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On 14 June, a Moscow court ruled to acquit Oleg Orlov, Chair of the Memorial Human Rights Society, one of Europe’s most respected human rights groups. Mr. Orlov was charged with defamation against Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, in connection with statements Orlov made at the time Memorial employee and award winning human rights defender Natalya Estemirova was killed in 2009.

On June 15 journalists from Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine received awards for their constructive and devoted work for the free press in Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belarus. The “Free Press of Eastern Europe” prize was also given to a newspaper from Dagestan and a news portal in Armenia for the work they do despite the pressure, persecution and censorship.

A prominent Russian human rights activist of Uzbek origin Bakhrom Khamroev was attacked and beaten in his Moscow apartment block on 6 May 2011. He was hospitalized, police have launched an investigation into the incident. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is deeply distraught to learn of yet another violent attack on employee of Human Rights Center Memorial.

What are the main challenges for the Ombudsman in Kazakhstan today, in a country that balances stability and economic development with the protection of international human rights?

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has announced its annual Impunity Index. CPJ research shows that deadly, unpunished violence against journalists often leads to vast self-censorship in the rest of the press corps. From Somalia to Mexico, CPJ has found that journalists avoid sensitive topics, leave the profession, or flee their homeland to escape violent retribution.

To: Wednesday, 15. June 2011 Host: Norwegian Helsinki Committee More info: www.nhc.no/no/nyheter/Small+Grant+Fund+for+Kazakhstan+and+vacancy+as+assistant+announced.9UFRzKXF.ips

Globalisation means increased business relations not only with developed democracies but also with states with serious challenges in the field of corruption and human rights. How do the two go together?

The situation in Aba prefecture, a heavily ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province, remains tense as Chinese security forces detained about 300 Tibetan monks for a month from the Kirti monastery. Chinese security forces launched a huge military crackdown in the region after the monk, named Phuntsog, died on March 17 after setting fire to himself and shouting protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.

After four years of wrongful imprisonment, the Azerbaijani government has pardoned journalist Eynulla Fatullayev. He was released ahead of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day on 28 May. His release was welcomed by many in Azerbaijan and also by international media groups, human rights, free speech organizations that had campaigned on his behalf for years.