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The Human Rights House Foundation together with HRH Network members in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation and partners in Georgia has launched a new project, Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers.

Songs of musicians and bands from Lithuania and Belarus from this year‘s Solidarity Concerts will be presented at the Festival, as well as a new CD “169 km” (which is a distance between two our capitals: Vilnius and Minsk).

Mikalai Autukhovich, a businessman and a fierce critic of the Belarusian authorities, is accused of preparation for terrorist acts. Civil society has very little information about the case as the defence lawyer had to sign a statement preventing him to share any particulars about the ongoing investigation. Another political prisoner, Artsiom Dubski, is preparing to get married while in custody.

On 16 November the editorial offices of Naša Niva and Va-Bank recieved written warnings from the Ministry of Information, and on 17 November Narodnaja Vola and Komsomolskaja Pradva v Biełarusi offices got the same message from the officials. Warnings were issued on the pretext that “publications violated several provisions of the Law on Mass Media.”

Do human rights get sufficient coverage in the Belarusian mass-media? Do human rights defenders know how to make journalists interested in HR work? These and other themes were discussed at the seminar-dialogue “Professional journalism and human rights,” which took place in Vilnius HRH on 13-15 November.

Секретариат международной Сети Домов прав человека и Дом прав человека в Вильнюсе объявляют набор для участия в программе дистанционного обучения адвокатов и юристов международному праву прав человека. Отбор участников производится на конкурсной основе.

In their submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Republic of Belarus, International Comission of Jurists stressed the key importance of this review about to happen in May 2010, given “the persistent failure of Republic of Belarus to meet many of its international human rights obligations”. Key Belarusian human rights NGOs have also presented their vision of situation.

How do journalists evaluate the work of human rights defenders? What do human rights defenders say about the work of journalists? Why human rights is a very important aspect of journalism? These questions will be discussed at the joint seminar of human rights defenders, journalists and guest experts.

Belarusian human rights defenders are concerned with the death penalties to Andrei Zhuk and Vasil Yuzepchyk as well as with the Supreme Court decision to turn down appeals in their case. Republic of Belarus is the only country in Europe that practices the capital punishment, thus, violating the most fundamental right – the right to life.