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February 5, 2007 will mark the 10th anniversary of brutal crackdown on a peaceful demonstration in the city of Gulja in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People´s Republic of China. Dozens of people were killed during the crackdown; hundreds, possible thousands, lost their lives or were seriously injured in the unrest that occurred the following day. (01-FEB-07)
 

The prominent Armenian writer and publisher Hrant Dink, right, was shot on January 19 just outside of the office of the Armenian newspaper AGOS in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey. Dink was a brave defender of the Armenians’ rights, human rights and multicultural Republic of Turkey. He was sentenced several times for “insulting and denigrating Turkishness”. As others journalists and writers in the Republic of Turkey Dink was threatened to death on several occasions. He informed authorities about these threats, but he never got any kind of protection. (24-JAN-07)
 

The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights has issued an appeal to the Chinese authorities and encourages people and organizations who care about the human rights issues to show their support to 2004 Rafto Prize Laureate, Rebiya Kadeer and her family. The appeal urges the Chinese government to put an end to the reported harassment of Rebiya Kadeer´s family as a reaction to her peaceful human rights activities. If you wish to support the action, print out the appeal, sign it and post it by air mail to the Chinese authorities. Thank you! (20-JAN-07)

Can sports foster reconciliation between conflicting people and states? What conditions need to be present in order for sports to be employed in reconciliation work? Can sports play an independent role in terms of reconciliation in situations where other alternatives have failed? These are the questions this project will analyse and attempt to find an answer to. An opening seminar will be held at the Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen on Friday 26th of January. (17-JAN-07)

Chinese authorities continue to fabricate accusations against the Uyghurs in general, and against Rebiya Kadeer in particular. In a press release on January 9, The Uyghur American Association states that there is no substance to the claims from the Chinese government of the existence of active terrorist groups among the Uyghur population. “We oppose all forms of violence,” says Rebiya Kadeer, right, president of the UAA. read the full press release below. (10-JAN-07)
 

To commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH) organized a sit-in on December 10, 2006, in Dcheira Square, opposite the Hotel Negjir, in the city of El-Ayoune. The non-violent demonstrators were attacked by a large number of Moroccan security elements armed with sticks, when the Sahrawi activists approached the place of the sit-in. (15 DES 06)
  

In late October the Rafto Foundation, together with the Norwegian Students´ and Academics´ International Assistance Fund (SAIH), Norwegian Refugee Council and 30 other Norwegian organisations initiated a campaign to urge Moroccan authorities to immediately return the passport of Sidi Mohammed Daddach, the 2002 Rafto Prize Laureate and former Saharawi prisoner of conscience. The campaign was a success and November 23, Daddach had his passport returned after three and a half years. (06-DEC-06)
  

The Rafto Foundation has today received information through the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) that Alim Abdureyim, the youngest son of the 2004 Rafto Prize Laureate, Uyghur human rights defender and former prisoner of conscience, Rebiya Kadeer, was sentenced on Monday November 27 to seven years in prison on charges of tax evasion, and fined RMB 500,000 (USD 62,500). Rebiya Kadeer visited Bergen, Norway on the occasion of the Rafto Foundation´s 20th Anniversary in the beginning of November.(29-NOV-06)

The Rafto Foundation in cooperation with the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) invites to the open symposium on “Human Rights and Economic Development”. The symposium takes place on Thursday, November 23 from 9:30-16:00 at NHH. (09-NOV-06)