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Belarusian “Iron Lady” Natallia Piatkevich who hosted a meeting with a group of media freedom NGOs in Minsk had a hard task to defend the country’s Soviet-style media regulation system. The group, including London Human Rights House’s representative Rohan Jayasekera, yielded to no persuasion: they urged Belarusian authorities to bring the media environment in compliance with international standards.

Група арганізацыяў па свабодзе прэсы, 20–24 верасня наведаўшы Беларусь, заклікала ўлады краіны прывесці нацыянальную медыясферу ў адпаведнасць з міжнароднымі стандартамі. Удзельнікаў дэлегацыі, сярод якіх і прадстаўнік Лонданскага Дома правоў чалавека Роан Джаясекера, прымала “жалезная лэдзі” Наталля Пяткевіч.

The Belarusian Assembly of NGOs has issued its preliminary assessment of the regime’s activities in terms of improving the situation in the field of NGOs in the context of expiry of another period of EU sanctions towards Republic of Belarus.

Асамблея дэмакратычных НДА Беларусі агучыла свае папярэднія ацэнкі дзеяньняў беларускіх уладаў па нармалізацыі становішча няўрадавых арганізацыяў у сьвятле заканчэньня чарговага пэрыяду прыпыненьня санкцыяў з боку Эўрапейскага Зьвязу.

Under the presidency of Ahmadinejad, banning Kurdish students from higher education based on their political and religious beliefs has increaased.

The Belarusian authorities indirectly conceded that having criminal penalties for activities of unregistered organisations was something abnormal. Hopes were elevated when the Ministry of Justice relied to a call from NGO Civic Republic of Belarus (Czech Republic) about abolishing the infamous Article 193.1. However, later journalists learnt that the official, who signed the letter, had not actually read it.

IRFS Nakhchivan regional correspondent Elman Abbasov has been receiving death threats.

Улады Беларусі ўскосна прызналі, што прыцягваць чалавека да крымінальнай адказнасці за дзейнасць ад імя незарэгістраванай арганізацыі – ненармальна. Надзею падаў адказ Міністэрства юстыцыі на зварот арганізацыі “Грамадзянская Беларусь” (Чэхія) аб скасаванні адыёзнага артыкулу. Аднак пазней высветлілася, што чыноўнік Мін’юсту падпісаў адказ, нават не чытаючы яго тэксту.

Human Rights House of Sarajevo supports the realization of the second Queer Sarajevo Festival – Festival as Any Other, which opens today and runs until 28 September.

Malahat Nasibova, right, known as the journalist who won’t be silenced – is awarded the Rafto Prize for 2009. She receives the prize for her courageous and unwavering struggle for a free and independent press.

As Iran’s president was preparing to address the UN General Assembly, the Index on Censorship published an appeal by Malu Halasa who called for the release of her friend and colleague, Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, right. “Mr Ahmadinejad, free Maziar Bahari. You can cut down a thousand forests and wait for them to grow back again, but you won’t find another like him”, – wrote Halasa.

‘It is a timely reminder that the junta intensifies its crackdown on activists before the planned sham election in 2010’, – says Inger Lise Husøy, Director of Norwegian Burma Committee. The report describes the repression, intimidation and harsh prison sentences Burma’s monks experienced after they led demonstrations against the government in September 2007.