on the willingnes of the Croatian courts to take over some of the ICTY cases, according to the ICTY Completion Strategy. However, the report underlines the neccesity of additional reforms in order to ensure impartial adjudication of war crimes in the Republic of Croatia. (29-APR-05)
 

A number of Azerbaijani human rights activists have met with the Norwegian parliamentarian Trond Giske (photo), the second Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Family, Cultural Affairs and Government Administration at the Norwegian Parliament.
 “We have updated Mr. Giske about the current problems of democratization, the deteriorating situation with human rights, the pressure on independent media on the eve of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan”, said Fuad Hasanov, director of the “Against Violence” Human Rights Center (AVHRC). (29-APR-2005)

Republic of Azerbaijan: “Independent journalists continue to be harassed. After the murder of one of the most prominent critical editor Elmar Huseinov, journalists  fear for their lives. Six months before holding of the parliamentary elections in November, some of the basic pre-conditions for holding free and fair elections – freedom of expression and the right to hold peaceful meetings – are not met”, reads a statement of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) (28-APR-2005).
 

“Independent journalists continue to be harassed and after the murder of one of the most prominent critical journalists Elmar Huseinov also fear for their lives. Six months before holding of the parliamentary elections, some of the basic pre-conditions for holding free and fair elections – freedom of expression and the right to hold peaceful meetings – are not met”,  reads a statement of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressing concerns over the situation with the nearing parliamentary elections due November 6, 2005 in the Republic of Azerbaijan.  (28-APR-2005)

Moscow Helsinki Group led a training seminar for the Regional Ombudsmen apparatus for human rights and for the employees of the regional commissions for human rights in the Russian Federation. Ludmila Alexeeva, chairman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, and Alexander Daniel opened this arrangement with their lectures. (27-APR-2005)
 

On 15 – 17th of April the Moscow Helsinki Group led a training seminar for the employees of the Regional Ombudsmen apparatus for human rights and for employees of Regional commissions for human rights of the Russian Federation. (27-APR-05)
 

Andrei Klilmau was detained on 25 April in a car park in Platonava Street, and then was taken to 7 Sapiorau Street. He is now kept in the temporary detention center. The investigation committee gave him a status of a suspect in a criminal case initiated for the events of 25 March. On that day there was a demonstration demanding the resignation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The investigators suspect Andrei Klimau of organizing the street protest. (26-APR-2005)

The leadership of the Catholic church in the Republic of Belarus addressed the Belarusian authorities, requiring that they recover to them the Minsk Church of St. Joseph and the Bernardine monastery. Now, the building of the church now houses the Archive of the Scientific and Technical Documentation, and also the Archive of Literature and Art of Republic of Belarus. The building of the former monastery is occupied by the military commandant’s office. The believers started saying prayers for recovery of the Catholic sacred places. (26-APR-2005)