Latest

Human rights defenders and their NGOs working on the rights of women or related to gender face more and more risk, including those working on sexual rights, such as the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people (LGBT). The United Nations needs to send a strong signal.

On issuing decisions denying refugee status to foreigners, the Office for Foreigners (OF) automatically banned them from re-entering Poland, despite the fact that there was no legal ground for imposing such a ban. The [Polish] Refugee Council revoked such decisions. Only in September 2013 did the Office inform about its change of practice in this regard. Currently, the HFHR calls on the OF to revoke their negative decisions issued before a change of policy.

Human Rights House Network program for lawyers and human rights defenders “International Law in Advocacy” supports the multifaceted cooperation with the ODIHR OSCE, the results of which were new workshops for participants and the Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Human Rights Activists

Программа Сети Домов прав человека для юристов и правозащитников «Международное право для защиты общественных интересов» поддерживает разноплановое сотрудничество с ОБСЕ БДИПЧ, результатами которого стали новые обучающие семинары для участников и руководство для подготовки программ и обучению правам человека.

Упраўленне Вярхоўнага камісара Арганізацыі Аб’яднаных Нацый па правах чалавека выпусціў новы даведнік для прадстаўнікоў грамадзянскай супольнасці аб тым, як выконваць рэкамендацыі ААН ў сферы правоў чалавека. Ён можа прапанаваць добрыя прыклады таго, як павысіць эфектыўнасць і бачнасць міжнародных працэдур і стандартаў на нацыянальным узроўні.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights launched a new guide for civil society on how to follow up HR recommendations. It may offer good examples on how to increase the efficiency and visibility of international procedures and standarts at the national level.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard the case of Łukasz Kasprowicz, a blogger charged with insulting on his blog the mayor of Mosina, Zofia Springer. The case has been pending for four years now. In January this year, the Circuit Court acquitted the blogger. However, the mayor of Mosina filed a cassation complaint with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment, remanding the case for retrial.

Belarus is the last in Press Freedom Index among the countries of the “Eastern Partnership” program of the European Union. Due to the continuous occurrence of disturbing signals about situation with mass media the International Observation Mission sent a special representative to Belarus.

X.Y. and Z.W. submitted a petition to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament arguing that Poland violated their rights as European Union citizens. Petitioners noted that Poland’s refusal to enter in the Polish register of births, deaths and marriages the information about them concluding a civil partnership abroad had violated their right to a family life and free movement of persons.

Беларусь — апошняя ў Індэксе свабоды прэсы сярод краінаў «Усходняга партнерства» Еўразвязу. Праз пастаяннае з’яўленне трывожных сігналаў у галіне СМІ ў Беларусі была прызначана адмысловы Прадстаўнік Міжнароднай азіральнай місіі.

Members and partners of the Human Rights House Network (HRHN) and the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders condemn the continued harassment of the Azerbaijani Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre in the aftermath of the Presidential elections of 9 October 2013.

Last week in Geneva, the Polish Government provided explanations to the UN Committee Against Torture regarding the periodic report on the implementation of the Convention against Torture. Wojciech Wegrzyn, Under-secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice led the Polish ten-member delegation.