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The Women´s League of Burma has released a new report System of Impunity exposing ongoing sexual violence by the regime´s armed forces throughout Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), as they continue to build up their military infrastructure and consolidate control in every part of the country. Women and girls in all the ethnic states, as well as in Central Burma have suffered experiences of rape by SPDC military personnel, including gang rape and murder, sexual slavery and forced ‘marriage.’ The report details ongoing incidents of sexual violence, as recently as July 31, 2004, when a 12-year-old Palaung ethnic girl was raped in Shan State. (13-SEP-2004)
 

In June 2004, Leyla Zana accepted an invitation from the Rafto Foundation to come to Bergen in September. She was also invited to a meeting with the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Norwegian Parliament. On September 10 Leyla Zana’s daughter announced to the Rafto Foundation that her mother at present is not allowed to leave Republic of Turkey. (11-SEP-2004)
 

The National NGO Forum held a news conference in protest against Armenian officers’ planned visit to Baku to attend NATO military training under the Partnership for Peace program due 13-26 September in Baku. (10 Sep 2004)
 

On Wednesday, 8th of September 2004, Open Society Institute in the Republic of Croatia organized a meeting with NGO representatives invovled in the emergence of Human Rights House in Zagreb. Topic of the discussion was the Roma project and the possibilities of co-operation between the partners and the Open Society Institute. (10-SEP-2004)
 

On 3 September judge of Minsk Tsentralny Borough Court Natallia Vaytsiakhovich declined the complaint of Vera Stramkowskaya, attorney of the public activist Mikhail Marynich with the request to find illegal the prolongation of the detention term at investigative ward for Marynich, who is charged with illegal storage of arms. (9-SEP-2004)

At 9 p.m. on 7 September all Belarusian TV-channels – BT, Lad, ONT and STV broadcast the appeal of Aliaksandr Lukashenka to citizens of Republic of Belarus, in which he declared referendum in order to stay president for the third term athwart Belarusian Constitution. This referendum is combined with the Parliamentary election that will take place on 17 October. (9-SEP-2004)

In May 2004 the police detained the head of the strike committee of entrepreneurs Valery Levanewski and his substitute Aliaksandr Vasilyew. Both of them were charged with insult to president for distribution of a flys-sheet with satyrical poerm on 1 May. Aliaksandr Vasilyew was also charged with organization of unauthorized meeting on that day. On 8 September both of them received severe sentence. (9-SEP-2004)

International Week in Bergen, to be held on September 18-24, will focus on the UN millennium goals for poverty reduction, aimed to be achieved within 2015. International Week is arranged and supported by The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the City of Bergen, the UN-Association – Western Norway in cooperation with several organizations and institutions, like the Rafto House. The Rafto House will especially emphasize the right to education as described in Art. 26 in the UN Declaration for Human Rights. (09-SEP-2004)
 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has made an extraordinary statement calling all political parties for dialogue and reconciliation, Assa Irada news agency reported. Although such implications were made earlier by the President, they were not followed by any specific actions. Aliyev confirmed his proposal by issuing a decree pardoning 266 people, including the notorious separatist Alikram Humbatov, charged with high treason, and other individuals included into the Council of Europe list of people regarded as political prisoners. This is the fourth amnesty decree signed by Ilham Aliyev during his presidency. (09-SEP-2004)