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The impact of the HIV pandemic on electoral processes was illustrated in a report issued last week by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa). The figures speak volumes. Between 1999 and 2003 almost 1.5 million of about 20 million registered voters in South Africa were removed from the voters´ roll because they had died; most, it appears, from AIDS-related diseases. (29-NOV-04)
  

The Zanu-PF old guard has awoken from its slumber ahead of the party´s crucial congress in Harare this week and achieved what many world leaders, including President Thabo Mbeki, have been unable to do: summons President Robert Mugabe and get him to act on their advice. (29-NOV-04) 
 

Four years after the murder of Mozambican journalist Carlos Cardoso, his legacy in investigating corruption has cast a shadow over the campaign for next week´s election. Almost no matter the outcome of the elections, corruption is likely to be allowed to continue. The risk of fighting it, recent history shows, is too high. (29-NOV-04) 
 

Burundi and Rwanda were assured last Friday that their long desired admission to the East African Community was a matter of time. President Mwai Kibaki of Republic of Kenya told the sixth Summit of the EA Heads of State that the two countries should not consider themselves outsiders in the East African integration process. There is hope that this might help integrate the region´s human rights policies also. (29-NOV-04)
 

Not content with the closure of private newspapers and persecution of journalists over the past few years, the government is adding more ammunition to its arsenal of weapons aimed at silencing dissenting voices. Now, a new and even more repressive law against journalists is one step away from gaining parliamentary approval. (29-NOV-04)
 

Mugabe´s reign will last for as long as Zimbabwe´s neighbours remain silent about their misgivings, it was said in a seminar in Oslo last month. Now, Zimbabweans abroad have strongly condemned South Africa for blocking the condemnation of Zimbabwe by a United Nations committee. This shows that President Thabo Mbeki supports the repressive and authoritarian regime in Zimbabwe. (29-NOV-04)
  

Violations have increased ahead of 31 October 2004 Presidential Election in Ukraine, reads an Appeal from the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Ukrainian Helsinki Union. They point to the massive violations of the electoral law and the OSCE and CoE standards for elections. (28-OCT-04)
 

Vawkavysk District Court fined the chief editor of Mestnaya Gazeta newspaper 50 basic values (1 200 000 Belarusian rubles). Judge Yury Yakimovich considered the hunger-strike of the defendant as unauthorized picket. (26-NOV-04)
 
 

The «Puljiz» affair, which has been under the public scrutiny for more than a month now, is still without resolution. Namely, freelance journalist Helena Puljiz accused Croatian Counter – Intelligence Services (CIS) for unauthorized and illegal questioning. Even after her public appearance and addres to the Civic Committee for Oversight of the Secret Services, as well as numerous public discussions, Republic of Croatia knows very little of what lies beneath the surface of the affair while Helena Puljiz decided to seek court protection (26-NOV-04)

On 25 November the college board of Minsk City Court rejected the demand by Volha Zavadskaya, the mother of cameraman Zmitser Zavadski who disappeared in July 2000, to renew the investigation. (26-NOV-04)
 

Possible outcomes and long-term consequences of the Presidential Election in Ukraine will be debated 2 December in Oslo at a seminar hosted by The Centre for Russian Studies, NUPI and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. (26-NOV-04)
 

On 25 November the demand from the mother of Zmitser Zavadski, a Belarusian cameraman who disappeared in July 2000, to renew the investigation of the case, was rejected by the College Board of Minsk City Court. (26-NOV-04)