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9 снежня беларускія і замежныя праваабаронцы спрабавалі перадаць у адміністрацыю Аляксандра Лукашэнкі скрынкі, у якіх знаходзяцца 165 тысяч подпісаў грамадзянаў 30 краін свету. Гэтыя людзі заклікаюць кіраўніка Беларусі скасаваць смяротнае пакаранне альбо ўвесці мараторый на яго выкананне. Але прыняць гэтыя подпісы ў адміністрацыі адмовіліся.

The defence of all human rights depends on media freedom and pluralism. This makes it urgent to counter government restrictions and monopoly tendencies, says Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on the eve of International human rights day (10 December). International organisations honour imprisoned journalists (179) worldwide.

Intigam Aliyev was detained for more than 24 hours at the Istanbul airport since Tuesday evening, 6th of December 2011. He reported that he had been beaten by the immigration officer twice before he was deported to Baku, late evening on the 7th of December.

In its address to the Minister of Health, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights warns that ‘as from 1 January 2012, protection of patients’ rights in Poland may be significantly weakened’ as a result of the controversial amendment to the Drug Reimbursement Act. The amendment is coming into force in January 2012.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights together with the Horizon Group Against the Death Penalty called President Alexander Lukashenko to pardon Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov, the two men sentenced to death for bombing the underground railway in Minsk. According to the organisations such a ‘humanitarian gesture’ would be ‘worthy’ of the nation led by Mr Lukashenko.

On 5 December the participants of parallel Conference of Civil Society of OSCE countries in Vilnius discussed the problematic issues related to human rights in Belarus.

5 снежня на форуме грамадзянскай супольнаcці АБСЕ ў Вільні абмеркавалі праблемныя пытанні, звязаныя з правамі чалавека ў Беларусі.

A delegation with members from Norwegian and Danish PEN was denied visa at the Minsk airport and had to return home. At the Minsk airport in Belarus on December 5th a delegation with members from Norwegian PEN, board member- William Nygaard, publisher- Trygve Åslund and secretary general- Carl Morten Iversen) and Danish PEN board member and journalist- Niels-Ivar Larsen was denied visa and, consequently, entry to Belarus

On the 12-14 December Norasia arranges the Conference of the Network for Asia Studies at the University of Oslo. The theme is “Asia’s Century: Where is the Asia Research?” There will be a special panel discussion at the conference dedicated to the Norwegian Burma research.

In celebration of the international Human Rights Day, December10, the human rights organization FIAN International invites people worldwide to participate in an art contest.

According to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as many as 8-10,000 defamation cases a year had been filed against journalists and media outlets for defamation in Russia. Recent amendments to Russia’s defamation legislation – including partial decriminalisation of libel and insult – will not improve the situation for the media in the country, says Article 19.

according to Bjørn Engesland the general secretary of Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Duma elections in Russia from the very start seem to be unfair and undemocratic. There have been serious complains regarding election monitoring, vote counting and other related procedures. Independent national observers all over the country have registered countless violations in the election legislation, including pressure against voters to vote for the ruling party United Russia