NEWSLETTER FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE NETWORK

1 Dalai Lama: Growing restrictions for Tibetan people
The Tibetan people have faced suspicions and growing restrictions, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said yesterday at the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan People’s Uprising.
- The lack of true ethnic equality and harmony based on trust, and the absence of genuine stability in Tibet clearly shows that things are not well in Tibet, the Dalai Lama stated.

2 Russian activists fear increased terror after Maskhadov's death
Maskhadov’s death could lead to an escalation of the conflict in Chechnya and spread the military actions, said Liubov Vinogradova (picture) from the Russian Research Center for Human Rights in Moscow. The Soldiers Mothers´ Committee hopes to continue negotiations once a new Chechen leader appears.

3 International Women's Day: Internet dissidents under attack
Women who use the Internet to disseminate their ideas have found themselves caught up in some governments´ harsh attempts to control information exchange. To mark this year´s Women´s Day on 8 March, English PEN focused on cases of women under attack for using new information technology to challenge their governments.

4 Kenya: CLARION faults Witness Protection Bill
The proposed Witness Protection Bill, 2004, interferes with the globally recognised rights of an accused person, the Centre for Law and Research International (CLARION) warns. CLARION, one of the seven NGOs involved in the Human Rights House project in Nairobi, sounded the alarm last week, saying the Bill was in conflict with the recognised right to fair trial.

5 Ugandan NGOs against "life presidency"
About 90 non-government organisations have opposed a proposal in the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2005, to lift presidential term limits. - Lifting term limits is to ignore the very lessons we claim to have learnt, the National Coordinator of the Ugandan Human Rights Network, Martin Masiga, also co-ordinating the Uganda Human Rights House project, told journalists in Kampala last week.

6 North Korea human rights situation fact file
International attention towards the human rights situation in North Korea is on the rise. Urged by the European Union, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has appointed a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation there. The US Congress has also unanimously passed the North Korean Human Rights Act. However, serious violations continue to occur. The Human Rights House Foundation will follow up North Korea during the UN Commission on Human Rights' 61st session in Geneva starting later this month.

7 Polish defender awarded by German Open Church
The German Evangelical Association Open Church has awarded the Amos Preis to Halina Bortnowska-Dabrowska, a member of the Helsinki Committee in Poland. She was awarded for her long-term struggle for democracy and freedom in Poland, commitment to the fight against racism and anti-semitism, as well as activities in support of the Polish-German reconciliation.

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The Human Rights House Foundation (HRH)
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