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Today the Norwegian PEN awarded the Ossietzky prize for outstanding achievements in the field of freedom of expression to writer and human rights activist Aage Storm Borchgrevink. The Day of the Imprisoned Writer was also marked at the prize ceremony. (15-NOV-04)
 

Late October, the UN finally came open and admitted that the human situation in northern Republic of Uganda is the “worst human tragedy,” even “worse than Darfur.” (15-NOV-04)
 

Penitentiary system of Republic of Azerbaijan is one of the most closed spheres even despite democratization of the state system and joining of the country to numerous conventions. Nevertheless, the things impossible during the soviet times or during the initial period of independence are possible today, There almost is not any serious obstacle for visiting of the jails by the human rights activists and journalist unions and the representatives of the international organizations.  (12-NOV-2004)

Torture, persecution, kidnapping, harassment and other pressure mechanisms are frequent cases that Azerbaijani opposition-minded journalists, political party activists and human right defenders expose to, although the Azerbaijani government has ratified Convention against Torture of UN in August 1996 and Convention against Torture of European Council in December 2001. (12 NOV 2004)
 

The Azeri penitentiary system is one of the most closed spheres even despite democratization of the state system and joining of the country to numerous conventions. Nevertheless, the things impossible during Soviet times or during the initial period of independence are possible today. There almost is not any serious obstacle for visiting of the jails by the human rights activists and journalist unions and the representatives of the international organizations.  (12-NOV-2004)
 

Torture, persecution, kidnapping, harassment and other pressure mechanisms are frequent cases that Azerbaijani opposition-minded journalists, political party activists and human right defenders expose to, although the Azerbaijani government has ratified Convention against Torture of UN in August 1996 and Convention against Torture of European Council in December 2001. (12-NOV-2004)
 

Every week, the HRH Secretariat receives an update on the Mugabe regime’s most recent attacks on Zimbawean media, in other words on the most organised and wide-reaching, regular attempts to exercise the universally acknowledged and agreed human right to freedom of speech and expression. www.humanrightshouse.org will from now on publish extracts of this report. (12-NOV-04) 
  

Recently, a mass grave was found in the north of Diyarbakir, the Kurdish newspaper, Welat, reports. According to the newspaper, this is not done by Saddam, but by the Turkish Army, maybe only ten years ago. It is claimed that the corpses belong to the villagers who were taken under custody during an operation which was hold by Turkish Army in 1993. No one has received any news from them since they were arrested. The bound and the stuff in the grave are delivered to the Puplic persecutor. (11-NOV-2004)

The consequences if the Zimbabwean Parliament passes the proposed law to control NGOs and their activities next week will be very serious, says Tor-Hugne Olsen of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum. The NGOs will be left with three opportunities; either leaving the country to operate from outside, merge with legal organisations, that is, organisations registered under the old, Ian Smith era legislation, or go underground and continue working illegally. (11-NOV-04)