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Statement “Human rights defenders need stronger international support and protection” is now available also in Bosnian language. (27-10-04)
 

The 25 th of October five  persons were detained for participation in the demonstration against the falsification of the Parliamentary election and the referendum in Kastrychnitskaya Square. (26-10-04)
 

The 25th of October five persons were detained for participation in the demonstration against the falsification of the Parliamentary election and the referendum in Kastrychnitskaya Square. (26-OCT-04) 
 

Human rights groups should find it simple to become legal entities, uncomplicated to appeal government rejection, easy to raise money, not difficult to take part in a wide range of protest activities, so long as their actions are transparent, a United Nations human rights expert says. (26-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)
 

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)