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As a reaction to comments made by the Norwegian Ambassador to Morocco in a documentary on Norwegian Broadcasting Network (NRK) aired yesterday (03.05.05), the Ambassador, Arne Aasheim, has been called back to Norway. He has to answer to critizism from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with regard to his statements in the documentary. The prominent Saharawian human rights activist, Sidi Mohammed Daddach, was awarded the 2002 Rafto Prize. (05-MAY-2005)
 

The United Nations on Thursday censured North Korea for “widespread and grave violations” – including torture, executions and forced abortions – drawing a sharp rebuke from the secretive communist state. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights, whose 53 member states are holding an annual session, urged Pyongyang to cooperate with its special investigator on the Democratic Republic of Korea.  The resolution, brought by the European Union (EU) and Japan, was adopted by a vote of 30 countries in favor, nine against and 14 abstentions, including South Korea. (21-april-2005)

“I can talk to anybody I want, I can see anyone I want, I can walk on the
street with bigger steps. I can hug my relatives. I can kiss my children.
I can smile at my people. I can work for my people, and I can work for the
entire Uyghur nation. I can shout out ´Greetings´ to my people. For the
rest of my life, I will create my own history.” Rebiya Kadeer, Washington, 17 March 2005. (21-MAR-2005)

Minister of International Development, Hilde Frafjord Johnson will hold the annual Chr. Michelsen lecture on the prospets of peace in the Republic of the Sudan. A panel debate with renown international experts on Republic of the Sudan, including CMI director Gunnar M. Sørbø and Iqbal Jhazbhay, will follow. CMI, an important co-operation partner for the Rafto House, is an independent, non-profit research institution and a major international centre in policy-oriented and applied development research. The Rafto Human Rights House congratulates CMI with the celebration of its 75th anniversary. (15-MAR-2005)

March 16th is the 17th anniversary of the chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in South-Kurdistan. Systematically terrorizing the Kurdish population, Saddam Hussein attempted to silence his critics and at the same time test his chemical and biological weapons. On March 15 th, the Kurdish Cultural Forum arranges a memorial day for Halabja at the Rafto Human Rights House (15-Mar-2005)

Four months after being awarded the Rafto Memorial Prize, Rebiya Kadeer (picture) finally received the news last month. She cried with joy, her son Mustafa Rouzi told Bergens Tidende. 58 year old Kadeer is currently in prison. For years she has been fighting for the Uyghur minority’s basic rights in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. (01-MAR-2005)
 

Resolution, Seoul, February 16, 2005:
We have gathered for the 6th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees from the countries of France, Republic of Poland, Norway, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, as well as defectors from the Democratic People´s Republic of Korea, to affirm to the people of the world, especially to the people of the Democratic People´s Republic of North Korea, that they are entitled to the same freedoms, democratic values and human rights enjoyed by free people everywhere and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (28-FEB-2005)

The 6th international conference on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees was held in Seoul February 14th – 16th. The conference confirmed the growing concern for the human rights condition in North Korea, and the 200 participants represented academia, NGOs, and governmental organisations. The Egil Rafto House Foundation will host the 7th conference, which is to be held in Bergen in 2006. Important meetings and workshops with key participants will be arranged in Oslo by the Human Rights House Foundation. (28-FEB-2005)

On January 12, members of Bergen City Council, their advisers and administrative staff visited the Rafto Human Rights House for a specially designed seminar on human rights. A similar seminar was held for the members of the City Government a week later. “It is very encouraging that politicians in Bergen are concerned about human rights issues and the relevance of human rights for norwegain politicians,” says executive director Therese Jebsen. (09-FEB-2005)