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Top United Nations officials have highlighted the important role played by civil society in advancing human rights around the world, as a major United Nations conference bringing together some 2,000 representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 90 countries got under way in Paris today. (04-SEP-08)
 

The recently concluded 10th annual East Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa resolved to pursue Rwanda Genocide fugitives. According to the summit’s resolutions, the Council of Police Chiefs recognized that genocide is a grave crime against humanity and decided to include it in their joint police cooperation agenda. (04-SEP-09)
 

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR) is filing a complaint in the case of Wilhelmus S., who is imprisoned in the Republic of Poland and a citizen of the Netherlands. He is suffering from cancer at a serious stage but has not been provided yet with adequate medical care. HFHR argues that this is a violation of Polish and international law and that Wilhelmus S. has the right to receive sufficient medical treatment. (03-SEP-08)

The upcoming trial against Ivar Dale causes concern and the authorities of Kyrgyz Republic are urged to ensure that the trial will be fair.

Magomed Yevloyev, right, owner of opposition Ingushetiya.ru webpage, was killed in Ingushetia on 31 August, soon after the police detained him in Margas airport. ARTICLE 19 and other free expression organisations have expressed their shock and outrage over the death. (02-SEPT-08)
 

Ivar Dale, right, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) regional representative to Central Asia will be tried in a local court in Bishkek on Thursday 4 September. Dale has been accused of illegal work in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The trial is the next step in a series of attacks by Kyrgyz authorities against the NHC office in Kyrgyz Republic, which started in June 2008 when the office was raided. (02-SEP-08)
 

Magomed Yevloyev, right, owner of opposition Ingushetiya.ru webpage, was killed in Ingushetia on 31 August, soon after the police detained him in Margas airport. ARTICLE 19 and other free expression organisations have expressed their shock and outrage over the death. (02-SEPT-08)
 

In collaboration with the Georgian organizations Caucasia and Georgian Human Rights Center and the Austrian Helsinki Committee,the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) is planning to document war crimes and other violations that might have taken place in connection with the armed conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation. NHC’s Aage Borchgrevinck, right, wants to travel to Georgia in the beginning of September to start collecting data. (01-SEP-2008)
 

Navi Pillay, right, officially began her four-year term as the top UN human rights official on Monday. Ms. Pillay, who was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in July by the UN General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Secretary-General, became the fifth High Commissioner for Human Rights since the office was created in 1993. She takes over a growing organization that now has 1,000 staff working in 50 countries with a total annual budget of some US$ 150 million. (01-SEP-08)
 

Cabinet ministers accused by the official human rights watchdog of organising or funding the post-election violence have come out angrily protesting their innocence. In a series of interviews with the Daily Nation, the ministers accused the Republic of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights of spreading lies and rumours in the report presented to the Commission of Inquiry led by judge Philip Waki. (01-SEP-08)
 

Russian human rights defender, chairman of the society “Memorial” Sergey Kovalev (photo)  urged the world community to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia. In his opinion, the Russian Federation began its aggression against Georgia under the pretext of protecting Russian citizens. (31-AUG-08)

The armed conflict in South Ossetia territory and other regions of Georgia which began on 8 August is still continuing. Dozens Russian and Georgian soldiers and hundreds of peaceful innocent civilians were killed. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes to escape the bombing, artillery fire, stray bullets and looting, and ran to various regions of the Russian Federation and Georgia. The city Tskhinvali destroyed and needs to rebuild. Russian armies crossed the border of South Ossetia and remain on the territory of Georgia, in immediate proximity to Tbilisi.