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Voluntary organisations, institutions and individuals worldwide are welcome to nominate candidates for the 2011 Rafto Prize for Human Rights. The Rafto Prize, awarded in memory of Norwegian professor Thorolf Rafto, is awarded to an individual or organisation that embodies and upholds the principles of the Human Rights Charter through activism or engagement.

Voluntary organisations, institutions and individuals worldwide are welcome to nominate candidates for the 2011 Rafto Prize for Human Rights. The Rafto Prize, awarded in memory of Norwegian professor Thorolf Rafto, is awarded to an individual or organisation that embodies and upholds the principles of the Human Rights Charter through activism or engagement.

Two months after the presidential elections in Belarus, independent media outlets and human right defenders are still facing unprecedented levels of repression and harassment and the numbers of prosecutions are on the increase. Three journalists are still held in detention. All those who have been prosecuted continue to face the possibility of long years of imprisonment.

In North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, violent conflict persists between government forces and an array of military groups. The frontlines constantly shift, and local people are trapped in the middle – often cut off from medical care. In and around Pinga, an MSF team has been reaching out to populations trapped by the conflict by running mobile clinics via motorbike and providing medical services to people who have no other hope of getting medical care.

У Беларусі рэпрэсуюць адвакатаў палітвязняў. Ліцэнзіі скасавалі чатыром юрыстам; фармальная прычына – за адмову абараняць кліентаў. Адвакаты насамрэч былі вымушаныя адмовіць палітвязням у паслугах, бо іх прымусіла КДБ, пагражаючы адняць ліцэнзію. Абуральныя факты ціску на беларускую адвакатуру – у звароце праваабаронцаў да адпаведнага спецдакладчыка ААН.

Amnesty International (AI) is concerned about the ongoing impunity for war crimes in Croatia and calls on authorities to investigate and prosecute all cases committed during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. Witnesses, who could provide necessary evidence through their testimonies, are reluctant to do so due to ongoing threats and intimidation against them. The victims and their relatives are left without access to justice and reparation.

In January 2011, a Mongolian family was taken into custody of the Border Guard. The family lived in Poland for the last eleven years and faced deportation after failed efforts to legitimize their stay in the country. In January 2011 the eldest of the three children of the family made headlines when he defended his engineering thesis at Krakow’s University of Science and Technology (AGH) in the escort of Border Guard functionaries.

In January 2011 a lawyer of Al – Nashiri, former prisoner of CIA black site in Poland, appealed to the Polish Prime Minister for the support of the Polish Prosecutor’s requests to the U.S. authorities for legal assistance concerning extraordinary rendition. The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights joined this call and pionted at the necessity to guarantee the observance of the MLAT.

February 17, 2011 ‘Mother’s Right’ Foundation summed up the results of the activities for 2010. Press conference was held under the title ‘We need other army!’ The Chairwoman of the Board Mrs. Veronika Marchenko presented Annual report 2010 of the organization.

On January 28, 2011, in the framework of the 10th Session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Periodic Review, the Government of Georgia presented a national report on the current human rights situation. The UN Human Rights Council discussed the human rights situation in Georgia between the periods of 2006-2010 through interactive dialogue spanning three hours. Georgian authorities received 163 recommendations in total and immediately accepted 96 of them; refused 5 and discussions over 62 of the recommendations will take place over the next few months. After this time, the Government of Georgia will elaborate its final position.

Шэраг беларускіх праваабарончых арганізацый і асобных праваабаронцаў накіравалі супольны зварот на імя спецдакладчыцы ААН па пытанні аб становішчы праваабаронцаў Маргарэт Секагія. У лісце апісваецца небяспечная сітуацыя, у якую трапілі абаронцы правоў грамадзян у Беларусі, у прыватнасці, старшыня цэнтру “Вясна” Алесь Бяляцкі (на фота).

Join English PEN and other members of the Belarus Committee for a peaceful demonstration to call for the release of all prisoners of conscience and to show our solidarity with the people of Belarus.