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Attacks on journalists and detentions of youth activists in Baku
According to BBC News the police in the Republic of Azerbaijan have beaten and arrested dozens of protesters during a rally in the capital, Baku, on 25 September. The Interior Ministry said the rally was not sanctioned and protesters had been warned that force would be used. (29-SEPT-05)
Update: Russian activist could face five years’ imprisonment
From his colleague Tatiana Banina, who recently was among the delegates to HRH´s conference, workshops and annual meeting in Baku, www.humanrightshouse.org has just learnt that Stanislav Dmitrievski, right, of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society has received an indictment stating that he is guilty of having performed actions aimed at inciting hatred or hostility. The maximum penalty for this crime is five years´ imprisonment. (30-SEP-05)
-This network is not only growing. It is growing up
Maria Dahle, right, Executive Director of HRH, left Baku with a big smile on her face. -Going into its second decade, she says, -the Human Rights House Network is showing signs of maturing into something far bigger and more powerful than we could have hoped for only a few years ago. (30-SEP-05)
Oppression of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society
On 29 September Stanislav Dmitrievsky, right, the executive director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and the mane editor of the newspaper Pravo-zashchita, was handed the accusative conclusion of the indictment of inciting interregional and ethic enmity, in accordance with Article 282 Procedural Criminal Code, of the Russian Federation. The maximum punishment provided by this Article is 5 years´ imprisonment. (29-Sep-05)
Croatia worse than Serbia and Bosnia on freedom of information
Celebrating the International Public Right to Know Day on 28th September, the Croatian Helsinki Committee presented results of the comparative survey of the implementation of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia. According to the results presented in the Press Club on Wednesday 28th September, Republic of Croatia stands behind Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in implementation of the FOIA. (28-SEP-05)
HRH conference, workshops and network meeting 2005, gallery
With us to Baku earlier this month, HRH brought Baard Brinchmann Lovvig, right, a professional photographer, to cover the proceedings of the conference, workshops and network meeting also in pictures. Below, see a selection of his shots from the four intensive days the delegates spent together from 7 to 10 September. (29-SEP-05)
Stop the harassment of critical voices in Azerbaijan
Azeri authorities must stop the harassment of independent journalists, political activists and human rights defenders. This is the message in a statement from the Human Rights House Network in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Poland, Norway, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, England, Republic of Kenya and Republic of Uganda, the Swedish Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Defenders Office of the International Service for Human Rights adopted 8 September in Baku. (20-SEP-05)
The fate of the nation’s children
On 9 September the Russian State Duma sent an appeal to the Head of State re. the regulation of the process of adoption of Russian children. The appeal proposes a temporary moratorium on the adoption of Russian children by citizens from the US and also a bilateral agreement as an obligatory condition for adoptions. This is the reaction towards several cases of murder of adopted Russian children in the USA in recent years. Boris Altshuler (right), the head of the “Right of Child” human rights organization sees a lot of serious problems in this project. (27-SEP-05)
Conference focused on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan
On 7 September, the Human Rights House Network, in cooperation with OSCE, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Geneva, and the Swedish Helsinki Committee organized a conference in the Azeri capital of Baku. The conference focused on the human rights situation in the Republic of Azerbaijan, especially in the build-up to the Parliamentary elections in November. (26-SEP-05)
UN Rep. for Human Rights Defenders pledges for mandate to be renewed
Hina Jilani (right), United Nations’ Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders, was a special guest at the Human Rights House Network Meeting, which took place 7-10 September in Baku. During the conference, she presented her activity under her UN mandate, as well as assumptions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. (26-SEP-05)
Russia puts clamps on rights unit
This article about the human rights NGO the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), has a direct connection to the recent HRH conference, workshop and annual meeting in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. First published in the New York Times last week, it was made available to www.humanrightshouse.org by Tatiana Banina (right) of RCFS, who came to Baku, unlike her colleague Stanislav Dmitriyevsky, who was prevented by Russian police from going. (26-SEP-05)
The Controlled Election Campaign
A joint campaign of the Polish media entitled “The Controlled Campaign” has been underway since the end of August. Its aim is to expose the lies used by politicians in their election campaigns. This operation is of particular significance, because this year the Poles are electing the parliament (September 25th) and the president (October 9th– I round, Octomer 23rd – II round). (23-SEP-05)