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Nansen Dialogue started its work in 1995, following a spontaneous idea of Inge Eidsvaag, tells Ingrid Vik, right, the network’s current Director. -Visiting Sarajevo, an Olympic city like Lillehammer – but under siege ten years after it hosted the Olympics – he came to the idea of organising courses in democracy, human rights and peaceful conflict resolution for participants from the former Yugoslavia with different backgrounds, in neutral surroundings at the Nansen Academy. (16-DEC-05)
 

The Human Rights House Foundation and the Swedish Helsinki Committee have urged the Nakhchivanian authorities in a letter to recall all charges against the secretary of the election commission, Nushabe Gafarly. Gafarly, arrested after refusing to sign protocols on the parliamentary elections, which were marked by numerous irregularities. After being pressured she eventually did sign the protocols. In spite of this she is being prosecuted now. Read the protest letter here. (16-DEC-05)
 

Selling ‘=Oslo,’ the still very new magazine whose revenue goes half-n-half to the vendors and back into production of more issues, has changed the lives of the vendors. It has given me a reason to get up, said vendor 018 Dagfrid Fosen, normally to be found outside the shopping mall CCVest, in honour of Vibeke Omberg, the initiator and editor, on the event of Omberg receiving the Norwegian Amnesty Award 2005 earlier this week. (16-NOV-05)
 

Marking the 10th anniversary of the work of the Nansen Dialogue project, one of the in-house organisations of the Human Rights House in Oslo, the network that has emerged throughout the last decade hosted a seminar yesterday entitled ‘Dialogue – more than words’. The seminar also saw the official launch of a book, bearing the same title as the seminar, about the network’s history and activities. (14-DEC-05)
 

The Human Rights House Foundation and Norwegian P.E.N. have requested minister of foreign affairs to protest against the bill to tighten control on Russia’s civil society. In another letter the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and Bellona have asked for the same. The law would dramatically restrain Russia’s civil society. They fear the law is aimed at human rights NGOs that are criticizing the government policy in the Chechen Republic. (07-DEC-05)
 

-Why is Republic of Azerbaijan still invited to meetings of the Council of Europe and the UN, while Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe is being banned from international podia? This was one of the central questions during the seminar ‘Azerbaijan after November 6th elections: Still in the Aliev regime’s strong grip’ on November 29 in the Human Rights House in Oslo with Natig Alaskarov, Azerbaijani opposition member in exile, right, and Tural Sardar, son of son of opposition leader Sardar Jalaoglu, left. (07-DEC-05)
 

This year has seen the real breakthrough also in Norway of ‘the human library,’ the Norwegian People’s Aid’s initiative to combat prejudice through making representatives of groups often subjected to this available to the public, for instance in schools. Among those ‘borrowed’ to answer questions so far are homosexuals, moslems, hiv-positive, people with eating disorders, blind, wheelchair users and refugees. (04-DEC-05)
 

Ikram Jilani, Imam in World Islamic Mission, right, one of the biggest moslem parishes in Norway, made it clear last month that even if violence against women is incompatible with Islam, certain circumstances permits a man to punish his wife, also through beating. In an interview with the national daily Aftenposten 9 November, Jilani exemplified with a situation where a woman leaves the home to meet other men. (04-DEC-05)
 

The Norwegian Salvation Army may well be licking its wounds, but it’s all too late now. The damage is done, and the list of artists joining the boycott of the previously so popular organisation is growing by the day after the news broke that the organisation removes gay and lesbian officers from official duties, on the grounds that they are unsuited to wear the uniform and represent the organisation. (02-DEC-05)