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Arbitrary detention of a Belarusian student opposed by university fellows
A student of the European Humanities University in exile Mikalai Dziadok has been behind bars for more than two months now. Dziadok was detained in the wake of the so-called “case of anarchists” in early September 2010. His fellow students have appealed to the international community with a request to protest against this detention, called ‘arbitrary and illegal’ by human rights defenders of Republic of Belarus.
Azerbaijan and Burma: two countries, one strategy?
Both Burma and Republic of Azerbaijan let their parliamentary elections, held on the same day – 7 November 2010 – be followed by the release of high-profile political prisoners. While the world condemned the unfair elections, the releases of Aung San Suu Kyi and two Azeri bloggers were widely applauded. Both regimes seem to want to turn international attention away from difficult topics.
Public prosecutor is also responsible
Trade Union of Public Prosecutors and Prosecutor’s Office Employees in the Republic of Poland demands the salaries of similar amount to those of the “old” European Union countries. Due to this occurrence, Civil Development Forum Foundation together with Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, present a report by Karolina Kremens and Artur Pietryka entitled “Public prosecutor’s professional responsibility”.
The UN Committee Against Torture alarmed by severe human rights violations in Ethiopia
The human rights situation in Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is in decline. Despite the State party’s assurances that a wide range of criminal code provisions and other laws ensure that the country’s international and domestic obligations under the Convention Against Torture are met, in practice these legal provisions have no effect.
Poland has not ratified the Biomedical Convention
Republic of Poland still has not ratified the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine, although it signed this document already in 1999. What is important, in the Republic of Poland there is lack of appropriate provisions that would regulate the issues that arise in the relationship among medicine, ethics and law.
UN Member States should vote against proposed resolution on “vilification of religions”
Article 19 and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) urge UN Member States to vote against the draft resolution proposed at the current session of the UN General Assembly on “combating religious hatred and vilification of religions”. The content and implications of a new draft resolution are even more far reaching than earlier resolutions on combating ‘defamation of religions’.
Liu Xiaobo – only Nobel peace laureate still detained
The entire world applauded when Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma’s pro-democracy opposition and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, was freed on 13 November. Her release means that Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo is now the only winner of this prestigious award to remain in detention.
Azerbaijani bloggers released
On 18 and 19 November, the two bloggers – Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade were released after 16 months of detention. The releases were conditional. HRHN together with many other international rights groups has since their detention in July 2009 called on the Azerbaijani government to free the two bloggers. In their video blogg after their release, the bloggers thanks all organizations and persons for their support during their imprisonments.
Без суду і следства
Звычайны беларускі студэнт Мікалай Дзядок знаходзіцца за кратамі ўжо больш за два месяцы. Малады чалавек быў затрыманы на хвалі так званых “спраў анархістаў” напачатку верасня 2010 г. Праваабаронцы ўжо назвалі факт утрымання “адвольным”, незаконным, салідарныя з ім студэнты ўжо паспелі напісаць адкрыты ліст. Але пакуль далейшы лёс Дзядка застаецца пад пытаннем. Сітуацыя пагаршаецца і палітычным “ухілам” справы.
One year after business lawyer’s death in Russian detention
One year ago, on November 16, 2009, the Russian lawyer and whistle blower Sergey Magnitsky died in the pre-trial detention centre Matrosskaya Tishina at the age of 37. Magnitsky represented the interests of the Hermitage Capital Fund and revealed fraud from the Russian budget carried out with the participation of Russian law enforcement officers. As a result Magnitsky was arrested himself and held in prison without trial.
Civil society trimming ahead of the election in Belarus
The liquidation by a court in Minsk of the “Movement Forward”, a research and educational initiative, came as no surprise. The organization’s leader Uladzimir Niakliayeu is one of the better-known oppositional candidates to the presidential chair. Just like some other NGOs and parties have experienced, ensuring the freedom of association is clearly beyond the Belarusian government’s priorities.