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Intiqam Aliyev (right), a human rights lawyer from Azerbaijan, the president of the Legal Education Society and a national expert of the project “International law in Advocacy. Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers” was considered the best human rights defender of the year 2012. In March in Prague The international NGO “‘People in Need”, presented its annual Homo Homini human rights award for 2012 to Intigam Aliyev for exceptional commitment to defending human rights.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus will present his report on 4 June to the Human Rights Council. At the opening of the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council on Monday 27 May, a coalition of NGOs organises a side-event on the situation in Belarus.

International human rights organizations drew attention to the unjust imprisonment of Ales Bialiatski (right) and urged the Belarusian authorities to release and rehabilitate human rights defender.

Dmytro Zharyi (right), the Ukrainian participant of the Human Rights House Network project “International Law in Advocacy. Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers” won a case, forcing the state to meet international obligations to create favourable conditions for people with disabilities to access the pharmacies and medical institutions.

On 13-15 of May Vilnius hosted the final conference of the Human Rights House Network’s project “International Law in Advocacy. The Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers”. The participants of this conference were the best lawyers and advocates from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. During the year they were studying online, performing tasks, discussing the problems of legal protection on the forums and at the same time practicing their skills of applying the international standards into professional activities.

A group of former Belarusian lawyers, who have been persecuted by the authorities, addressed their Ukrainian colleagues with words of support. They sent a letter to the Higher Qualification and Disciplinary Bar Commission of Ukraine.

On 17 April the representatives of the Belarusian Human Rights House organised a lecture on human rights for schoolchildren of Vilnius. The organizers introduced fundamental rights and freedoms to high school pupils through interactive exercises.

On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, Freedom House has published an annual report where Belarus was once again among the worst countries in the world in the field of freedom of speech. The organization “Reporters Without Borders”, in turn, condemned the persecution of Belarusian journalists.

In the Special Rapporteur’s assessment, human rights remain systemically and systematically restricted, especially in the case of the freedoms of association, of assembly, and of expression and opinion, as well as the guarantees of due process and fair trial.