On September 03, 2009 Evgeniy Zhovtis, director of Kazakhstan Bureau on Human rights and Rule of Law and one of the leading human rights defenders in Kazakhstan, was found guilty of violation of the traffic rules resulting in the death of another person by inadvertence. He was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment and the deprivation of the right to drive for 3 years. The court trial lasted for 2 days and was marked by severe violations of the constitutional principles of the court procedure. Prior to the reading of the verdict, Zhovtis denounced his two-day trial as a "political setup." The Norwegian Helsinki Committee and several other international and local representatives monitored the trial, fearing for Zhovtis’s legal rights. Read More

Observers from twelve countries of the former Soviet Union, among them Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will arrive in Norway in September to observe the Norwegian Parliamentary elections on 14 September 2009.- Once again, we are turning classical election observation on its head, says Secretary General Bjørn Engesland of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. - During the 2005 Parliamentary elections, we invited international observers from countries in the former Soviet Union to systematically observe Norwegian elections for the first time in Norwegian history. It was a great success, and highly educational for both the Norwegian public and the observers. In the aftermath of the report made by these observers, two of the most important recommendations have been taken into account. Norwegian voters are now obliged to present ID papers to vote, and the observers’ right to observe is now included in the election legislation. –It is important to show how Norwegian elections are assessed on the basis of international standards. Also Norway needs a critical examination from time to time. Only in this way we can safeguard and improve our democracy, although democracy has long traditions in this country, Engesland says. Read More

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is hosting two important seminars in May. On Monday 18th The Norwegian House of litterature will be the venue for the Seminar The Belarus Road Map to Europe=the Road to Democracy? The seminar, starting at 13:00, will discuss the recent invitation from the European Union to Belarus to join the Eastern Partnership, and how this invitation can bring Belarus into a process of much needed reforms. At the seminar we will ask prominent members of the Belarusian opposition parties and other parts of the civil society what they think about the European invitation of President Lukashenko, and in which direction Belarus is moving. See program below. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is also, in co-operation with the Nobel Peace Center, on the 25th of May at 12:30 arranging the seminar Unjust and inefficient? Dublin II and the right to asylum in Europe, at the Nobel Peace Center. The seminar will discuss the so-called Dublin II-regulation and to what extent this European regulation ensures legal protection to asylum-seekers, particularly in view of the situation for asylumseekers in Greece. The seminar is held in connection with the opening of the photo exhibition Waiting Room, by Linda Bournane Engelberth. The exhibition shows the waiting, boredom and silence of people at Norwegian asylum reception centers. The Belarus Road Map to Europe=the Road to Democracy? Unjust and inefficient? Dublin II and the right to asylum in Europe Download the report: A Gamble With the Right to Asylum in Europe

The international Build bridges not walls festival had its grand opening on the 17th of April in the city of Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina. The festival is meant to promote understanding between societal divides through concerts, theatrical performances and seminars. Participants in the festival come from many regions of the world, including the entire Western Balkan area, Norway and the USA. As part of the festival youth groups are attending two human rights schools. One is the 15th Regional Human Rights School with participants from Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. This year’s focus of the school is on inter-religious dialogue and divided societies, with special emphasis on divided schools. During the school’s unfolding, participants will attend several workshops where they design recommendations for authorities on how to overcome the deadlock of the divided schools practice that many children and youth find themselves part of. These recommendations are presented in two conferences where representatives of authorities are invited. Read More

Today the Norwegian NGO Forum for Human Rights submitted recommendations to the UN Ruman Rights Council, regarding the Universal Periodic Review of Norway scheduled for December 2009. The Forum highlights many human rights concerns in Norway, and emphasizes the need to establish a political structure for co-ordination and system wide impetus for human rights implementation in Norway, and the adoption of a new plan of action for human rights. The Forum calls for signature and ratification of international human rights instruments and adresses in particular concerns for individuals in vulnerable positions, such as persons deprived of their liberty, in psychiatric care, and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. Read the recommendations here

Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina is the venue for the "Build Bridges, not walls" festival that will be kicked off this weekend. The festival that will last until thursday 23 April. The festival will through concerts, theatrical perfomances and seminars, educate youth from Norway, USA and Bosnia Herzegovina in of human rights and democracy, inter-religious dialougue, cultural understanding and conflict resolution. In connection with the festival, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, together with the Regional Program of Human Rights Schools for the Youth in Western Balkans, is organizing the 15th Regional Human Rights School for youth. The program of the school adresses the topics of inter-religious dialogue and the life in divided communities. The overall objective is to offer the possibility to young people from the Western Balkans to learn about and understand causes of difficult inter-religious communications and division of communities in order to be able to contribute to resolving the most pressing problems that still threatens regional peace and stability. Read program for the festival here

In a letter to the Belarusian KGB, The Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee expresses its deepest concern about the charges brought against the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik from the Vitebsk region, and urge the Belarusian authorities to carry out a transparent and impartial investigation. On 31 March the KGB office in Vitebsk region charged Leonid Svetsik with violating Article 131 (fomentation of national and religious enmity), and Article 367 of the Criminal Code (insulting the honour of the President). The Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee regret that the ongoing investigation of Leonid Svetsik restricts his right to act as a human rights defender in assisting victims of human rights violations. In this respect, Belarusian authorities must conform with the paragraph 8 of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Resolution on Strengthening OSCE Engagement with Human Rights Defenders and National Rights Institutions, which states that the OSCE Participating states recognise “the need for particular attention, support and protection for human rights defenders.” Read the letter here

In a letter to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, together with Amnesty International Norway and several international human rights organisations, urges the Norwegian Government to agree on offering refuge to some of the men in need of humanitarian protection who are currently detained in Guantánamo. The letter also expresses hope that the Norwegian government would act to encourage other European countries to provide similar support and thus work towards the closure of the facility.
Read the letter here
Read the report from CCR here Read HRW QAs here

The Referendum over Constitutional amendments in the Republic of Azerbaijan took place in an atmosphere of intimidation of voters and of all those who opposed the reform of the Constitution. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has listened to numerous witnesses recounting how they have been subjected to pressure to coerce them to go the vote during yesterdays’ poll. The hastily called referendum was never subjected to a meaningful public debate, which would have allowed for raising any relevant concerns related to the Constitutional reforms. The speedy procedure also puts into question the legality of the called referendum. Read More

In a letter today, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee is expressing its concern about the recent rejection by the Belarusian authorities of the request for registration of "Nasha Viasna" Human Rights Center, the successor of the group "Viasna". "Viasna" was forced to close by a decision of the Belarus Supreme Court more than five years ago, in October 2003. By doing so, Belarus shows its continued disregard for international human rights law despite assurances of positive change made recently by the authorities. The letter is published together with Helsinki Committee's of Belarus, Netherlands and Sweden. Read the letter here