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Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was, from its beginning, a problem: the country was not showing enough efforts to improve its human rights record and true willingness to implement recommendations made by Council of Europe mechanisms. Since it acceded to the chairmanship in May 2014, the record became even worse, with an unprecedented repression of civil society on-going in Azerbaijan.

On 26 September the photo exhibition “Revolution of dignity – in the heart of the events” was opened at the Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House. Photojournalist Marianna Hardy (right) who presented pictures of Kiev protests of the late 2013- early 2014, told those, who were present, about her experience and what she saw there, answered the question and even showed rubber bullets, that were shot at protesters and the press.

Villages – Plavi, Plavismani and Kveshi are located near the ABL, adjacent to the occupied South Ossetia. The road finishes with wire-fence 150 meters away from the Georgian blockpost. The 150 meter distance is a risky zone, where person can be kidnapped and taken to Tskhinvali for alleged “violation of the border” and keep you in prison before paying 2 000 Russian rubles. De-facto authority of South Ossetia calls it “administrative fine.” Nobody is secured from the so-called “blind shooting” in the direction of the Georgia controlled area from the 150-meter zone.

Днямі ў Вільнюсе (Літва), у Беларускім доме правоў чалавека імя Барыса Звозскага адбыўся выпуск навучэнцаў адукацыйнага праекту “Імплементацыя дэ-факта міжнародных абавязацельстваў Рэспублікі Беларусь у галіне грамадзянскіх правоў і свабод” праграмы “Міжнароднае права для абароны грамадскіх інтарэсаў”. Праграму рэалізуюць сябры міжнароднай Сеткі дамоў правоў чалавека дзеля падвышэння кваліфікацыі праваабаронцаў і іх падтрымкі.

26 верасня ў Беларускім доме правоў чалавека імя Барыса Звозскава прайшло адкрыццё фотавыставы “Рэвалюцыя годнасці – у эпіцэнтры падзей». Фотакарэспандэнт Марыяна Хардзі (на фота) прадставіла здымкі кіеўскіх пратэстаў канца 2013- пачатку 2014гг., распавяла пра ўбачанае, адказала на пытанні прысутных і нават прадэманстравала гумовыя кулі,якімі стралялі ў пратэстоўцаў і прэсу.

First in 1991, the former military school building in the territory of Tbilisi Sea was occupied by the former Defense Minister of Georgia Tengiz Kitovani, when he rebelled against that time government. He camped together with his status-canceled Guardia in that building and the Tbilisi Civil War of 1990s started from there. After a while, in1993 IDPs from Abkhazia sheltered the building and still live there though their accommodation was “temporary” shelter.

Upper Mleta village in Dusheti district has been in the zone of natural disaster for several years already. Aragvi River running through the village threats locals every season of flood. At the same time, the river might get blocked by the landslide fallen from Lomisi Mountain, that will finally flood the village. Residents of Upper Mleta have been waiting for the resettlement into safer place for several years already.

Side-event at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Addressing the crisis in Ukraine, which is the result of the violent repression of peaceful protestors from end of November 2013 to February 2014 by the Ukrainian government, will need full accountability for human rights violations on all sides. The sense of impunity continues to grow in the country, as investigations into killings of EuroMaidan protestors are still awaited and those holding arms in Eastern Ukraine enjoy a sort of immunity sponsored by the Russian Federation for their crimes.

In an unprecedented move, the United Nations monitoring and inspection body on torture has decided to suspend its visit in Azerbaijan “due to obstructions it encountered in carrying out its mandate” it stated in a press release on 17 September 2014.

We firmly denounces systemic patterns of violations of the right to freedom of association, which serves the sole purpose of harassing, prosecuting and imprisoning critical voices, including human rights defenders in various countries of the OSCE-region, including the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation.

Report, presented to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provides an overview of situation with the human rights in Belarus. Human rights defenders have expressed anxiety about the lack of real progress on key problem spheres of human rights in the country,
noting concrete steps of the implementation of the recommendations made and accepted by Belarus in the first cycle of the UPR.