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In a statement sent today to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the Prosecutor´s Office of Vitebsk, the General Prosecutor´s Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Human Rights House Foundation expresses its concern with the recent harassment of the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik, right. Read the full statement below. (02-JUNE-08)
 

The harassment of the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik causes concern.

The Norwegian shipping company R-Bulk apologizes that one of their vessels has transported phosphates from Western Sahara, and say they will do their utmost to prevent it from happening again. The company is praised for its good corporate social responsibility. On Friday 30th, it was revealed that the Norwegian shipping company R-Bulk has been involved in transporting 15.000 tonnes of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara to Colombia. The shipment was done on the vessel ‘Radiance’ in middle of April. (01-JUNE-08)
 

On May 29-30, the conference “Article 193-1: Posture and ways to overcome consequences” took place in the Belarusian HR House in Vilnius, Lithuania. The meeting organized by the Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs of Republic of Belarus dealt with the problem of criminal responsibility for activity of unregistered non-governmental organizations. (01-JUNE-08)
 

In April this year, a vessel belonging to the Norwegian ship owner company R-Bulk, transported 15.000 tonnes of phosphate from occupied Western Sahara to Colombia. The Norwegian trade union Industry and Energy, as well as the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and Western Sahara Resource Watch today protests the shipment. The phosphate industry in the occupied country takes place in violation of international law. (30-MAY-08) 
 

In March of this year a homeless women died in a sobering-up facility in Poznan. The cause of death was most probably due to the use of very strong insecticides inside the facility. There was hardly ever a doctor present on site, although he was supposed to examine the people transported to the facility. Following these events a discussion swept across the Polish press in connection with the need for these types of institutions to exist and operate.(29-MAY-08)

The Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds invites to an open meeting today at 16.15 at the Human Rights House in Oslo. Keynote speaker at the meeting is Hemen Saidi, who represents KDP and teaches in exile at the University of Arbil. Saidi will give a presentation of the political situation in Islamic Republic of Iran in general, and about the situation for the Kurds in particular. (29-MAY-08)
 

A Cabinet committee tasked to advise the government on taming critical media is considering a constitutional amendment that deletes the provision on freedom of the press. The sub-committee headed by Public Service Minister, Henry Muganwa Kajura, right, was formed after three separate Cabinet papers on the management of the media failed to find consensus in Cabinet. (29-MAY-08)
 

A contest carried out with financial support from Open Society Institute of the Media Rights Center – Assistance Fund on the topic of “Journalist investigations on the situation of human rights” has concluded. The presentation of prizes took place in the International Press Center on 26 May. (28-MAY-08)
   

On 19 May 2008 PACE Monitoring Group held the press conference on the results of Monitoring Committee of PACE. During this conference co-rapporteurs of Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe Andreas Herkel and Yevgeniya Jivkova’s touched the question, related to the freedom of speech situation in the Republic of Azerbaijan and criminal cases against journalists in the country. (21-MAY-08)
   

Basing on minor technical pretexts, the Ministry of Justice liquidated the registration of Election Monitoring Center on 14 April 2008, three months after the organization got registration. According to the chairman of the EMC, Anar Mammadli (right) “the closure of the center is directly connected with the 15 October presidential elections. We have right to freedom of association. Utilizing this right we’ll continue our work with or without registration”. (16-MAY-08)  
    

The Society for Humanitarian Researches produced a film “Nagorno Karabagh – consulting with the society”. The film is based on the questions and answers of political scientists and representatives of NGO-s, participating in the peacemaking process related to the issue of Nagorno Karabagh. It is planned to translate the film to Russian, English and German languages. The first presentation of the film will be held in the Republic of Turkey and Germany. (08-MAY-08)