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The recent elections in the Republic of Belarus bring memories of the Stalin era back to mind, said Berit Lindeman of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee during a post-election seminar hosted by her own organisation on human rights and democracy in the Republic of Belarus last week. Her conclusion is that the recent events that came and went under the name of ´elections´ do not deserve to be called so. (22-NOV-04)
 

– There´s no hope for an open dialogue with President Robert Mugabe, said Morgan Tsvangirai, Leader of ´Movement for Democratic Change´ (MDC), yesterday. Mr Tsvangirai leads the most important opposition party in Zimbabwe and visited the Human Rights house in Oslo yesterday as part of a tour of Northern Europe to inform both state and civil society authorities about the situation in a country that used to be the beacon of hope for Africa.
 

Today the Norwegian PEN awarded the Ossietzky prize for outstanding achievements in the field of freedom of expression to writer and human rights activist Aage Storm Borchgrevink. The Day of the Imprisoned Writer was also marked at the prize ceremony. (15-NOV-04)
 

The Balkan Regional Conference on Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding was held from 4th to 6th November in Igalo, Montenegro. It was organised by the Nansen Dialogue Network in the Balkans in cooperation with the Bulgarian School of Politics and Albanian Peace and Education Project. (08-NOV-04)
 

– To strengthen the EU guidelines on human rights defenders, the Council Secretariat should identify a coordinator responsible for a permanent follow up between the COHOM sessions, said Alexa LeBlanc from FIDH, who spoke at the HRH Anniversary Conference in Oslo 14 October. She also said temporary visas should be granted to human rights defenders at grave risks. (25-OCT-04) 
 

– It is way too early to establish what difference the EU guidelines on human rights defenders are going to make. But it is not going to be yet another piece of paper in a filing cabinet, said the Netherlands Ambassador Erik Ader at the HRH Anniversary Conference 14 October. He said the EU will make handbooks to Embassies on how to support human rights defenders. (25-OCT-04) 
 

The security for defenders in Chechnya has deteriorated in 2003 and 2004, according to a new report from the International Helsinki Federation that was presented by Aage Borchgrevink at the HRH Anniversary Conference 13 October. (22-OCT-04)
 

– The apocalyptic Beslan tragedy was used by Putin as a chance to strengthen the power vertical and to have a free hand in pursuing the goal of consolidating his personal power, said Ida Kouklina from the Soldiers´ Mothers Committee in the Russian Federation, at the HRH Anniversary Conference 13 October 2004. (24-OCT-04)
 

– My own government, in its response to the despicable violence wrought  by hijacked planes three years ago, has fallen far short of its own best traditions and in contravention, bordering on contempt, of international law, said Gara LaMarche, Vice-President and Director of U.S. Programs, Open Society Institute, at the HRH Anniversary Conference 13 October. (22-OCT-04)