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In November 2016, the Rafto Foundation celebrated 30 years of supporting human rights defenders. Rafto has awarded the Rafto Prize for Human Rights to 30 human rights defenders during these years, three of whom later won the Nobel Peace Prize.

It is not a good one. The UN expert on assembly and association, Maina Kiai, recognises this, and has dedicated his final report to the UN promoting how civil society participation has improved societies globally. He invites human rights organisations to give input to this report, with an extended deadline of 15 February.

From 12 February, people from 80 countries will be able to travel to Belarus without a visa, for five days at a time. While some may start planning their vacations, Belarusian human rights defenders look at what this means for civil society.

When: Thursday, 23. March 2017 To: Friday, 31. March 2017 Where: Kyiv More info: docudays.org.ua/eng/

For the eleventh time Brussels will see the documentary films of the international One World Festival.

May 17 was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

One World is one of the cornerstones of the People in Need organisation. It promotes documentary film making for human rights causes.

Where: Prague, Czech Republic Contact: (

Highlights include the presentation of the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, appointment of the new mandate holder for the position of Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and the High Commissioner for Human Right’s oral report on Ukraine.

Human Rights Human Wrongs is an annual documentary film festival in Oslo that sheds light on human rights issues. For six days in mid February, it presents new documentaries from all parts of the world, together with debates, concerts, seminars, workshops and performances at a handful of venues in Oslo.

Some 14 international human rights organisations, including Human Rights House Foundation, issued the following joint statement in response to the abduction and reported torture of Azerbaijani journalist Mehman Huseynov.