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Juvenile diversion and mediation program was launched in November, 2010 in the framework of justice reform. The Program aims to completely discharge juvenile offenders from criminal liability to launch a criminal case against them or to drop the already launched proceeding. Nowadays diversion and mediation program is being implemented in six cities of Georgia and 74 juveniles have been diverted so far.

On 24 December, at the age of 84, died Viktar Bialiatski, father of convicted human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. Before that, Ales’ wife Natallia Pinchuk has made every effort to get the permission for the meeting of the son and the father. However, Bialiatski did not manage to meet his father, nor was he allowed to attend the funeral. Later he was convoyed to Minsk morgue for parting with his father.

Around 150 young people from Belarus and from the Norwegian youth organisation, Fantasiforbundet, joined the forum”Youth for a safe, just and human world” in Belarus from 3 to 4 December 2011

24 снежня на 84 годзе жыцця памёр Бяляцкі Віктар Усцінавіч, бацька асуджанага праваабаронцы Алеся Бяляцкага. Перад гэтым жонка Алеся Наталля Пінчук прыклала ўсе намаганні для таго, каб сустрэча сына і хворага бацькі была дазволеная. Аднак сустрэцца з бацькам Бяляцкі так і не паспеў.Спачатку праваабаронцу не дазволілі прысутнічаць і на пахаванні, але потым пад канвоем прывезлі развітацца.

The importance of New Media has been discussed in Georgia during last few years. The advantage of new media is mainly in its democratic essence – users are the part of it as they participate in creating media product by themselves. According to experts, new media is still under development in Georgia and has less readers than traditional one, however, time by time it is becoming an alternative source of information.

The prolonged series of arrests and prosecutions indicates systematic use of the anti-terrorism law by the Ethiopian government to silence opposition politicians and the independent media. This week’s conviction of two Swedish journalists by an Ethiopian court on charges of supporting terrorism is emblematic.

The torture murder by the security agents in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave, remains unsolved, even though the family members of the murdered Turac Zeynalov presented video footages confirming the tortures.

Human Rights House Foundation condemns the arrests of several hundred people demonstrated after the Duma election in Russia on the 4th of December and call upon Russian authorities to respect freedom of assembly.

Danuta Przywara, HFHR President, and Bogna Chmielewska, Foundation’s expert, received Bene Merito medals awarded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski. The Minister bestowed the distinctions in recognition of Ms Przywara’s and Ms Chmielewska’s work for human rights in countries of the former USSR. The awards were given in particular in appreciation of the HFHR’s efforts in and commitment to human rights advocacy in Belarus.

On 19 December, the EU-Ukraine Summit was held in Kiev, marking the conclusion of negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. On this occasion, the HFHR issued an open letter to raise the issue of the recent decrease in the level of human rights protection in the Ukraine. The open letter was drafted as part of the Europe of Human Rights programme.

On 19 December 2011, the action in memory of the violent crackdown on peaceful protest after presidential elections that happened a year ago was held in Minsk. This year, the rally has again ended with brutal detentions and arrests.

19 снежня ў Мінску прайшла акцыя памяці пра жорсткі разгон мірных дэманстрантаў пасля прэзідэнцкіх выбараў 19 снежня 2010 года. Сёлетняя акцыя таксама скончылася жорсткімі затрыманнямі і арыштамі.