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After a string of murders targeting journalists in the Russian Federation, their security is still in question.

Twenty years on from the fatwa, the threat to freedom of expression and artistic freedom remains. The current campaign at the UN over defamation of religion is in essence an effort to legislate an international blasphemy law.

-The government and the international community must respond to the crisis and put in place the protection that society needs including defending the right of journalists to work without intimidation,-Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

Belarusian law enforcement agencies decided to celebrate the International Day Against Torture in their own, unique style. Detained a day earlier, on 3 February, opposition activists from Homiel were forced to strip naked during a search.

The founder of the Election Monitoring Center, Anar Mammedli, has filed a lawsuit in the Sabayil District Court against the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

In advance of the muf-conference a seminar will be organized for ‘MUFerne’ and their supporters.

The objective of the conference is to create the political will to find a human solution to the muf-matter, and to strengthen and unify the broad involvement many already have in this matter.

The seminar will focus on both the hydropower resources in Turkish Kurdistan, exemplified by the controversial Illusudam project, and the management of oil resources after the 2005 constitution in Iraqi Kurdistan.

On the morning of 4 February 2009, the Working Group on the UPR examined the human rights situation in the Russian Federation. The large delegation was led by the Justice Minister, Aleksandr Konovalov, right. Over 60 States attempted to present a broad range of questions and recommendations, although time constraints resulted in over 20 States being unable to speak.

Republic of Azerbaijan was reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group on February 4. Its delegation was led by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Khalaf Khalafov, right. During the session it was a challenge to create a constructive dialogue with the Azerbaijani delegation on the problems the country has with the implementation of its legal framework.

More than two weeks have passed since the murder of human rights defender Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. What has been done to investigate the crime and bring the persons responsible to justice?

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute, is deeply concerned over recent death threats made against journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.