[29/06/10 09:30] “Freedom of expression is curtailed in Azerbaijan today – major improvements are needed” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, presenting today his report on the country. Following a visit carried out in March, the report focuses on freedom of expression and association, conduct of law enforcement officials, administration of justice, and contains some observations on the visit to the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. The Commissioner is particularly concerned about cases of threats, harassment, and violence against journalists or human rights activists which have not been properly investigated. (read report) | (all reports) | (more…)
European Parliament resolution of 17 June 2010 on EU policies in favour of human rights defenders
“The European Parliament [...] welcomes current cooperation between the existing protection mechanisms at European and international level, which could be further strengthened through systematic exchange of information and strategy, so as to ensure a better complementarity between all of them in terms of both sharing information for emergency cases and coordination for long-term support actions, e.g. through the use of a secure online platform accessible to all official stakeholders; welcomes in this respect the annual meetings organised by the Council of Europe as well as the ‘inter-mechanisms’ annual meetings organised by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), with the aim of strengthening the interaction between international and regional mechanisms and institutions for the protection of human rights defenders; invites the existing taskforces on human rights defenders in Europe, within the framework of the Council Working Party on Human Rights and the Council of Europe – the latter being an initiative of the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights – to explore ways to work more closely together;” (more…)
YEREVAN, 18 June 2010 – Upon the conclusion of her visit to Armenia, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, issued the following statement: (all UN press releases) | (more…)
On the eve of celebrations of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fiftieth anniversary of independence, the European Parliament has adopted unanimously an emergency resolution condemning in the strongest terms the murder of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, a well respected Congolese human rights defender and president of the NGO “Voice of the Voiceless” (VSV), found murdered in his car in the suburbs of Kinshasa, on the 2 June, and the fate of his driver Faithful Edad Bazan, who has still not been located.
On 4th June Heidi Hautala and Rebecca Harms, Co-president of the Green/Efa Group, sent a letter to the Ambassador of DRC calling for an effective investigation into the killing. (see press release) | (all EU resolutions)
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Declaration by the High Representative Catherine Ashton on behalf of the EU on human rights in China
Brussels, 11 June 2010 – The EU deplores the Sichuan Provincial High People’s Court decision to uphold Tan Zuoren’s sentence of 5 years on the charge of “subversion of state power”. The verdict against Tan Zuoren is entirely incompatible with his right to freedom of expression and does not meet international standards of fairness.
The EU also deeply regrets that Mr Tan was not allowed to conduct a proper defence and that the trial that led to this verdict was procedurally flawed, depriving Mr Tan of the opportunity to exercise fully his right to defend himself. The EU regrets that international calls for the re-opening of the case have been ignored. The EU therefore reiterates its calls to the Chinese government unconditionally to release Mr. Tan Zuoren.
Inter-mechanisms website
In 2008 (Brussels), 2009 (Washington) and 2010 (Warsaw), 3 “inter-mechanisms” meetings were organised by the Observatory, gathering IGO human rights defenders’ protection mandate-holders (more…)
Calendar
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Information about missions of HRD mandate-holders, institutional events on HRDs, trials against HRDs, etc.
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