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Following a visit to Kosovo 13-18 November, a delegation of Helsinki Committees calls on authorities there to improve the rule of law and the fairness and efficiency of the justice systems for all, and to extend a hand to its minorities and demonstrate in practical terms that the local and central government takes care of the needs of its citizens. The recent events in the North of Kosovo demonstrates the need for Prishtina and Belgrade to seriously engage to avoid further escalation in conflict levels and inter-ethnic tension

Having experienced economic growth, while granting limited freedoms to its population since independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has recently been shocked by terrorist acts. In Atyrau, Western Kazakhstan, on 31 October four young men placed bombs close to security service instalments. In a further serious development, on Saturday 12 November, a young man killed five law enforcement officers, two bystanders and himself in a shooting spree in Taraz, Southern Kazakhstan

On 15th November 2011 PEN International, the worldwide association of writers, marked the 30th Annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer; an international day of action intended to recognize and support writers who have resisted repression of their basic human right to freedom of expression

Fra en bakgård i Oslo kjemper journalistene i Democratic Voice of Burma mot et av verdens verste diktaturer. Vi følger tv-kanalen når de går live for første gang under Burmas hittil eneste valg siden 1990, og dekker løslatelsen av demokratiforkjemperen Aung San Suu Kyi direkte minutt for minutt.

International Conference “The Arab Spring – and Beyond” will focus on countries where the uprisings have not succeeded and on those where they have, but where freedoms are still fragile.

In preparation of the upcoming meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Subcommittee on Justice, Liberty, Security and Human Rights and Democracy (Brussels, 24-25 November 2011) the Norwegian Helsinki Committee participates while presenting a paper outlining some the main challenges of human rights in Azerbaijan. NHC in particular emphasized the deficiencies in the rule of law and the sharp increase in the number of political prisoners in the country. NHC also present a list of political prisoners and bring up the lawless situation in the Autonomous republic of Nakhchivan

Fritt Ord invites the public to a discussion about and a preview screening of the documentary film “The Voice of Burma” by Turid Rogne at Uranienborgveien 2 in Oslo, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday 15 November 2011.

In Kyrgyzstan, the previous Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev has received approximately 63% of the votes in Presidential Elections that were found mostly free and fair by the observers. Violations in the electoral process were mainly related to the voter’s lists, where a significant number of the voters could not find their name and thus could not vote.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee engaged on 24 and 25 October a dialogue with the Norwegian government on questions related to the implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in the country. Discussions were enriched by the Norwegian NGO Forum for Human Rights that submitted a report and its replies to the List of Issues to the Committee.