Latest

On 1 July 2010 the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights launched a two-year Program “Monitoring of Legislative Proceedings in the Field of Judicature”. The aim of the Program is to improve standards of law-making in the field of judicature (especially concerning human rights), but also create mechanisms allowing civil society organisations or other subjects to involve more effectively in the law-making process.

Between 14 and 16 September 2010, as part of the “Strategic Litigation in the South Caucasus” project supported by the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, a group of twenty four lawyers from Republic of Azerbaijan visited the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. One of the participants is an intern at Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

WASHINGTON – A former CIA officer accused of revving an electric drill near the head of an imprisoned terror suspect has returned to U.S. intelligence as a contractor, training CIA operatives after leaving the agency, The Associated Press has learned.

In the days of 29-31 August 2010 the Netherlands Helsinki Committee organized a Second Regional Meeting of three rights organization from Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Republic of Armenia. The meeting was dedicated to the evaluation of the “Strategic Litigation in the South Caucasus” project.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, a civil society organization based in Warsaw, Republic of Poland and Wolters Kluwer Polska, the biggest publishing house in the field of law in the Republic of Poland, have signed a contract to cooperate in areas such as publishing, marketing and training.

European Commission appealed to EU Member States for prompt ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the Convention’s Optional Protocol. In relation to the above, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights filled a letter to the Polish Prime Minister indicating that although Republic of Poland signed the Convention on 30 March 2007, it has not been ratified yet.

A British Sikh has been asked to take off his turban while going through security at the Warsaw Airport. According to his religion it is an insult to be made to take off the head covering. Therefore, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights filed a letter to the Boarder Guard Office claiming that the demand to remove turban during safety check should be considered an act of discrimination against one’s religious beliefs.

According to the new amendment to the Polish Penal Code which came into force in June 2010, the production of items containing symbols of fascist and other totalitarian regimes with the intent to distribute them is prohibited. The project of the amendment started the countrywide discussion concerning the limits of the freedom of speech and expression.

The Polish Border Guard Office released a number of documents to the Warsaw-based Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, which, for the first time, provide details of the number of prisoners transferred by the CIA to a secret prison in the Republic of Poland between December 5, 2002, and September 22, 2003, and, in one case, the number of prisoners who were subsequently transferred to a secret CIA prison in Romania.