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A group of Ugandan human rights organizations called on the Ugandan authorities to commit to improvements to protect human rights as part of their campaign for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. In a letter sent to the Ugandan government yesterday, the organizations, as part of a wider international coalition working around the Council elections, called for national legislation to comply with core human rights treaties.

Norwegian PEN, The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Human Rights House Foundation and Article 19 condemn the illegal confiscation of material and documentary footage from the Norwegian filmmaker Erling Borgen and the cameraman Dag Inge Dahl in Baku Airport on May 6, 2010.

Center for Peace Studies – CMS took part in drafting the Act on Elimination of Discrimination in the Republic of Croatia – ZDS. Legal experts in the Republic of Croatia, evaluated the law itself as passable, but had remarks to make on the shortcomings of certain parts and provisions of the Act. Their remarks are mostly on the lack of a certain hierarchy between discriminatory basis.

6 траўня Вярхоўны суд вынес прысуд па справе Мікалая Аўтуховіча: ён асуджаны на пяць гадоў і два месяцы калоніі ўзмоцненага рэжыму за незаконнае захоўванне і перавозку пяці патронаў і паляўнічай вінтоўкі. Абвінавачванні ў падрыхтоўцы тэрарыстычных актаў супраць чыноўнікаў былі знятыя, але справа ужо названая новым “палітычным заказам” уладаў.

English PEN is seriously concerned about the deteriorating health of imprisoned Chinese activist and dissident writer Hu Jia, who was hospitalised for tests in late March 2010. Requests for medical parole have been denied. Hu Jia is serving a three-and-a-half year sentence for ‘inciting subversion of state power’ for his critical writings and dissident activities.

In a letter to the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Sayed `Ali Khamenei, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, together with the seven other organisations of the Human Rights House in Oslo and the Oslo Center for Peace and Huamn Rights, call upon the Iranian authorities to immediately release Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, as he is solely detained for his peaceful human rights activities.

A jailed Syrian lawyer, who has defended leading opposition figures in his homeland, has won Martin Ennals price – an international award for human rights defenders. Muhannad al-Hassani, detained since July, is the second laureate from Syria in five years to be awarded the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.

On 3 May in Geneva the UN Council on Human Rights began its session within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review procedure. On 12 May Republic of Belarus will go through this procedure as the UN member-state where the HR situation causes concerns of the international community.

The upcoming election in Burma was discussed on 26 April 2010 at a seminar in Oslo. According to the participants, new election laws, as well as the new constitution that was pushed through in a farce of a referendum in 2008, have created ground rules that clearly favour the military junta. Seminar was organized by the Oslo Center, in cooperation with Norwegian Church Aid, the Norwegian Baptist Society and the Norwegian Burma Committee.

According to the recent research of National Institute for Public Health of Republic of Croatia (HZJZ), it is important to increase the number of employed women with disabilities, enable them to undergo re-training and additional education, and to provide them with social support “through self-help groups’’ and creative work.

3 траўня ў Жэневе адкрылася сесія Рады правоў чалавека ААН у межах працэдуры Універсальнага перыядычнага агляду. 12 траўня гэтую працэдуру пройдзе і Беларусь – як адна з краінаў-чальцоў ААН, сітуацыя з правамі чалавека ў якой выклікае шмат папрокаў з боку міжнароднай супольнасці.

The Arroyo government drops the pretence it is capable of prosecuting its political allies implicated in the slaughter of reporters. The only hope for the victim’s family is that the upcoming elections on 10 May 2010 in Philippine will deliver change argues Harry Roque, counsel representing 14 victims of the Maguindanao massacre in domestic and international litigation.