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English PEN encourages its members and supporters to send seasonal greetings to imprisoned writers and their families.

The IGPPD supported the proposal of the HFHR which advocates that the type of information included on case lists should be regulated by universally applicable legislation. n October 2012, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights addressed the Inspector General for the Protection of Personal Data on the issue of entering personal data in case lists displayed in courts. The HFHR requested the IGPPD to consider bringing this problem to the attention of the Minister of Justice.

Open Society Foundations and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights have the pleasure to announce the next of the series of Marek Nowicki memorial lectures. Lecture entitled “Constitutional Interdependence between the Constitutional Tribunal and the Human Rights Defender. Human Rights Protection” will be held by Professor Ewa Łętowska.

4 снежня суд пастанавіў накіраваць палітвязня Мікалая Дзядка (на фота) для далейшага адбыцця пакарання ў турму. Прычынай стала тое, што яго прызналі нібыта «злосным парушальнікам рэжыму» ў калоніі, дзе ён адбываў пакаранне папярэдне.

On 29 October Belarusian lawyers and human rights defenders, the participants of the “International Law in Advocacy” program met with Ombudsman of Ukraine Valeriya Lutkovska (right) in Kiev at the the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

The office of Norwegain Helsinki Committee partner in Belarus, prominent NGO ‘Viasna’, led by the imprisoned human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, was confiscated on 26 November. The move was the last fulfilment of the illegal conviction of Bialiatski just over one year ago. NHC has protested this last blow against Viasna through the network Civil Society Platform.

FIAN International and other NGOs denounce the health plight of hunger-striking farmers arbitrarily imprisoned in Paraguay.

On 29 November 2012 Lord Justice Leveson issued a report on how the press should be reformed in the UK. Free speech organisations welcome the proposal for swift and low cost dispute resolution. However they express serious concerns about the incentive to create an “independent” press regulator underpinned by legislation.

On 7 December 2012, the 12th edition of the International Film Festival WATCH DOCS. Human Rights in Film will be launched. The Festival’s Programme includes nearly 90 films divided into five permanent sections, three retrospectives and a competition.

English PEN, in partnership with YouGov, invites you to join us for a breakfast panel debate on Thursday, 6 December to discuss the implications of Sir Brian Leveson’s proposals for press regulation and press freedom.

Index on Censorship and the Frontline Club will be bringing together a reactive debate, with former Daily Star reporter Richard Peppiat, Media Standards Trust Director Martin Moore and others to be announced, chaired by the BBC’s Torin Douglas, to discuss the findings of the Lord Justice Leveson report and what it will mean for the future of the British press.

The European Court of Human Rights delivered the judgment in the case of Joanna Szulc v. Poland. The ECtHR found that the right to respect for private life set out in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated by denying the applicant access to all the security service documents concerning her deposited with the Institute of National Remembrance. This is the first case on access to INR files lost by Poland in the ECtHR.