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The United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of State of Eritrea took place on Monday 30 November 2009. As you know, a coalition of Eritrean Diaspora communities submitted a joint report for this occasion. The coalition consisted of Eritrean Australian Mercy Association Inc., Eritrean Community in Australia Inc., Eritrean Global Solidarity, Network of Eritrean Civil Societies – Europe, and Suwera Center for Human Rights. The Awate Foundation coordinated the coalition’s work and submitted the report on its behalf. The Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) provided technical and editorial assistance and facilitated the advocacy carried out by representatives of the coalition who were present at the Human Rights Council in Geneva during the review.

Norwegian PEN, the Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee are alarmed by the information that representatives of Special Operative Department (SOD) of Adjara region within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia have attempted to exert pressure and blackmail Tedo Jorbenadze, head of the investigative reporting team of the “Batumelebi” Newspaper. We call upon the Georgian authorities to promptly investigate both this and previous incidents of pressure on “Batumelebi” and to take all appropriate measures to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all journalists in Georgia.

The members of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders and the Human Rights House Tbilisi are alarmed by the information that representatives of Adjara Autonomous Republic Division of Special Operative Department (SOD) within the Ministry of Interior of Georgia have attempted to exert pressure and blackmail Tedo Jorbenadze, the head of the investigative reporting team of the “Batumelebi” Newspaper. We call upon the Georgian authorities to promptly investigate this and previous incidents of pressure on “Batumelebi” and take all appropriate measures to ensure safe and enabling environment for all journalists in Georgia.

The Human Rights House Foundation, Georgian Human Rights Centre and the Human Rights House in the Republic of Croatia are concerned about the continuous oppression of the freedom of expression in the Croatian media, especially its public services. This is a second Croatian human rights activists’ alert in the year 2009; unfortunately, there was no proper response or elicited activity on the part of the Government or the Croatian Parliament.

Statement by Malahat NASIBOVA, Director of the “Democracy and NGOs Development Resource Centre”; Winner of the 2009 International RAFTO prize for Human Rights.

34 members of the Human Rights House Network sent a letter of concern to the Azerbaijani authorities today, condemning the unfair sentence of the two bloggers on 11 November and deploring the deterioration of freedom of expression in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Human Rights House Foundation, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Rafto Foundation, the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders and the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in Vilnius are concerned about the noticeable tendency in the Republic of Azerbaijan to put local non-governmental organisations under increased government control following the recent amendments to the NGO law. The amended law allows the government to collect information on NGOs without referring to any specific purpose articulated in this or other laws.

ARTICLE 19 is shocked at the killing of Maksharip Aushev, a well-known activist from Ingushetia. Aushev was killed on 25 October in Kabardino-Balkaria, a neighbouring republic of Ingushetia, when his car came under fire from another passing vehicle. Aushev’s cousin, who was travelling with him, was badly injured in the attack.

The Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee deeply regret the Supreme Court of Belarus’ ruling to uphold the decision of Vitebsk oblast court against human rights defender Leonid Svetsik.