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A Chinese court in the western region of Xinjiang has sentenced on 25 June 2010 a leading Tibetan collector of antiquities, environmentalist, founder of the award-winning Three Rivers Environmental Protection group, Karma Samdup to 15 years in jail for robbing graves.

Observers from The Norwegian Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Center Memorial arrived on 21 June 2010 in Nariman village in the Kara-Suu region of Osh province immediately after the end of a special operation to search for weapons in the homes of local residents. Two local residents were killed and at least twenty injured during the operation.

The Rohingya minority group in Western Burma has been victim of human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity, according to a report “Crimes against Humanity in Western Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar): The Situation of the Rohingyas”. the Rohingya are one of the world’s most persecuted and forgotten people.

The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN celebrates 50 years of defending freedom of expression around the world. PEN vice-president and former WiPC-chair, Moris Farhi talks to the first Cities of Refuge-writer in Stavanger, Mansur Rajih, who arrived in Norway after 15 years in jail in Yemen. In cooperation with ICORN.

“Faith and Free Speech: Defamation of Religions and Freedom of Expression” – the International seminar and UN-side event in Geneva.

When: Thursday, 9. September 2010 To: Thursday, 9. September 2010 Where: Oslo, Wergelandsveien 29 – 0167, Host: Norwegian PEN Contact: (+47 22 60 74 50) More info: www.norskpen.no/php/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=490&Itemid=70

The widespread violence in southern Kyrgyz Republic – with hundreds killed and tens of thousands fleeing – highlights the need for more international involvement in the country. Western countries’ lack of interest in and understanding of the desperate situation democratic forces in Kyrgyz Republic have found themselves in for a number of years have allowed cynical politicians to act in their private interest and instigate unrest.

According to Human Rights Watch, two Tibetan environmentalists, Jigme Namgyal and Rinchen Samdrup, have been in detention in Tibet since August 2009. Karma Samdrup, a prominent Tibetan environmental philanthropist, one of China’s leading collectors of Tibetan art, and founder of the award-winning Three Rivers Environmental Protection group, was seeking his brothers’ release and was himself arrested on January 3, 2010.

Meeting with Thant Myint-U, author of The River of Lost footsteps.