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Today, on the 18th of November, the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi is hosting a meeting to discuss the possible inclusion of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union. Joining the union will affect the country´s political make-up, its constitution and all bureaucratic institutions (18-NOV-03)
 

To accellerate the process towards opening a human rights house in Kampala, an interim board of more than ten central human rights NGOs covering all key areas of human rights violations in the Republic of Uganda was established late October. The board has already met several times and is about to launch a joint project. (18-NOV-03)
    

Bjørn Engesland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, expresses relief over the Norwegian State Attorney´s decision this week to charge with involuntary manslaughter the 28-year-old police officer involved in the fracas that lead to Tomasz Wacko´s death. Wacko, left, died on the 5th of June from prolonged lack of oxygen. (15-NOV-03)
 

On November 3rd, 2003, Judge Petr Shtunder of the Moscow City Court began hearings on the case of Igor Sutyagin, who is accused by the Russian Security Service, FSB, of treason. During the first day the court selected the jury. On November 4th the judge gave floor to the prosecutors, who started presenting their case. Almost immediately the judge had to declare a break and adjourn the hearings until November 5th. (10-NOV-03)
 

The leader of Amnesty International in the Republic of Turkey, Özlem Dalkiran, is hoping for democracy proper to take hold in the Republic of Turkey within the next decade. Dalkiran, who participated in HRH Foundation´s annual network meeting in Bergen recently, says a forthcoming EU membership will force Republic of Turkey to rid itself of its longstanding undemocratic practices. (09-NOV-03)
 

Andrej Dynko, editor of the Minsk-based independent newspaper Nasa Niva and instrumental in the process towards establishing a human rights house in the Republic of Belarus, has received the financial portion of the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award from the Prague Society. Dynko recently participated in the HRH Network´s annual meeting in Bergen. (07-NOV-03)
  

The need to support Belarusian civil society is urgent, says the annual meeting of the Human Rights House Network. Delegates from nine different countries express their concern about Belarusian authorities´ campaign to destroy civil society in the Republic of Belarus. (07-NOV-03)
 

Court hearings of the case of Igor Sutyagin, accused by the Russian Security Service, FSB, of treason, began in Moscow on Nov. 3rd. On the second day, after spending the first selecting a jury, Judge Petr Shtunder of the Moscow City Court had to suspend the hearings, due to the prosecutors´ use of irrelevant or already declared invalid material. (04-NOV-03)

The Human Rights House Foundation of Oslo, Norway, has observed the developments in the Republic of Azerbaijan after the disputed October elections,  and urgently calls upon the Baku government to halt its persecution of opposition politicians, media representatives and human rights defenders. Click here to read HRH’s letter to the Prime Minister . (25-OCT-03)
 

Marek Nowicki, who died of cancer on Oct. 10th, was a founding member of the then underground Helsinki Committee in Poland. Following the collapse of communism, Nowicki was elected president of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. Today, thanks to his dedication, the Helsinki Foundation is one of the most experienced and professional NGOs in Europe. (15-OCT-03) 
 

On September 29th, Judge Petr Shtunder of the Moscow City Court granted Igor Sutyagin’s motion for a jury trial. The jury selection will begin on November 3, 2003. This is the first time a treason case in the Russian Federation will be considered by a jury. Igor Sutyagin, a researcher from the U.S. and Canada Institute, accused by the Russian Security Service, FSB, of treason. Sutyagin denies any wrongdoing. (03-OCT-03)