NEWSLETTER FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE NETWORK

1 Widespread use of forced labour in Northern Uganda
Forced labour is rampant in the three northernmost districts of Uganda. It is deployed by the Ugandan Army. A local human rights NGO, Human Rights Focus, last week declared its intention to go to court in an effort to stop the use of forced labour.

2 Isolation of Belarus is not a strategic policy
An open dialogue with Belarus is a threat to President Lukashenko´s dictatorship. Sanctions and isolation will strengthen the status quo, said representatives of the Belarusian opposition when they visited the Human Rights House in Oslo last week.

3 IHF Appeal to EU: - Impunity in Chechnya
- The second phase of the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic, defined by the Russian Federation as a “counter-terrorist operation” has lasted five years. Civilians represent the primary victims of this conflict, and blatant violations of human rights and humanitarian law have been pervasive. The climate of impunity dominates the situation in and around Chechnya, reads an appeal from the International Helsinki Federation to the EU.

4 Moroccan authorities pursued to hand back passport to Daddach
Human rights activists in Western Sahara have launched a campaign to pursue Moroccan authorities to hand back the passport to the 2002 Rafto Laureate Sidi Mohammed Daddach. The campaign has been initiated by a newly established human rights organisation in Western Sahara.

5 Court decision against Azerbaijani opposition leaders maintained
Last week the Azerbaijani Court of Grave Crimes decided to maintain its decision of imprisonment against seven opposition leaders accused of participating in demonstrations after the elections in October 2003.

6 Condemns closure of Azerbaijani daily
International organisations condemn the Azerbaijani authorities´ freezing of the assets of "Yeni Musavat", the country´s main opposition daily, on 16 November 2004. The move has forced the paper to cease publishing. The decision was taken on the grounds that the newspaper failed to pay fines and damages totalling some 125,000 euros.

7 Poland: Controversies around Equality March in Poznan
On 17-21 November, the Days of Equality and Tolerance was held in Poznan. The culminating point of the event was going to be the Equality March planned for 20 November. The City Mayor issued the permit to organise the march. However, the right wing local government activists protested, claiming that the march is an "endorsement of homosexuality".

8 No hope for dialogue with Mugabe, says opposition leader
-There´s no hope for an open dialogue with President Robert Mugabe, said Morgan Tsvangirai, Leader of ´Movement for Democratic Change´ (MDC) last Friday. Mr Tsvangirai leads the most important opposition party in Zimbabwe and visited the Human Rights House in Oslo.

9 A tribute to Rebiya Kadeer
On November 7th the 2004 Rafto laureate, Rebiya Kadeer, was celebrated in Bergen, Norway. The ceremony was accompanied by artistic performances, as a tribute to Kadeer’s struggle for the Uyghurs’ basic human rights in the Chinese Xinjiang province. Kadeers daughter Akida expressed gratitude on behalf of her mother on a telephone line from the USA.

10 Norwegian Minister of Justice wants policy on defenders
- Haven't we done so, we should do it, said Norwegian Minister of Justice Odd Einar Dørum when confronted with the fact that Norway, unlike the EU, has not yet developed a transparent, comprehensive policy on human rights defenders.

11 Ebadi wants a human rights house in Iran
- Human rights defenders are central in the dialogue between civilizations, said Shirin Ebadi at the opening of a conference in Oslo 13 October hosted by the Human Rights House Foundation. The Iranian Nobel Laureate expressed the need for a Human Rights House in Iran where defenders can come together. Read Ebadi's and other speeches at the HRH conference

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