Latest
HRH to attend conference on the human rights situation in North Korea
Executive Director Maria Dahle and Project Manager Niels Jacob Harbitz will attend the sixth international conference on the human rights and refugees’ situation in North Korea, to take place in Seoul, South Korea, 14 – 16 February. -Our presence at the conference is to be seen as part of our preparations to co-host next years’ conference with the Egil Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen, says Dahle. (1-FEB-05)
Nepalese Government shuts down the Dalai Lama’s office
On January 21, the Nepalese government shut down the office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal and the Tibetan Refugee Welfare office in Kathmandu, the country?s capital. The Office of Dalai Lama?s Representative had been operating in Nepal since 1959 when a number of Tibetans fled Tibet due to the Chinese Army occupation. (1-FEB-05)
Zimbabwe/South Africa: Cosatu should go, says ANC
Zimbabwe is rapidly becoming an ever hotter issue in South Africa. Yesterday, ANC came out in support of the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ plans to visit Zimbabwe, while the SA government has criticised the trade federation’s plans. -A weakening of the international support Mugabe has enjoyed is exactly what the opposition has been hoping for, comments Niels Jacob Harbitz, HRH’s Project Manager for East Africa. (1-FEB-05)
Srdjan Dizdarevic “made Bosnia and Herzegovina better”
The editorial board of the DANI magazine has selected 10 individuals who “made this country better”. One of them is Srdjan Dizdarevic, the founder and President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of the Managing Board of the Human Rights House of Sarajevo and Vice President of the International Helsinki Federation. (31-JAN-05)
Work on drafting a new Anti-Narcotic Bill
Work is being carried out on the draft of a new Act on counteracting drug addiction. The current Act on counteracting drug addiction, which has been in force for 4 years, has not turned out to be useful. (28-JAN-05)
Council of Europe Raps the Russian Federation Over Yukos Case, Demands Khodorkovsky Release
The Council of Europe passed a resolution on Tuesday questioning the legitimacy of the arrest and prosecution by Russian authorities of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other managers of the disintegrating Russian oil giant Yukos. The resolution questions the fairness, impartiality, and objectivity of the authorities, who, it said, appeared to have acted excessively, disregarding fundamental rights of defense. (28-JAN-05)
Russian MPs Retract Demand to Ban Jewish Organizations
A group of deputies from the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, has retracted a demand, sent earlier to the Prosecutor Genera´s Office, to ban all Jewish organizations in the Russian Federation. (28-JAN-05)
Activist concerned on new political prisoners
In a joint operation with their Azerbaijani colleagues, Russian police have apprehended at an undisclosed location Arif Huseinov, the brother of former Prime Minister Suret Huseinov on 26 January. Arif Huseinov is wanted on charges of involvement in the alleged coup d’etat against then President Heydar Aliyev masterminded by Suret Huseinov. (28-JAN-2005)
Recommendations to the Norwegian government on human rights in UN in 2005
Seventeen organizations from the Norwegian NGO Forum have made recommendations on human rights issues which the Norwegian Government should focus on in this year´s meeting in the UN Human Rights Commission. It covers six countries – Colombia, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation including the Republic of the Chechen Republic, Republic of the Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda – as well as five topics: Counter-terrorism and human rights, Impunity, Indigenous peoples rights, Integrated missions, and UN human rights norms for business. (28-JAN-05)