Latest

Dominika Bychawska-Siniarska, director of the Observatory of Media Freedom in Poland has been awarded the Article 54 Journalists’ Prize by the Polish Journalists Association. Article 54 of Poland’s Constitution stipulates that “The freedom to express opinions, to acquire and to disseminate information shall be ensured to everyone. Preventive censorship of the means of social communication and the licensing of the press shall be prohibited”.

The Ministry of Justice informed HFHR that Minister Jarosław Gowin, while commenting on the allegations against Zbigniew Siemiątkowski in the investigation of secret CIA prisons in Poland in a radio interview, based his comments exclusively on his assumptions as to the possible course of the proceedings.

In the Special Rapporteur’s assessment, human rights remain systemically and systematically restricted, especially in the case of the freedoms of association, of assembly, and of expression and opinion, as well as the guarantees of due process and fair trial.

“Chernobyl Way” rally in memory of the victims of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster of 1986 took place in Minsk on 26 April. Despite the fact that the action was authorized by the city authorities, it ended with detentions and arrests.

The organization Human Rights Embassy launched a project called “Stop torture in Moldova “. Within the framework of the project lawyers participating in distance human rights learning program work with the issues of impunity; timely, effective and complete investigation of cases of torture and ill-treatment, inhuman conditions of detention, and other related human rights violations, which are relevant for Moldova.

26 красавіка ў Мінску прайшла акцыя “Чарнобыльскі шлях” у памяць ахвяр аварыі на Чарнобыльскай АЭЧ у 1986 годзе. Нягледзячы на тое, што акцыя была дазволеная гарадскімі ўладамі, яна скончылася затрыманнямі і арыштамі.

On Tuesday 30 April 2013 the United Nations Human Rights Council will review Azerbaijan’s human rights situation under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Организация Human Rights Embassy запустила проект под названием «Остановим пытки в
Молдове». В рамках проекта юристы- участники дистанционной программы обучения правам человека работают с вопросами безнаказанности, своевременного, эффективного и полного расследования случаев пыток и жестокого обращения, бесчеловечных условий содержания и других сопутствующих нарушений прав человека, которые актуальны для Молдовы.

For the tenth time, the Pro Bono Lawyer Award has been given by the Legal Clinics Foundation and the Rzeczpospolita daily. During the award-giving gala of 17 April 2013, Rzeczpospolita also bestowed diplomas for individuals and firms featured in the eleventh edition of the law offices ranking.

Upon the Helsinki Foundation’s application for judicial review, the Provincial Administrative Court has reversed the decisions of the Chief Commissioner of the Police who refused to answer the HFHR’s original question about Police statistics on the use of GPS as a covert investigative method. At the same time, the Court obliged the Chief Commissioner to give an answer to this question.

On 15 April the première viewing of the film about torture and ill-treatment of people by the officers of security forces in Belarus was held in Vilnius Skalvija cinema . Also the discussion with the director, human rights defenders, former political prisoners and relatives of those who faced the violence from the side of law enforcement officials was organized.

The US Department of State has issued a report on human rights practices for 2012. 61-page report on Georgia reflects the main human rights trends in the country.