NEWSLETTER FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE NETWORK

1 Dalai Lama: - The wish for democracy can no longer be silenced
On Tuesday 14 June, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dalai Lama visited the Norwegian Human Rights House. - The wish for democracy among the Chinese people has grown so strong that it can no longer be silenced, said the Buddhist, who himself is the best example of just that.

2 Colombia: Over 7000 "disappearances" registered
More than 7000 "disappeared" persons have been registered by the Association of the Families of the Detained and Disappeared (ASFADDES) in Colombia. For the families there is no closure.

3 700 000 homeless children and orphans in Russia
The number of homeless children and orphans in Russia reached 700 000 by the end of 2002, according to Russian Children’s Fund. This number is comparable to the number of orphans following the Second World War.

4 Kenyan human rights organisations mark UN Victims of Torture Day
On 26 June, a host of Kenyan human rights organisations, joined by lawyers, students, Wananchi and the media, will join forces to mark the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. - We will use the day to demand a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to be set up, says Kang'ethe Mungai of Release Political Prisoners.

5 Hina Jilani about HRH: - Practical and much needed support
-I have been extremely impressed by the work of the Human Rights House Network. Contributions by the Network to the establishment of 'human rights houses' provides very practical and much needed support to individual human rights defender organisations and also to networks of defenders, says Hina Jilani, UN Special Representative to the Secretary General on the situation of human rights defenders, in a letter of endorsement.

6 Uganda: So much for multi-partyism, says key human rights defender
-The forthcoming referendum on multi-partyism is opposed by civil society, oppositional political parties and the donor community, and not only for its wastefulness, says Martin Masiga (right), Executive Director of HURINET, one of the leading human rights organisations in Uganda. Read Masiga's background on the issue.
See also: - If Museveni stays on, forget about the peace in the north of Uganda

7 Declaration on Srebrenica
Eight Serbian NGO`s made the draft of a Declaration on Srebrenica and put forth to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. They also called Serbian Authorities to adopt the Declaration, and to join the democratic world that will evoke the memory of Srebrenica crime so as to manifest that it has made up its mind that the history of mankind would never again witness such horror of organized and massive murder of people just because of their identity.

8 Minsk: The independent weekly "Den" harassed
On 26 May 2005, police seized all the copies of the independent weekly "Den" when it made a new attempt to publish. The paper has been off newsstands for one year according to Reporters Sans Frontiers.

9 United States: Court case over comic book's nude Picasso
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is backing a legal challenge to charges brought against a US shopkeeper who accidently allowed a child to be given a copy of a comic book featuring images of artist Pablo Picasso in the nude. Index on Censorship reports.

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Borghild Tønnessen-Krokan
Editor/Project Manager
Human Rights House Foundation (HRH)
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