Latest

March 16th is the 17th anniversary of the chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in South-Kurdistan. Systematically terrorizing the Kurdish population, Saddam Hussein attempted to silence his critics and at the same time test his chemical and biological weapons. On March 15 th, the Kurdish Cultural Forum arranges a memorial day for Halabja at the Rafto Human Rights House (15-Mar-2005)

Federation of Women Lawyer Republic of Kenya (FIDA), one of the organisations in the Human Rights House Project in Nairobi, is pressing for a reviewed ruling in a case where a man who raped an 11 year old girl was placed on a three year probation. The Chairperson of FIDA, Joyce Majiwa (picture) said such lenient sentences would not deter rapists. (15-MAR-05) 
 

Already the eighth manifestation Manifa – meaning a peaceful demonstration on the occasion of the International Women’s Day – took place on Sunday 6 March. The organizers were The Women on the 8 March Agreement and the Lesbians’ Agreement. A colorful parade passed through the main streets of Warsaw, accompanied by essential speeches and happenings. (12-MAR-05)

Maskhadov’s death could lead to an escalation of the conflict in the Chechen Republic and spread the military actions, said Liubov Vinogradova (picture) from the Russian Research Center for Human Rights in Moscow. The Soldiers Mothers´ Committee hopes to continue negotiations once a new Chechen leader appears. (10-MAR-05)
 

Maskhadov’s death could lead to an escalation of the conflict in the Chechen Republic and spread the military actions, said Liubov Vinogradova (picture) from the Russian Research Center for Human Rights in Moscow. The Soldiers Mothers´ Committee hopes to continue negotiations once a new Chechen leader appears. (10-MAR-05)

Russia’s Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov has said that the registered number of crimes in the country underestimated the real number by three times. Speaking at a State Duma session on Wednesday, he said that there were not the 2.9 million crimes in the Russian Federation, but something more like 9-12 million. (10-MAR-2005)
 

The George Elser award 2005 is granted  to the Union of committees of soldier´s mothers of the Russian Federation. Jury decision is noted that the Russian public organization is awarded for the efforts directed on the war termination  in Chechen Republic. (10-MAR-05)
 

The Tibetan people have been facing suspicions and growing restrictions, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said today at the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan People’s Uprising. – The lack of true ethnic equality and harmony based on trust, and the absence of genuine stability in Tibet clearly shows that things are not well in Tibet, the Dalai Lama stated. (10-MAR-05)
 

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed  on Tuesday, Russian army spokesman Ilya Shabalkin said (09-MAR-2005).

Valentina Melnikova, the chairperson of the new party “Soldiers’ Mothers” told Gazeta.ru why there was a need for the party and of the importance of a peace settlement in the Chechen Republic. While liberal parties are trying — in vain, it must be said — to forge a coalition, a party of a new type is being established in the Russian Federation. The United People’s Party of Soldiers’ Mothers belongs neither to the right nor to the left wing. Public opinion polls held by the Levada Center in October showed that 72 percent of respondents approved of the activities of the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers. (09-MAR-05)
 

Last Thursday, 3 of March, Conference of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights (RRCHR) took place. (09-MAR-05)
 

About 90 non-government organisations have opposed a proposal in the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2005, to lift presidential term limits. – Lifting term limits is to ignore the very lessons we claim to have learnt, the National Coordinator of the Ugandan Human Rights Network,  Martin Masiga (picture), also co-ordinating the Republic of Uganda Human Rights House Project, told journalists in Kampala yesterday. (7-MAR-05)