HDIM Warsaw: NHC criticises participating states at the OSCE Human Dimensions Implementation Meeting

From 26 September to 3 October 2013 the Norwegian Helsinki Committee will participate at this years' OSCE Human Dimensions Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in Warsaw. HDIM is an arena where civil society representatives can present views and directly challenge state represenatives. For many of the participants from non-democratic countries this is a rare opportunity. NHC is, as always, very active during the conference.

HDIM is Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference, organized every year by the OSCE/ODIHR as a platform for OSCE participating States, civil society, international organizations and OSCE structures to take stock of the implementation of the human dimension commitments, discuss challenges, share good practices and make recommendations for further improvements.

On Friday 27 September Norwegian Helsinki Committee and Freedom House jointly organise a side-event on Kazakhstan – “Cunning Democracy”. Speakers at the side event are:  Evgeniy Zhovtis, Sergey Duvanov, Tamara Kaleyeva, Viktoria Tyuleneva and NHCs Ivar Dale. At Sofitel, Warszaw, 13:00-15:00.

See video from the side-event below:

This year we will present a series of interventions, during the sessions on Freedom of religion and belief, on Freedom of assembly and association,  Election observation and Rule of law:

Freedom of Religion and belief, Thursday 26 September: The need for a principled approach to freedom of religion or belief

Freedom of Assembly and Association, Friday 27 September:  The Russian “foreign agent law” violates OSCE commitments

Российский закон «Об иностранных агентах» нарушает обязательства, принятые в рамках ОБСЕ.

Democratic institutions, Monday 30 September: Full-fledged democracy under attack in Hungary

Election Observation, Tuesday 1 October: Civil Society Election Observers:  A relevant and important player in democratic elections

Rule of Law, Wednesday 2 October: Serious concerns with respect to the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Rule of Law, Wednesday 2 October:  Internet and mobile phone surveillance must be in compliance with human rights provisions on privacy

On wednesday 2 October the Norwegian Helsinki Committee is also co-organising a side-event on Turkmenistan –
Prove they are alive: the disappeared in the Turkmen prisons. Re-introducing the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in Turkmenistan after 10 years of inaction by the Turkmen government.

This side event will raise concerns related to the families of the imprisoned, those in prison, and the issues that were raised in 2003 in Professor Decaux’s Moscow Mechanism report about the circumstances around the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of Boris Shikhmuradov and the approximately 30 other people who have also disappeared in Turkmen prisons in connection with the assasination attempt on then President Niyazov. The side event will raise questions about Turkmenistan’s failure to act on its OSCE commitments, focus on updated information about the situation with those imprisoned more than ten years ago, and make one simple request of the Turkmen government: Prove They Are Alive.

The event takes place at Sofitel, meeting room 3, Warszaw, 13:00-15:00.