Latest

20 July Liudmila Alekseeva (right), the Moscow Helsinki Group Chairman, a symbol of Soviet (then Russian) human rights defenders community, celebrated her 80 anniversary. The foremost Russian opposition politicians and human rights activists, foreign states representatives gathered on the celebration. The Human Rights House Foundation staff also sent its congratulation to Liudmila Alekseeva. (25-JULY-07)
 

Civil society organisations have blasted President Mwai Kibaki for his complete lack of commitment to fight corruption in a statement issued by the Name and Shame Corruption Network (NASCON). It accuses the President of complicity with corrupt individuals and urges civil society to withdraw its support for Kibaki’s presidency during the coming general election.  Simoni Birundu (right)  is the coordinator of NASCON. (26-JULY-07)

Support to independent media helped citizens in several Balkan countries rid themselves of authoritarian, ethno-nationalist regimes. International assistance proved itself an effective way to promote democracy in the war-torn area in the period from 1996 to 2006, says in the Report – Ten Years of Media Support To the Balkans: An Assessment. (19-JUL-07)

Freedom House published its regular report about the situation with the freedom of the press. “Of the 195 countries and territories examined in the survey, three of the 10 worst press freedom abusers — Republic of Belarus, Republic of Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan — are found in the former Soviet Union”, the report says. (25-JUNE-07)
 

12-13 July in Vienna (Austria) Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held a Supplementary Meeting on Protection and Promotion of Human Rights. Liubov Vinogradova (right), Human Rights House Network Advisory Team member, made an introductory speech on the 2d day of the Meeting. She appealed OSCE to take firm measures on protection of post-Soviet area human rights defenders and to raise effectiveness of recommendations, accepted by OSCE. (17-JULY-07)
 

On Sunday, July 15 Antun Gudelj was extradited to Republic of Croatia after five years of hiding in Australia. Gudelj was convicted for twenty years of imprisonment in 1994, but the verdict was passed in absentia since he fled the country immediately after the crime. He was accused of a triple murder and an attempted murder near Osijek in 1991. (16-JUL-07)
 

9 July Valeriy Zorkin (right), the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation made an official statement. He offered to “correct” the rules for Russian citizens to go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In human rights activists’ opinion, it may essentially disable Russians to lodge their complaints to the foresaid institution. (16-JULY-07)
 

On Sunday, July 15 Antun Gudelj was extradited to Republic of Croatia after five years of hiding in Australia. Gudelj was convicted for twenty years of imprisonment in 1994, but the verdict was passed in absentia since he fled the country immediately after the crime. He was accused of a triple murder and an attempted murder near Osijek in 1991. (16-JULY-07)
 

International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, staged its 73rd Congress in Dakar, Senegal from 4 – 11 July, with more than 200 writers from over 70 countries gathered to celebrate world literature and particularly African literature. The Norwegian auther Eugene Schoulgin was elected as the new international secretary. (12-JUL-07)

On 9 July 2007, the Group Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia VIRIDARIUM organized a meeting at the headquarters of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights devoted to the anniversaries of two tragic events – the manslaughter in Jedwabne and the massacre in Srebrenica. The meeting was lead by Halina Bortnowska (right).(13-JULY-07)
 

On 9 July 2007, the Group Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia VIRIDARIUM organized a meeting at the headquarters of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights devoted to the anniversaries of two tragic events – the manslaughter in Jedwabne (10 July 1941) and the massacre in Srebrenica (11 July 1995). The meeting was lead by Halina Bortnowska (right).(13-JUL-07)
 

The committee consists of representatives of oppositional parties, NGOs and other public movements and was established simultaneously with the session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Its activity will be oriented on restoration of the victims’ rights and compensation of the material and moral harm done to them. (12-JUN-07)