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The winners of the 11th annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards we announced on 24 March in London. This year much attention was paid to those who struggle against censorship and promote freedom of expression, transparency, human rights and democratic change.

Human Rights Centre “Viasna” protests against the “black list” of people of art, forbidden to be mentioned in Belarusian state media. According to the information from independent sources, people on the list – both national and foreign artists, such as Pet Shop Boys, Jude Law, Lyapis Trubetskoy, right, happened to be out of favour with the Belarusian authorities.

У Вільні ў Доме правоў чалавека 31 красавіка ў 14.00 адбудзецца прэзэнтацыя кнігі “Акрэсьцінскія Будні”. Удзел прымуць укладальнікі кнігі Сяржук Лацінскі і Антон Каліноўскі.

The presentation will be hosted at the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius by the book compilers, Siarhei Lacinski and Anton Kalinousky. The book is containing real stories of real people who served administrative punishment in isolation of lawbreakers at Akrestsin Street in Minsk in 2006-2008.

The Helsinki Foundation For Human Rights appealed to the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez concerning the situation of political prisoners in Belarus. According to the Polish and international media reports, individuals being in opposition to Alexander Lukashenko, are victimized, imprisoned, put on trial. This takes place with no respect of international human rights’ protection standards, such as absolute prohibition of torture.

Праваабарончы цэнтр “Вясна” пратэстуе супраць “чорнага спісу” дзеячоў культуры, згадваць пра якіх у дзяржаўных СМІ Беларусі забараняецца. Па звестках СМІ, у спіс трапілі асобы, няўгодныя беларускім уладам па палітычных прычынах, у тым ліку папулярныя беларускія і замежныя творцы, такія як Pet Shop Boys, Джуд Лоў, “Ляпіс Трубяцкой” (на фота).

Since 1946, Polish law has entitled those deprived of their possession after World War II to compensation. Poland continuously failed to implement this provision. Experts believe that Poland may soon be forced to award compensation to all the persons entitled to it. The legal basis is provided for in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The 8th Docudays International Human Rights Documentary film festival opens today, Friday 25 March, in Kiev, Ukraine. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Association is a coorganiser to the festival. HRHF’s Niels Jacob Harbitz is a member of the jury for the festival’s human rights documentary programme.

20 years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a new major UN Conference on Sustainable Development has been called, to take place in Rio in June 2012. Preparations are going on, in the UN system, among governments and in civil society organizations. The main focus of the conference shall be on Green Economy in the context of Sustainable Development and Poverty eradication, and the issue of international governance of sustainable development.

The Human Rights House Tbilisi is inviting journalists (from regions and from Tbilisi) to the Workshop on public data accessibility.
The main purpose of the workshop is to develop journalists’ skills in accessing public information.
Participants of the workshop can be representative of any media (print and electronic) from Tbilisi as well as from different regions of Georgia.
HRH Tbilisi will cover travel expenses of regional journalists after presenting the documentation.
Workshop will be held at HRH Tbilisi on April 8, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Address: Tbilisi, Niko Nikoladze str. 7 (entrance from the yard)
Tel: 935227
Interested journalists can sent us CV and Motivation Letter via the following email: mediacentre.hrht@gmail.com
Deadline for the application: 6 p.m., April 4, 2011

Today representatives of many international human rights organisations, including members of the Human Rights House Network, addressed president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite to take leadership in advocating for the release of political prisoners in Belarus. Human Rights Watch in its new report tells about a post-election crackdown in Belarus, mistreatments, pressures on relatives and lawyers.

On 13 March, Azerbaijani courts sentenced at least 30 people who took part in peaceful protests on 11and 12 March to between 5 and 8 days in prison. The trials were closed to the public. The rallies, in the wake of the mass protests in the Middle East, protested government corruption and called for the Azerbaijan leadership to resign.