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Thirteen persons from the Colombian peace network Redepaz are under threat. The situation is particularly grave in the Eje Cafetero area. (15-OCT-04)
 

The so-called War on Terror has started a debate in the US over whether torture should be practiced as a matter of national policy, writes Michael Foley for Index on Censorship. (14-DEC-04)
 

Minsk: In the morning of 10 December 2004  Belarusian human rights activists gathered near the National Prosecutor’s Office in order to pass their appeal to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus. According to VIASNA the state prosecutor Barys Zhyldzetski accepted the report (11-DEC-04).
 

Moscow: RSF has called for the immediate release of independent journalist Mikhail Afanassiev, who was arrested as he prepared to travel to Moscow to receive the Glasnost Defence Foundation´s Sakharov Prize. (10-DEC-04)
 

Almost ten years after the end of the 1991-1995 armed conflict in the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian authorities have failed to address fully war-related human rights violations and to bring those responsible to justice. There continues to be widespread impunity for crimes committed in that period by members of the Croatian Army and police forces against Croatian Serbs, Amnesty International said today in a new report. (13-DEC-04)
 

Vienna: The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) express their grave concern over the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders in the Republic of Belarus. (7-DEC-2004)
 

Human Rights House in Sarajevo, in partnership with the Helsinki Committee of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, finished launched project „Children’s rights – practice and strategy in BiH“ . After 14 round tables, their final destination was Sarajevo, where they held the 15th round table under the same project title. This round table, held on December 9, 2004, gathered more than 75 teachers, psychologists, social workers, directors, representatives of competent ministries and government, NGO`s activists, representatives of primary school pupils, activists from local youth councils and media, from the region of Sarajevo, Jajce and Srebrenica.

Marking 10th December as the international Day of Human Rights, Croatian Helsinki Committee handed over it’s annual awards for special credit and contribution in promoting human rights in the Republic of Croatia. (13-DEC-04)
 

The Norwegian newspaper VG has as its front page story today that Carl Hugo Lund, the judge who conducted the proceedings against the police officer accused of involuntary manslaughter of former Norwegian Helsinki Committee employee Tomasz Wazcko, has been reprimanded for his arrogance and sarcasms in court, especially against the prosecutor. Lund’s behaviour may have affected the jurisdiction in some of his cases. (13-DEC-04)
  

On 10 December, the universally observed Human Rights Day, Amnesty International’s international secretariat issued a statement expressing outrage with the enactment, the previous day, of a new law, which bans foreign human rights organizations from working in Zimbabwe. The law, covered earlier on this website, may also be used to shut down local human rights group. (13-DEC-04)
 

Municipal elections will be held in the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 17, 2004.  According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), 21650 members to 2735 municipalities will be elected during the polls. At present, there are a total of 4,462,000 electorates in the Republic of Azerbaijan. During the elections, 38,866 candidates will run for municipal seats. (10-DEC-2004)
 

The World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and
Azerbaijan Federation of Human Rights Organizations (AFHRO) express their concerns regarding violence against women in the Republic of Azerbaijan at the 33rd session of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(CESCR). (10-DEC-2004)