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The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) has announced its annual report and made a statement on democratic setbacks in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Russia. The new report focuses on 2010 events in Belarus, Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus countries and development of human rights internationally.

In February 1989, Iranian authorities issued international fatwa – a death sentence – against Salman Rushdie for having authored the novel ‘Satanic Verses’. In Norway as in many other countries, mobilisation for freedom of expression and a heated debate followed on where to draw the line between what some experienced as blasphemy and others saw as legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.

According to a new study by Freedom House, cyber attacks, politically motivated censorship, and government control over internet infrastructure are among the diverse and growing threats to internet freedom. The study ranks all post-Soviet countries except Estonia as partly free or not free. Ethiopia is not free, Kenya is partly free. None of the Balkan countries were analysed.

On the International Day of Peasants’ Struggle, April 17th, international NGO Fighting Hunger with Human Rights (FIAN) joins millions of peasants in demanding the European Union respect their right to adequate food in the regulation of the seed trade.

The report Kazakhstan – OSCE 2010: Progress or Regress? On Completion of Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship tells the story of unfulfilled promises during Kazakhstan’s year as Chair-in-Office of the OSCE. It is published by Freedom House in co-operation with a coalition of Kazakhstani human rights organizations, OSCE 2010: Kazakhstan NGOs Coalition, including Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

A Tibetan writer and activist monk, Lhaden, released his book in Tibet titled “Words Uttered With Life On Risk” this month timed at the third anniversary of 2008 Mass Uprising in Tibet and the ongoing 16th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee calls for the investigation of alleged crimes related to the 21 January 2011 demonstrations in Albania, to respect the independence of the country’s General Prosecutor and for steps to be taken to ensure transparency and real and perceived fairness of the 8 May local elections.

Join us on every 31st in the calendar to support Freedom of Assembly in Russia.

Join us on the 16th of every month in front of the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo to appeal to the Norwegian authorities to increase their pressure on the Republic of Belarus.