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Though the Council of Europe´s (CoE) most recent resolution stipulated that seven key opposition party leaders would be released, the Azerbaijani government ignored the CoE resolution and sentenced the seven to long prison terms. Disappointingly, CoE kept silent. (25-OCT-04)
 

Azerbaijani human rights defenders have published a statement where they express their “deepest concern at acts of violence, harassment and procedural irregularities that characterized the latest referendum poll in the Republic of Belarus, resulting in the allowing the President Alexander Lukashenko to run for a third term in office and to remain as Europe’s last true dictator.” (25-OCT-04)
 

– To strengthen the EU guidelines on human rights defenders, the Council Secretariat should identify a coordinator responsible for a permanent follow up between the COHOM sessions, said Alexa LeBlanc from FIDH, who spoke at the HRH Anniversary Conference in Oslo 14 October. She also said temporary visas should be granted to human rights defenders at grave risks. (25-OCT-04) 
 

– It is way too early to establish what difference the EU guidelines on human rights defenders are going to make. But it is not going to be yet another piece of paper in a filing cabinet, said the Netherlands Ambassador Erik Ader at the HRH Anniversary Conference 14 October. He said the EU will make handbooks to Embassies on how to support human rights defenders. (25-OCT-04) 
 

The security for defenders in Chechnya has deteriorated in 2003 and 2004, according to a new report from the International Helsinki Federation that was presented by Aage Borchgrevink at the HRH Anniversary Conference 13 October. (22-OCT-04)
 

Police violence, last seen on the 19th of October, has a long history in the Republic of Belarus. In 1996 the first violent beatings and detentions of opposition activists during Lukashenka´s rule took place. Since then, thousands of people have faced beatings, fines and imprisonments, according to registrys of Belarusian human rights organizations. (25-OCT-04)
 

Human rights defenders in the Republic of Azerbaijan have published a statement where they express their “deepest concern at acts of violence, harassment and procedural irregularities that characterized the latest referendum poll in the Republic of Belarus, resulting in the allowing the President Alexander Lukashenko to run for a third term in office and to remain as Europe’s last true dictator.” (25-OCT-04)
 

Though the Council of Europe´s (CoE) most recent resolution stipulated that seven key opposition party leaders would be released, the Azerbaijani government ignored the CoE resolution and sentenced the seven to long prison terms. Disappointingly, CoE kept silent. (25-OCT-04)
 

– The apocalyptic Beslan tragedy was used by Putin as a chance to strengthen the power vertical and to have a free hand in pursuing the goal of consolidating his personal power, said Ida Kouklina from the Soldiers´ Mothers Committee in the Russian Federation, at the HRH Anniversary Conference 13 October 2004. (24-OCT-04)