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Norwegian PEN today awards the author Ebba Haslund, right, the Ossietzky award for her outstanding contribution to freedom of expression. Haslund, born in 1917, publishedher first book in 1945, is translated into 16 languages, and has received several awards for her authorship. She has also been the leader of the Norwegian Author’s Association. (15-NOV-06)
 

On November 9th, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled that the Russian Federation was responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of two Chechens, a father and son, and the killing of a Chechen woman, whose body was found later in a mass grave. The Strasbourg court obliged the Russian Federation to pay an indemnity to relatives of victims.  (13-NOV-06)
 

The Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) invites to an open meeting on 15 November with Ahmet Turk, right, and Aysel Tugluk, both leaders of the Democratic Society party (DTP) in the Republic of Turkey. DTP is a legal party, which since 2001 has had 55 mayors in municipalities in the Kurdish regions of Republic of Turkey. DTP will run for parliamentary elections in the Republic of Turkey in November 2007.  (13-NOV-06)

To mark the release of the book ´To be a Chechen – testimonies from the children of war,´ the Norwegian Helsinki Commitee and the publishing House Humanist forlag invite Wednesday 22 November to a seminar on this topic at the Human Rights House in Oslo. The editors of the book, Irina Stsjerbakova and Grigorij Sjvedov from the Russian human rights organisation Memorial, will be present to tell about the project that lead to the making of the book. (13-NOV-06)
 

A seminar devoted to the observation (monitoring) of court hearings was held on 10 November 2006 within the confines of the program: “Court monitoring as a method for activation of students of law and economics in the Republic of Poland and other Central-Eastern European and former CIS countries”. Leaders of nongovernmental organizations from Slovakia, Bulgaria, Moldova, the Ukraine and Romania were the seminar’s participants. (11-NOV-06)

If you or anyone you know wishes to learn a little bit more about Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), this is the best gift this Xmas. But be quick, the Norwegian Burma Committee sells the book ´Prisoners in their own country´ at a reduced price only until its official release in a few weeks´ time. At the heart of the book stand two peace prize laureates; Aung San Suu Kyi and Min Ko Naing. (10-NOV-06)
 

On Thursday 23 November, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) hosts a seminar at the Human Rights House in Oslo, asking such crucial questions as: How do Russian journalists experience their everyday working conditions? Was the murder of Anna Politkovskaya a unique incident? What can Norwegian journalists do to support their colleagues in Russia? (10-NOV-06)
 

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Rafto Foundation, a declaration was presented by the Rafto Laureates who were present in Bergen: Vo Van Ai on behalf of Thich Quang Do, Lidija Jusupova, Rebiya Kadeer, Paulos Tesfagiorgis, Shirin Ebadi, Ian Hancock, ECPAT, Peter Molnar, Leyla Zana, Trivimi Velliste and Jan Hajek on behalf of late Jiri Hajek. Their declaration calls for a renewed international commitment to human rights. (09-NOV-06)
 

The Rafto Foundation in cooperation with the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) invites to the open symposium on “Human Rights and Economic Development”. The symposium takes place on Thursday, November 23 from 9:30-16:00 at NHH. (09-NOV-06)

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Rafto Foundation, a declaration was presented by the Rafto Laureates who were present in Bergen: Vo Van Ai on behalf of Tich Quang Do, Lidija Jusupova, Rebiya Kadeer, Paulos Tesfagiorgis, Shirin Ebadi, Ian Hancock, ECPAT, Peter Molnar, Leyla Zana, Trivimi Velliste and Jan Hajek on behalf of late Jiri Hajek. (09-NOV-06)
 

On 26 September Berlin´s Deutsche Oper cancelled the performances of Hans Neuenfels’ production of Mozart´s 1781 opera Idomeneo (pictured right) because of a police tip-off that the show could incur Muslim displeasure. Despite speculation that the opera will be rescheduled with extra security measures the action has led to renewed concern in the West that fundamentalism and the threat of violence has led to increased self censorship and is threatening one of our most valued fundamental rights – freedom of expression. (10-NOV-06)
 

The Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) has released another issue of its magazine ´Tema Kurdistan ,´ this time focussing on the dual pressure for democratization and increased respect for human rights that Republic of Turkey is subjected to these days, both from within, most notably over the Kurdish issue, and from outside, where the EU question remains the most dofficult to answer. In this issue, says its editor Liv Kjølseth, right, the authors of many of the articles argue in favour of a stronger emphasis on the Kurdish issue within the EU. (09-NOV-06)