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On November 5-7 Vilnius hosted the international conference “Human rights defence by legal assistance. The best practice of European countries. ” Lawyers and human rights defenders from Belarus, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan discussed issues related to the activities of lawyers in those countries and tried to find possible solutions.

5-7 лістапада ў Вільні прайшла міжнародная канферэнцыя «Абарона правоў чалавека шляхам прадастаўлення прававой дапамогі. Лепшая практыка еўрапейскіх краін». Адвакаты і праваабаронцы з Беларусі, Расіі, Грузіі і Азербайджану абмеркавалі праблемы, звязаныя з дзейнасцю юрыстаў у гэтых краінах і паспрабавалі знайсці іх магчымыя вырашэнні.

Fritt Ord invites the public to a discussion about and a preview screening of the documentary film “The Voice of Burma” by Turid Rogne at Uranienborgveien 2 in Oslo, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday 15 November 2011.

At the request of the Chief of the Warsaw Police Force, 24 observers of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights were sent to observe rallies held on the Poland’s Independence Day. The Foundation’s experts watched the gatherings which came together at Plac na Rozdrożu, Plac Konstytucji and Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw. The rallies were marred by a number of riots and clashes between police and demonstrators.

The trial against Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski on allegations of large scale concealment of income is part of a broader campaign to silence human rights defenders, says the joint statement of Article 19, Index on Censorship and English PEN.

Human Rights defenders in Georgia complain that during the last three years they have faced different forms of pressure and intimidation which have included threats or fabricated charges e.g., espionage, physical and verbal assault, and irregular inspections by state organs. They also complain about stigmatization and smear campaigns in media and by high ranking officials.

A year on from the 2010 Nobel Prize Ceremony, English PEN, the founding centre of the international association of writers, are delighted to present two documentaries on last year’s Peace and Literature Prize winners – Chinese dissident writer Liu Xiaobo and Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa – both of whom have a long history of working with PEN.

To mark the inaugural International Day to End Impunity on 23 November, join Index on Censorship and Article 19 in demanding justice for journalists’ murdered in the line of duty.

To: Wednesday, 23. November 2011 Where: worldwide Host: Members of a global network the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). More info: www.daytoendimpunity.org/

10 November 2011, Associated Press reports that a Ugandan court has sentenced a man to 30 years in prison for killing a gay rights activist.
A high court judge on Thursday handed down the sentence to the man who admitted that he bludgeoned David Kato to death with a hammer in January.

On Wednesday, 9 November 2011, the District Court in Lublin discontinued the proceedings against S.P., accused of including defamatory statements in his review of the book by M.P., Professor at the Catholic University of Lublin and a member of the European Parliament. At the same time, the Court announced that the statements of reasons would be presented in seven days.

On 4 November Frank Mugisha, the laureate of rafto prize 2011, in his keynote address at the Rafto Symposium spoke about his work for LGBT people in Uganda and the challenges human rights defenders are facing. The annual Rafto symposium included a number of famous human rights defenders who talked about challenges HR defenders are facing in the future.