Oslo | Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

Posts Tagged ‘Oslo’

Today you can watch the Oslo Freedom Forum via live streaming

May 26, 2015

The 2015 Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) will be streamed live in high-definition at oslofreedomforum.com on both Tuesday, 26 May and Wednesday, 27 May, beginning at 9:30 CET (3:30am EST, 12:30am PST). The full program can be viewed here.

This year’s theme is “Living in Truth,” in honor of Václav Havel, the great Czech playwright, dissident, and president. “In Oslo, we are honoring the spirit behind Václav Havel’s life and memorializing how he inspired millions to live in truth,” said Human Rights Foundation chairman Garry Kasparov. “Havel demonstrated that peaceful resistance and creative dissent could prevail over dictatorship and violence. We will study and celebrate his achievements in Norway over the next two days.”

Speakers, performers, and artists from 35 countries, including Afghanistan, Chile, Gabon, Malaysia, Mexico, North Korea, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Tunisia, and Ukraine, are uniting in Oslo to share stories of how they are taking action to make the world a more free and open place.

For inquiries, please contact info@oslofreedomforum.com or join the conversation by using #OsloFF.

Posted in Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Foundation | 1 Comment »
Tags: conference, Garry Kasparov, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Foundation, internet, meeting, Oslo, streaming, Vaclav Havel

Sakharov Freedom Award Goes to 98 Azeri Political Prisoners

October 11, 2014

October is awards season, so you should know that the 2014 Andrei Sakharov Freedom Award recognizes 98 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. [Note : there is also the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize – of more info please go to: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards]

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s Secretary General, Bjørn Engesland, announced the award in Oslo on 6 October, noting the sad fact that Azerbaijan’s political prisoners “are too numerous to all be mentioned here.” The Committee has documented 98 political prisoners, among them 13 journalists and bloggers. In addition, the prisoners include 10 human rights defenders and civil society activists, nine youth activists, a prominent opposition leader, “and many other opposing voices and religious activists.” The Committee noted that Azerbaijan assumed the Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers this year.“Just weeks after Azerbaijan took over the chairmanship in May 2014, a new wave of detention of activists started. In what appears as a sign of contempt against the Council of Europe institutions, this wave in particular hit human rights defenders who have worked hard with the Council for the recognition and release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.

via Sakharov Prize Goes to Azeri Political Prisoners.

Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Andrei Sakharov Freedom Award, Azerbaijan, Azeri, bloggers, Council of Europe, digest of human rights awards, freedom of expression, Human Rights Defenders, journalists, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Oslo, political prisoners, Sakharov Prize

Human Rights House Foundation seeks Regional Officer South Caucasus

May 12, 2014

The Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) in Oslo seeks a Regional Officer for South Caucasus at the Human Rights House Foundation. Deadline Tuesday, 20 May 2014. Location: South Caucasus (majority of work in Armenia during the first 6 months). The position requires frequent travels within South Caucasus region. The position demands, inter alia, excellent English and good Russian and working experience (minimum 2 years) in the human rights field, preferably from a non-governmental or international organization.

Send your CV, list of references and letter of support in English to ane.bonde[at]humanrightshouse.org and katerina.spacova[at]humanrightshouse.org.

Posted in Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Armenia, Coordinator, HRHF, human right defenders, Human Rights House Foundation, job opportunity, Oslo, russian, South Caucasus, vacancy

2014 Havel Prize for Creative Dissent awarded to Erdem Gunduz, Pussy Riot, and Dhondup Wangchen

May 5, 2014

On 2 May 2014 the Human Rights Foundation announced as the recipients of its 2014 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent the Turkish performance artist Erdem Gunduz, Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot, and imprisoned Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen. They will be honored at a ceremony during the Oslo Freedom Forum on Wednesday, May 14. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in awards, films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Foundation | 1 Comment »
Tags: awards, China, Dhondup Wangchen, digest of human rights awards, Erdem Gunduz, human rights awards, Leaving Fear Behind, on-line, Oslo, Pussy Riot, Russia, Standing Man, Tibet, Turkey, Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent

“20 YEARS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN WRONGS” 17 March in Geneva

March 13, 2014

Another interesting side event taking place in the margin of the UN Human Rights Council is the one organized by the Human Rights House Foundation on Monday 17 March 2014 from 10h00-11h30 in room XXI in the Palais des Nations.

The subject is:: 20 YEARS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN WRONGS IN THE BALKANS, CAUCASUS AND EASTERN EUROPE.

5 women human rights defenders will share their experience and present the new Human Rights House Network info graphics on the protection of human rights defenders:

Lara Aharonian, Women’s Resource Center Armenia Human Rights House Yerevan,
Anna Dobrovolskaya, Youth Human Rights Movement, Human Rights House Voronezh, Russia
Shahla Ismayil, Women’s Association for Rational Development, Human Rights House Azerbaijan, Baku
Sanja Sarnavka, Be active. Be emancipated (BaBe), Human Rights House Zagreb, Croatia
Maria Dahle, Human Rights House Foundation. Oslo, Norway

Human Rights House Network (HRHN) was established 20 years ago and now unites 90 human rights NGOs in 18 independent Human Rights Houses in 13 countries. HRHN aims to protect, empower and support HRDs locally.

The info graphics themselves, which try to cover all the key topics in the creation of an enabling environment for human rights defenders as laid down in the latest report of the Special Rapporteur, will be publicly available as from 17 March on http://humanrightshouse.org or contact <anna.innocenti[at]humanrightshouse.org>

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Balkan, Eastern Europe, HRHN, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights House Foundation, Human Rights House, images, info graphics, infographic, Maria Dahle, networking, North Caucasus, Oslo, protection, side event, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, UN Human Rights Council, women human rights defenders

WOZA’s case shows that meetings can help generate support for HRDs

September 18, 2012

From 6 to 8 June 2012, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) national coordinator Jenni Williams attended an international human rights experts meeting is Oslo, hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She presented the story of WOZA and its mandate of peaceful protest and the brutality of the state in responding with violence.
Amongst those attending were the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association, Maina Kai; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and
expression, Frank La Rue; and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya as well as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders of the Africa commission on human and people rights, Reine
Alapini-Gansou.
The African Commission Special Rapporteur Reine Alapini-Gansou and two United Nations Special Rapporteurs have since released statements.
http://wozazimbabwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Oslo-statement-FINAL1.pdf
and http://wozazimbabwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Press-release-PEACEFUL-PROTEST.pdf

Visit WOZA website at http://www.wozazimbabwe.org or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wozazimbabwe.

This information was provided by the International Secretariat of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC)

Posted in Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, freedom of association, freedom of expression, human rights, Human rights defender, Jenni Williams, Margaret Sekaggya, Norway, Oslo, United Nations Special Rapporteur, WHRD IC, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, Zimbabwe

Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards