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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.

The democracy- and human rights activist, Vaclav Havel, died on 11 December. -With Vaclav Havel’s death, Europe has lost one of their great leading stars for democracy, a champion of humanism and human rights in Europe, says Bjørn Engesland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

On 19 December last year we witnessed thousands of peaceful citizens gathering in central Minsk, protesting the oppression and the stolen presidential elections. That night all hope of progress was shattered as we saw police forces batter the protesters and arresting them by the hundreds. Presidential candidates, opposition leaders, civil society leaders and unorganized citizens were all herded into vans and brought to prison. Thousands fled, running away from soldiers and police beating indiscriminately. Belarusian citizens keep running still a year later

Just before midnight on 15 December – coincidentally national day for remembering killed Russian journalists – the founder of the independent weekly newspaper Chernovik, Khadimurad Kamalov, was shot dead in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan.

The HFHR was approached by the attorney for X.Y., a litigant in several commercial proceedings pending before the Circuit Court in Z. The initial analysis of two rulings made in these proceedings shows that their wording, to a major extent, repeats the content of two earlier cases decided by other adjudication panels of the same Court. The only differences are details such as case numbers or dates of events.

On 13 December, the traditional prize for the extraordinary achievements in the field of human rights was awarded to five people. Ales Bialiatski was recognised as the human rights defender of the year unanimously.

On 14 December the Constitutional Tribunal examined the constitutionality of the press registration requirement. The Constitutional Tribunal found that Article 45 of the Press Law providing for the criminal liability for the failure to register a journal or magazine is in violation of the freedom of expression and the right to obtain opinion.

13 снежня у Мінску ўручылі традыцыйную прэмію за выключныя дасягненні ў галіне абароны правоў чалавека, лаўрэатамі якой сталі пяць чалавек. Лепшым праваабаронцам года адзінагалосна прызнаны Алесь Бяляцкі.

Join a demonstration on 19 December to mark a year since Lukashenko’s vicious crackdown on dissent and political opposition in Belarus.