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Appeal Statement of Nongovernmental Organizations to Parliament of Georgia to Nominate Mr. Ucha Nanuashvili on the position of Public Defender of Georgia

On 15th November 2012 Norwegian PEN will mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer.

Index on Censorship and ARTICLE 19 are concerned about recent attacks on freedom of expression in Greece, where, at the time of the economic crisis, the authorities are attempting to limit criticism of the government. It is not an appropriate response for a democratic European government to limit press freedom in order to protect political power, the NGOs say.

On 9 October Minsk Economic Court ruled to close the institution for the protection of prisoners’ rights “Platforma” in Belarus for violation of the tax laws. Belarusian human rights defenders view the closure as an attempt to pressure the civil society in Belarus. “Platforma” has lodged an appeal against the decision of the court.

While the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women welcomes legislative improvements and Turkmenistan’s submission of its country report, it also notes that it is “seriously concerned about attitudes and policies reinforcing discriminatory traditional norms, harmful practices, patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes”.

On October 25-27, regional meeting of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders was held in Tbilisi based hotel Bomondi. The main topic of the conference was intimidation on human rights defenders and lawyers in the South Caucasus countries. They planned joint strategic campaign and drafted recommendations to the governments of South Caucasus countries.

Recently Norwegian Minister of Development Erik Solheim announced that Norway will make an assessment of the legitimacy of developing countries’ debt to Norway. This means that the government will be the first ever to carry out a creditor’s debt audit.

Установа па абароне правоў вязняў «Платформа» падала апеляцыйную скаргу на рашэнне Мінскага гаспадарчага суда аб закрыцці арганізацыі, вынесенае 9 кастрычніка.

The European Court of Human Rights delivered the judgment in the case of K. versus Poland. The Strasbourg Court found that the coercive placement of a legally incapacitated person in a nursing home was in violation of the right to liberty.

The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Łukasz Kasprowicz, a blogger charged with defaming Zofia Springer, the mayor of Mosina, a town located in Poznań in western Poland. In June 2011 the blogger was acquitted by the Circuit Court in Poznań. A large part of the cassation complaint lodged by the private complainant was dismissed by the SC. In the Court’s opinion the Circuit Court’s judgment was free from the inadequacies identified in the complainant’s cassation.

On October 29, the Georgian Center for Psycho-Social and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT) gave a press-conference in the office of the Open Society –Georgia Foundation on the Conditions of Juvenile Prisoners.

Index on Censorship, Committee to Protect Journalists and ARTICLE 19 joined more than 40 international media organisations demanding urgent action by governments, the United Nations and industry to stop violence against journalists and end impunity in attacks on the press.