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One more attempt of journalists to conduct an unauthorized picket was cruelly dispersed by police. The reporters were protesting the authorities’ attempt to evict Azadlig daily from its building and other media organizations located in the same building. About 70 people were detained during the action of protest. Some of them were released after fines and warnings. (16-NOV-06)
 

The report the nongovernmental corruption watchdog Transparency International, published on the 6-th of November, ranked Republic of Azerbaijan for the130th place out of 163 world’s most corrupted countries. The index ranks 163 countries by their perceived levels of domestic corruption in the public sector. As usual, at the top of the list are several Scandinavian countries, such as Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. (08-NOV-06)
   

ARTICLE 19, the Campaign for Free Expression,  issued a press release on 14 November calling for the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution that would call for an end to human rights violations in Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar). The Council held formal talks on the issue on 29 September. It is hoped that a resolution would help put an end to the forced labour in the country as well as lead to the release of some of the more than 1000 imprisoned political opponents, including leader of the opposition Aung San Suu Kyi. (28-NOV-06)
 

The representatives of different international organizations, taking part in the annual conference of the Human Rights House Foundation in Zagreb, Republic of Croatia, disscussed the uneasy stage the media of Republic of Azerbaijan is at. Being seriously concerned with the ongoing attack on media, the representatives of 13 organizations signed the protest letter on the 25-th of November for support of freedom of expression and democracy. The text of the letter is given below. (26-NOV-06)
 

On November, 17th the State Duma approved in the third reading a scandalous amendment to election law eliminating the minimum voter turnout requirement for elections and it also eliminates early voting. The bill provoked a stormy reaction among opposition movements, mass media and human rights activists, demanding to abolish all antidemocratic amendments introduced into electoral law during last years. (25-NOV-06)
 

The former candidate for the presidency Mr. Kazulin was arrested on 25 March 2006. He was sentenced to 5.5 years of prison. The oppositionist was admitted the prisoner of conscience by Belarusian and International society. Mr. Kazulin announced the hunger strike on 20 October to protest against ‘lawlessness in Belarus’ and to demand consideration of the situation in the Republic of Belarus at the UN Security Council. (24-NOV-06)

On 16 – 17 November, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance organized an expert seminar devoted to the exchange of views on the topic of: combating racism (hate speech) while respecting freedom of expression. Halina Bortnowska participated in the seminar as the representative of the informal group “Viridarium”, operating alongside the HFHR. (24-NOV-06)

As the death toll reaches an estimated 154 since the allied invasion in 2003, the Iraq war is proving to be the deadliest for journalists and media workers since World War II, and Baghdad claims the title of the world’s most dangerous city for journalists. And as the allied offensive subsides, the death toll is rising; 2006, a record year in itself for the number of journalists killed worldwide, is proving to be the most violent year in Iraq since the war began. Over 50 journalists and media workers had been killed by November. Murder accounts for the predominant cause of death in a country where little or no protection is offered to journalists, and the security situation continues to worsen. (24-NOV-06)
 

The former candidate for the presidency Mr. Kazulin was arrested on 25 March 2006. He was sentenced to 5.5 years of prison. The oppositionist was admitted the prisoner of conscience by Belarusian and International society. Mr. Kazulin announced the hunger strike on 20 October to protest against ‘lawlessness in Belarus’ and to demand consideration of the situation in the Republic of Belarus at the UN Security Council. (24-NOV-06)
 

On 16 – 17 November, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance organized an expert seminar devoted to the exchange of views on the topic of: combating racism (hate speech) while respecting freedom of expression. Halina Bortnowska participated in the seminar as the representative of the informal group “Viridarium”, operating alongside the HFHR. (24-NOV-06)
  

Human Rights Watch released a 45-page report on 2 November detailing the UK’s manoeuvres around bans on torture. The US-based international human rights organisation said that Britain is supporting torture policies, while at the same time continuing its long-time support of anti-torture agreements. According to the report, the government has sought to reinterpret laws which ban court evidence gained from torture, has tried to deport detainees to countries that are known to torture, and has provided information that has led to the torture of suspects. Human rights advocates have spoken out against these recent actions, stressing the importance of retaining the basic principles of human decency. (17-NOV-06)

Two months ago, on 19 September, the well-known Norwegian film director Anja Breien published her first book. ´Kaniaw´ is a photographic essay about a young Norwegian-Kurdish woman. When the book was launched at the Nobel Peace Centre, the sociologist Rasool Awla said that it brings some of the worst aspects of Kurdish culture, but also an undisputable love for Kurdistan, to the reader. (20-NOV-06)