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Members and partners of the Human Rights House Network and the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders call upon political leaders in Georgia to stop slandering non-governmental organisations with unfounded accusations and suggestions that their work would harm the country. Since October 2013, public verbal attacks against human rights organisations by leading political figures in Georgia have increased. The situation is starting to resemble to an anti-civil society campaign.

The team of the Digital Security School DSS375 has updated and added information, directly relevant to Belarus, to the Security in-a-box Guide. Security in-a-box Guide, originally developed by the Tactical Technology Collective and Front Line Defenders, allows one to learn more about the risks and dangers that beset modern man in a complex digital world.

Команда Школы цифровой безопасности DSS375 обновила и дополнила руководство Security in-a-box информацией, актуальной непосредственно для Беларуси. Руководство Security in-a-box, изначально разработанное организациями Tactical Technology Collective и Front Line Defenders, позволяет лучше узнать риски и угрозы, которые подстерегают современного человека в сложном цифровом мире.

In accordance to the special report of Public Defender of Georgia, Right to Adequate Housing, 9 805 families have willfully occupied 401 buildings in Tbilisi. Among them, 4 170 families have already legalized their flats, 5 635 families continue living in the buildings without any legal grounds. The majority of the citizens willfully living in these flats are socially vulnerable people. One part of the buildings, where citizens willfully live now, belongs to the state; another part has private owners. What does the government do to eradicate the problem of homeless people and to provide socially vulnerable citizens with adequate housing?

Article 411 of the Criminal Code provides punishment for disobedience to the administration of the penal facilities for prisoners held in the such facilities. Now this article and, consequently, the extension of imprisonment term, have been used against political prisoners. In 2012, Zmitser Dashkevich was convicted under Article 411 of the Criminal Code for one more year of imprisonment a few months before the end of his term, in February 2015 – a few days before his release – so was Mikalai Dziadok.

Trial into the criminal case against Azerbaijan human rights defender Rasul Jafarov was renewed in the Baku Court on Grave Crimes at 11:00 am on March 31; locals said during Tsarist Russia the building of the court was used as a stable for horses. Representatives of the EU Mission and US Embassy in Baku, of local and foreign nongovernmental organizations attended the hearing. Meydan TV, Radio Liberty/Free Europe and Voice of America were only media organizations to observe the trial.

Фільм будзе паказаны на рускай мове з англійскімі субтытрамі. Абмеркаванне з перакладам з/на англійскай/ беларускай будзе мадэраваць спадар Віціс Юрконіс, праектны дырэктар Freedom House ў Літве.

The film will be in Russian with English subtitles. Discussion with translation in/to English/Belorussian will be moderated by Mr. Vytis Jurkonis, Project Director of Freedom House in Lithuania.

Артыкул 411 Крымінальнага кодэкса Рэспублікі Беларусь прадугледжвае для зняволеных, якія ўтрымліваюцца ў папраўчых установах, пакаранне за злоснае непадпарадкаванне патрабаванням адміністрацыі. Цяпер гэты артыкул і, адпаведна, падаўжэнне тэрмінаў пазбаўлення волі, сталі выкарыстоўвацца супраць палітвязняў. У 2012 годзе за некалькі месяцаў да заканчэння тэрміну пазбаўлення волі на год быў асуджаны па артыкуле 411 КК Зміцер Дашкевіч, у лютым 2015 – за некалькі дзён да выхаду на свабоду – Мікалай Дзядок.

The population of Tchiatura district blames the company Georgian Manganese of polluting the environment. The company is obtaining and processing manganese in the region. The district majoritarian MP in Tchiatura, Malkhaz Tsereteli, said in 2014 that the environment in Georgia was damaged for 327, 5 million lari. Out of that 324 million lari, which is 99% of the total damage, is in Tchiatura municipality.

The credibility of the investigations into the killings and violence which occurred during the Euromaidan in Kiev failed to reach European standards, a panel of experts established by the Council of Europe said. We have repeatedly called upon the Ukrainian authorities to conduct investigations and hold those guilty accountable for human rights violations and crimes.

The 28th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council ended on Friday, 27 March 2015. It left civil society with mixed feelings; the Council did not address worrying human rights situations. However, they managed to establish new standards, in particular on the protection of privacy.