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The small town of Mtwapa in the coastal town of Kilifi may make history if it hosts Kenya’s first gay wedding planned for Friday. Two men are said to have announced the wedding, to be held at a hotel. News of the nuptials is an open secret in the fast-growing town, famous for its vibrant night life. Some gay couples from Western countries are among dozens of guests expected to witness the marriage. News of the wedding has rattled religious leaders — both Muslim and Christian — who have united in their vow to stop it “at all costs”.

If the African Peer Review Mechanism is not to degenerate into meaninglessness, writes L. Muthoni Wanyeki, Africa’s governments, regional councils and citizens will need to revitalise its progress. The coverage of the recent African Union (AU) summit focused, unsurprisingly, on whether Libya’s Muammar al-Gaddafi would retain the chair.

Azerbaijan’s government is considering making changes and amendments to four laws to restrict the operation of the mass media.

On 20 January 2010 European Court of Human Rights communicated the case Grigoryan v. Republic of Armenia. The applicant – Vahe Grigoryan was the intern at Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights 2 years ago. The case concerns the lawyer who was arrested for defending four families living on Byuzand street in Yerevan and who was the most active out of all the defenders.

Today Youth Club Public Union started Norway Days in the Republic of Azerbaijan which will last one month.

On February 05, 2010 the trial of Arshaluys Hakobyan, monitor and human rights
defender continued at the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash districts of Yerevan. The prosecutor declined the charge brought against Hakobyan on the ground of lack of evidence. According to it the Court found the defendant innocent of crime and acquitted him.

According to the judgment of the European Court for Human Rights, Georgia shall introduce amendments to the law which was declared to be obligatory in 1997. The case deals with the citizens who were victims of Stalin’s repressions in 1937 and in fact it is precedential. European Court passed verdict against Georgia in the case “Kiladzes VS Georgia” and imposed the state to pay compensation to the victimized families.

Состав приглашаемой аудитории: сотрудники РИЦПЧ, юристы, в том числе адвокаты, специализирующиеся в области защиты прав человека и сотрудничающие с НКО.

Участников семинара поприветствуют Б.Н. Пантелеев, эксперт, руководитель агентства правовой информации «Человек и Закон», Е. Адрова, координатор проекта «Дистанционное обучение юристов международным механизмам обжалования», Л. Ульяшина, менеджер программы «Международное право в правозащитной деятельности», Фонд Домов прав человека, Норвегия, участники образовательной программы (юристы и адвокаты из регионов России), приглашенное лицо (представитель Информационного Офиса Совета Европы в России или одного из правозащитных НКО)

В рамках семинара участники будут ознакомлены с целью учебной программы, методами обучения, ожидаемыми результатами, программой Moodle и ее использованием в процессе обучения, библиотекой проекта и т.д . Будет проведен обзор тем первой и второй частей, итоговых заданий и их оценки. Планируется также обсуждение учебной программы участниками, включая выявление приоритетных тем, определение общего уровня подготовки участников и их ожиданий от участия в проекте.

Russian Research Center for Human Rights holds a positioning seminar for the participants of the project ‘Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers” which is a part of an international educational program for lawyers and human rights defenders.

The international human rights body has called on Moroccan authorities to cease a ban on foreign travel against selected Sahrawi activists, saying it hampers the freedom of movement. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said since August 2009, the government has revived an arbitrary and repressive measure, which it had used frequently more than a decade ago to bar Sahrawis’ from traveling abroad.

Wahhabis living in the village of Gornja Maoca near Brcko District, after the police action “Svjetlost” set the checkpoint at the entrance to their village and started legitimating everyone who is unknown to them.

The Belarusian police are increasingly harassing and intimidating independent journalists by charging them with relatively minor offences. This practice should stop at once if the government really intends, as it claims, to turn Republic of Belarus into a democracy, stated Reporters without Borders. The Belarusian Association of Journalists vows support to its members in all possible ways.