Latest

Fra en bakgård i Oslo kjemper journalistene i Democratic Voice of Burma mot et av verdens verste diktaturer. Vi følger tv-kanalen når de går live for første gang under Burmas hittil eneste valg siden 1990, og dekker løslatelsen av demokratiforkjemperen Aung San Suu Kyi direkte minutt for minutt.

The HFHR’s Strategic Litigation Programme has won the European Award for Partnership in the Public Interest bestowed by the Public Interest Law Network (PILnet) for the most effective public-interest collaboration with law firms in 2011. The Award was handed out during the 2011 European Pro Bono Forum in Berlin. PILnet is a global organisation acting to strengthen civil society through inspiring and engaging lawyers in public interest actions.

This year, WATCH DOCS organisers have invited Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese human rights and peace activist, to sit on the jury of the Festival. In this way, they joined the “Empty Chair” campaign. As one of the signatories to the “Charter 08″, Liu Xiaobo called for bringing democracy to and abolishing the one-party system in China. In 2010 Mr Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Belarusian side has sent a response to a joint letter drafted by nine international human rights organizations, in which human rights defenders expressed concern regarding amendments to the legislation as well as their consequences and urged the Council not to adopt the changes. However, the official Minsk did not pay attention to the letter, and the amendments were adopted.

Беларускі бок даслаў адказ на сумесны ліст дзевяці міжнародных праваабарончых арганізацый, у якім праваабаронцы выказалі занепакоенасць унясеннем паправак у заканадаўства і іх наступствамі і заклікалі Савет Рэспублікі папраўкі не пацвярджаць. Аднак афіцыйны Мінск на гэта ўвагі не звярнуў, папраўкі былі зацверджаныя.

The new media regulation law in Hungary is broad, uncertain and inconsistent with basic standards of media freedom, states the international partnership mission to Hungary. There is also a threat that media owners will discipline or sack journalists writing on controversial matters as they may attract complains and huge fines as a result.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), English PEN has produced ‘Beyond Bars’, a mobile exhibition highlighting ten of the most significant cases they have worked on since 1960.

Index on Censorship organises a panel debate on science and transparency to launch the science issue.

International Conference “The Arab Spring – and Beyond” will focus on countries where the uprisings have not succeeded and on those where they have, but where freedoms are still fragile.

The Court of Appeal revoked the judgement in the case of Waldemar T. charged with a high-profile murder at Palisadowa Street in Warsaw. The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has been taking an ongoing interest in the trial against Waldemar T. for more than ten years. In the recent judgement, issued in November, the Court of Appeal in Warsaw once again ordered re-trial.

A former Kirti monk set fire to himself in a protest on the main street in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) county town just before noon on October 15, according to exiled Tibetan sources. Norbu Damdrul, a 19-year old former monk at Kirti monastery in Ngaba, shouted “We need freedom and independence for Tibet,” and called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet as his body was burning

In preparation of the upcoming meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Subcommittee on Justice, Liberty, Security and Human Rights and Democracy (Brussels, 24-25 November 2011) the Norwegian Helsinki Committee participates while presenting a paper outlining some the main challenges of human rights in Azerbaijan. NHC in particular emphasized the deficiencies in the rule of law and the sharp increase in the number of political prisoners in the country. NHC also present a list of political prisoners and bring up the lawless situation in the Autonomous republic of Nakhchivan