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Architecture Advisory Council: Life without barriers
The Architecture Advisory Council in the Republic of Croatia is envisioned as a bureau where persons with disabilities and other interested citizens can get free professional advice regarding architectonic adjustments to people with disabilities. The Advisory Council provides professional help, not only to individuals and professioal institutions, but to other organizations that work on the disability issue as well.
Libyan leader elected as head of the African Union
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) deplores the election of Libyan leader Mouammar Kadhafi as President of the African Union (AU).
Russia to revise controversial treason bill
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has ordered his staff to revise a controversial bill which would loosen the definition of treason. The draft legislation, earlier backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has been met with public outrage and criticism. Opponents say the bill harkens back to the days of Soviet repression, and could potentially allow authorities to brand any government critic a traitor. A group of prominent Russian rights activists defines the bill as “legislation in the spirit of Stalin and Hitler”.
Attacks on freedom of speech in Serbia
In an official statement, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) condemns a recent attack on the Pescanik internet site and the demolition of Pescanik’s radio programme author Svetlana Lukic’s car in a parking lot near the radio building.
Plenipotentiary for equal status critizied
It has been almost a year since the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk appointed Elzbieta Radziszewska for a Governmental Agent for Equal Legal Status. Her work, in particular lack of involvement in discrimination issues, has been strongly critized by NGOs.
Russian President visits newspaper of slain journalists
Following large amounts of criticism of President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s silence in the wake of the murders of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova, Medvedev has finally responded and held a meeting with Novaya Gazeta Editor-in-Chief Dmitri Muratov and former Soviet President and Novaya shareholder Mikhail Gorbachev.
Judicial harassment of war crimes reporter continues
Reporters Without Borders condemns the charge that was brought yesterday at the behest at interior minister Tomislav Karamarko against a journalist who writes about war crimes in the 1990s. Zeljko Peratovic is accused of “disseminating information likely to upset the population” under article 322/1 KZA of the criminal code, which carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison as well as a possible fine.
HRHN lobbies at the UN
Together with delegates from the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan (HRCA), HRHF lobbies at the UN today and tomorrow in relation to Azerbaijan’s review session for the Universal Periodic Review. HRHF’s Geneva office has organised the lobbying with HRCA, who is also the Azeri partner of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).
Burma: Between the Lines
Index on Censorship and Article 19 are delighted to present ‘Burma: Between the lines’, a celebration of art and survival. This special night of theatre, performance, poetry, film and photography will celebrate the ongoing resistance and imagination of Burmese artists, writers and activists.