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On 11 and 14 November the United Nations Committee against Torture has considered Belarus on the implementation of the Convention against torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment.

Courts and prosecutors still do not use non-custodial preventive measures often enough, says the joint report by the HFHR, the Forum of Civic Development and the Polish Business Roundtable drafted as part of the ‘Better Justice System’ project. The report examines the practical application of such measures as surety, duty to report to local police, prohibition to leave the country or suspension from work in criminal proceedings.

In Kyrgyzstan, the previous Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev has received approximately 63% of the votes in Presidential Elections that were found mostly free and fair by the observers. Violations in the electoral process were mainly related to the voter’s lists, where a significant number of the voters could not find their name and thus could not vote.

This week the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were firebombed after it named the Prophet Muhammed its “editor-in-chief” for an upcoming issue. Index on Censorship presents three comments on the topic. All of them agree that there is no room for violence against journalists in a free society and ‘fist’ is no argument.

Камітэт ААН супраць катаванняў 11 лістапада разгледзіць перыядычную справаздачу Беларусі аб выкананні канвенцыі ААН аб забароне катаванняў ды іншых відаў жорсткага і бесчалавечнага абыходжання.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee engaged on 24 and 25 October a dialogue with the Norwegian government on questions related to the implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in the country. Discussions were enriched by the Norwegian NGO Forum for Human Rights that submitted a report and its replies to the List of Issues to the Committee.

The HFHR sent a letter to the Polish Ambassador in Baku regarding the cases of human rights infringements against NGO activists in Azerbaijan. The Foundation refers in its letter to an incident that took place in August, during which headquarters of three NGOs were destroyed, also raising the issue of the Human Rights House closed in March this year.

A trial of Ales Bialiatski is under way in Belarus. Bialiatski is accused of tax evasion on a large scale. Social activists, politicians and diplomats are attending the process.

У Беларусі ідзе суд над Алесем Бяляцкім, якога абвінавачваюць ва ўхіленні ад сплаты падаткаў у асабліва буйных памерах У залі прысутнічаюць грамадскія актывісты, палітыкі і дыпламаты.

Representatives from human rights organisations, including Civil Rights Defenders, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights House Foundation and International
Partnership for Human Rights, have been denied visa for travel to Belarus and cannot attend the trial of Ales Bialiatski, leader of the human rights organisation
Viasna. This clearly shows that the trial is politically motivated.

2 лістапада пачынаецца судовы працэс над Алесем Бяляцкім. Кіраўнік Праваабарончага цэнтру “Вясна”, вядомы беларускі дысідэнт і праваабаронца абвінавачваецца ва “ўтойванні даходаў у асабліва буйных маштабах”. Замежных праваабаронцаў на суд не пускаюць. Праваабарончыя арганізацыі і ЕЗ пратэстуюць.

The United Nations Committee against Torture will review the Republic of Belarus on 11 November and 14 November 2011.