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On the 28 September 2008, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the extradition of Nikolay Ivanovich Soldatenko to Turkmenistan would constitute a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) as well as a breach of Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) and of Article 5 §1 (f) and §4 (right to liberty and security).

For over 12 years, the Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has been monitoring local prisons—publicizing deplorable prison conditions and investigating human rights violations.

“Transparency should be universal; Uganda’s oil business should be open even to the members of Opposition and the media,” says Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister of the Environment and of Development and Cooperation.

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina has published today a press release, expressing its concern regarding the long selection process of the Ombudsmen for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the need of having such institution already established.

In a fresh statement, issued today, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court expresses concern for the safety of its member Mr. Nasser Amin, director of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal profession (ACIJLP), and his Sudanese colleague, researcher Mr. Hammad Wadi Sannd, after threats were made against them because of the Center’s work on behalf of justice for Darfur.

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina signed on 3rd November 2008, the Joint Public Statement together with 33 more non-governmental organizations from the Balkan region, against the prosecution of Florence Hartmann.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today said the Sudanese government has gone back on its promise to protect freedom of the press and condemned authorities for silencing the press.

Reporters Without Borders and its partner organisation, the Burma Media Association, have obtained a copy of a directive which the military government’s censorship office recently sent to the Burmese media spelling out 10 rules for editors and the sanctions they will incur for not respecting them.

10 снежня 2008 году спаўняецца 60 гадоў з дня прыняцця Усеагульнай дэкларацыі правоў чалавека. Да юбілею гэтага найважнейшага інструмента Дом правоў чалавека ў Вільні ладзіць конкурс на найлепшую фатаграфію, якая ілюструе ажыццяўленне якога заўгодна права ці свабоды чалавека ў Беларусі.

An Ethiopian Federal High Court judge convicted an editor today on criminal charges of “inciting the public through false rumors” over a reporting mistake, local journalists told CPJ. Editor-in-chief, Tsion Girma, of the private weekly “Enbilta” is being held in Kality prison, outside the capital, Addis Ababa, pending sentencing.

With the independent and most listened-to radios closed, a plurality of political views will not be available to the public and government critics will have considerably restricted access to broadcasting media airing their views, writes Vugar Gojayev.

“The perpetrators of violence, authors of threats and calls for lynch remain undisclosed and unpunished, which gives us the right to say that the government is most frequently the inspirer and the ally, if not the direct executor of the attacks against human rights defenders”, says Srdjan Dizdarevic, president of the Helsinki Committee in Bosnia and Herzegovina.