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On 7 October 2006, Russian journalist, author and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya was found shot dead in an elevator in her Moscow apartment building. Three years later, no-one has been brought to justice for her brutal murder.

On the eve of the anniversary of Anna’s murder, RAW in WAR honours her memory and the work of other women like her in the world, by presenting the annual Anna Politkovskaya Award to a courageous human rights defender from Iran.

To mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, the Writers in Prison Committee will be holding our annual service at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, English PEN hosts a special screening of a classic documentary written and presented by Michael Frayn.

Hassan Blasim is a poet, filmmaker and refugee of the Iraq War. His debut short story collection, The Madman of Freedom Square, is a dark excursion into the chaos of contemporary Baghdad, an allegorical snapshot of recent Iraqi history and a rare critique of the refugee experience in Europe.

The PEN/Pinter prize will be awarded annually to a British writer of outstanding literary merit whose work encapsulates the principles of freedom and truth that Harold Pinter upheld throughout his writing career.

On 2 September 2009 Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights directed a letter to the Ministry of Justice concerning the compatibility of search of premises in criminal proceedings with European Convention of Human Rights. The doubts concerning compliance this regulation with the Convention rose as a consequence of judgement Rachwalski and Ferenc v. Republic of Poland (application no. 47709/99).

A number of highly respected international rights organisations backed the Norwegian Helsinki Committee on Turkmenistan. A letter to Western governments and multinational companies, promoting greater consideration of HR when interacting with official Ashgabad, was presented on 29 September at the OSCE Human Dimensions Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in Warsaw.

This report is the third of a series designed to inform policymakers and other interested parties about developments in the Republic of Belarus during the ongoing Dialogue Process with the EU. The Dialogue Period is an opportunity to bring Belarus’ legislation and respect for human rights and freedoms back in line with European and international standards and practices.

The Rafto Laureate will receive the award during the official ceremony. Artists will perform in honour of the Laureate. Torchlight procession takes place after the ceremony.

The Rafto Symposium 2009 wishes to focus on the role, challenges and responsibilities of the press under oppressive regimes.

ARTICLE 19 believes the latest draft resolution by UN Human Rights Council on freedom of expression is “a breakthrough”. Still, the NGO recommends omitting another vague concept of “negative stereotyping of religions” in the document.