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Since 2012, guarded centres for foreigners have undergone visible changes, including the relaxation of the regime. Nevertheless, many things still need to be improved, reads the report “Still Behind Bars” published by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Association for Legal Intervention.

On 2-3 June 2014 the graduates of the “International Law in Advocacy. Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers” project will participate in the conference dedicated to the analysis of conditions and guarantees of realization of professional advocacy activities in Vilnius.

2-3 июня 2014 года в Вильнюсе выпускники проекта “Международное право в правозащитной деятельности. Дистанционное обучение адвокатов правам человека ” примут участие в конференции, посвященной анализу условий и гарантий осуществления профессиональной адвокатской деятельности.

On 2-3 June 2014, an international conference “Lawyers: Human Rights Protection and Professional Security Guarantees” will be held for lawyers and legal professionals from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania. Participants of the conference are the graduates of the Human Rights House Network project “International Law in Advocacy. Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers”, as well as experts from bar associations from Europe and the USA.

2-3 июня 2014 года, в Вильнюсе пройдет конференция «Адвокаты: защита прав человека и гарантии осуществления профессиональной деятельности» для практикующих адвокатов и юристов из Азербайджана, Беларуси, Молдовы, России и Украины. Участниками конференции станут выпускники проекта Сети домов прав человека “Международное право в правозащитной деятельности. Дистанционное обучение адвокатов правам человека “, а также эксперты из профессиональных ассоциаций адвокатов Европы и США.

In the run-up to the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship, which was held on 9-25 May in Minsk, the regime of president Lukashenka took ruthless action against the political opposition in Belarus. About 40 people have been arrested and sentenced to between 5 and 25 days in prison: thus, the Belarusian authorities attempted to round up all those prepared to raise their voices against the appalling state of human rights in Belarus, during this ice hockey world championship.

On 26 May 2014 the Court on Grave Crimes has sentenced the two Azerbaijan human rights defenders Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanli to respectively 5 years and 6 months imprisonment and 3 years and 6 months.

Напярэдадні Чэмпіянату свету па хакеі 2014, які прайшоў з 9 па 25 мая ў Мінску, рэжым прэзідэнта Лукашэнкі распачаў бязлітасныя меры супраць палітычных і грамадскіх актывістаў Беларусі. Агулам каля 40 чалавек былі арыштаваныя і асуджаныя на тэрміны ад 5 да 25 сутак – так улады спрабавалі ізаляваць ты, хто падчас чэмпіянату свету па хакеі быў нібыта гатовы выказацца супраць жудаснага становішча з правамі чалавека ў Беларусі.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has presented its comments to the draft premises of a law whose primary objective is to abolish legal incapacitation. The draft aims to replace incapacitation with a system of subsidiary custody, adjusted to the individual needs of a person experiencing difficulties with exercising their capacity to perform acts in law.

Unprecedented heavy rainfall that hit the Western Balkans since 13 May calling for urgent humanitarian response in a highly volatile and diverse region. The international community, including the European Union and the United Nations, are currently assisting the responsible governments in the regions to distribute aid. In the current situation, it highly important that the governments incorporate a rights-based approach in their humanitarian assistance to ensure protection and avoid violation of human rights in a chaotic situation.

“Speaking on behalf of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, I would like to express our concern over the hostile behaviour of certain media outlets towards the Human Rights Defender, Professor Irena Lipowicz which was a reaction to her letter to the Minister of National Education regarding anti-discrimination education in pre-schools”, reads the open letter signed by HFHR’s President, Danuta Przywara.

There are billboards installed on the entrance to Belarus from Poland to remind of Belarusian political prisoners. At the same time it is dangerous to remind of political prisoners in Belarus itself – Robert Hårdh (right), the head of Sweden’s Civil Rights Defenders human rights group was detained at the entrance to Čyžouka Arena, the place where the hockey game were held, for a special jersey with the Ales Bialiatski’s name on it.