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Several Belarusian HR organisations and respected HR defenders sent a joint address to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Margaret Sekaggya. Their letter vividly describes a tight if not dangerous situation where most Belarusian HR defenders find themselves at the moment. In particular, the address centres on the faith of Ales Bialiatski, right, the HR Centre Viasna co-chair.

Leading Iranian journalist Taghi Rahmani arrested on 9 February, several journalists and bloggers have been summoned for questioning by the Revolutionary Guards and the intelligence ministry in various parts of the country ahead of a demonstration called by government opponents for 14 February in solidarity with the Egyptian and Tunisian peoples.

On February, 15 President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanethem Pillay and representatives of human rights organizations.

Georgia is among those states where over the course of a year, many legislative changes are made. Some experts and members of the public have responded positively to the corresponding changes, and others have expressed disapproval. This article briefly discusses the amendments implemented in the Georgian legislation during 2009-2010.

On February 16, at 4:00 pm, the video-studio of the Human Rights Center HRIDC.TV will screen a new documentary entitled “The Disappeared”, which focuses on the puzzling disappearances of several individuals within Georgia. This film by Giorgi Janelidze highlights the lesser-known facts and aspects to these disappearances.

In June of 2005, a religious man Sadardin Palangov, “Gara Mola”, disappeared under strange circumstances in Sadakhlo village in the Marneuli district.

In October of 2009, ethnic Chechen, Deputy Culture Minister of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria (in exile) Said-Husein Tazbaev disappeared in Tbilisi.

Nothing is known about 17-year-old Giga Elizbarashvili, who disappeared in the Vachnadzeani village in Gurjaani district on September 17, 2010.
Vasil Tsiklauri, 14, disappeared from the village of Arkhiloskalo in Dedoplistskaro district on September 26, 2010.

The resulting investigation has not been unable to provide any resolution to the abovementioned incidents, nor has it been able shed light on the reasons behind these disappearances.

Currently, 907 people have disappeared in Georgia that is serious number for such a small country like Georgia.

The screening will take place at the Cinema House, in Dzmebi Kakabadzeebi Str. 2 Tbilisi.

The Human Rights Center

Where: Tbilisi, Dzmebi Kakabadzeebi Str. 2 Host: Cinema House

On 11 February the inmates of the settlement colony 156/13 in Ust-Kamenogorsk, left the colony for a vacation until 6 March. The only inmate who was denied this vacation was the well-known human rights activist Evgeniy Zhovtis, after serving more than a year in the semi-open colony without being allowed to leave the territory.

February 17, 2011 ‘Mother’s Right’ Foundation will hold its annual press-conference ‘We need other army’.
The Chairwoman of the Board Veronika Marchenko will present a report.
She will focus on such urgent problems as death of soldiers in the army, statistics of complaints from soldiers’ parents, presentation of social poster, problems of conscripts, etc.

В четверг, 17 февраля в 12-00 часов Фонд «Право Матери», с 1990 года
защищающий права родителей погибших солдат, – проводит большую ежегодную
пресс-конференцию на тему: «Нам нужна ДРУГАЯ армия!».

На пресс-конференции выступят:Председатель Правления Фонда «Право Матери» Марченко В.А.

Основные темы выступлений: причины гибели солдат в российской армии, статистика обращений в Фонд 2010 года, акция памяти «Я погиб в российской армии», презентация
социального плаката Фонда, проблемы призывников, анонс-приглашение на мероприятие 23 февраля «День Памяти и Скорби по всем погибшим в армии».

The Draft Law on Personal Data Protection adopted by the first hearing of Georgian Parliament contradicts its aim of strengthening data protection mechanisms and restricts the inviolability of private life. Moreover, it fails to reach a balance between the right of private life and freedom of information, thus violates Georgia’s international obligations.

“At first the lawyer had agreed to defend Ira. We had signed the agreement. One day she suddenly called and declined to represent our daughter,” the father of a famed journalist Iryna Khalip shared. That was the second lawyer who refused to defend the mother of the “family of political prisoners”, right. Lawyers from neighbouring countries have no doubts that their Belarusian colleagues are being pressed by the regime.

Łukasz Kasprowicz, a young journalist and blogger, has been sentenced to a 10 – month freedom restriction and 300 hours of community service. On his blog, he often criticized his hometown mayor. The court found him guilty of defamation. The verdict has triggered a heated debate about freedom of expression in Poland.