On October 28, 2016, Eduard Palchys, Belarusian blogger and founder of the website 1863x.com, was released from prison after 9 months in pre-trial detention. After being released, Palchys credited the international solidarity efforts for his release, stating, “…I thought they would imprison me for three years. The sentence is the result of the civil society’s…
On October 26, 2016, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board stated that if Azerbaijan’s government fails to amend restrictions on NGOs before next March, their EITI membership will be suspended. The EITI is an initiative that oversees the international “standard for transparency and accountability around countries’ oil, gas and mineral resources.” Azerbaijan’s EITI membership…
The World Movement for Democracy’s global #SetThemFree Campaign works to bring awareness to activists currently behind bars. In response to the country’s deteriorating human rights situation, and growing restrictions on civil society, the #SetThemFree campaign has expanded its Spotlight coverage of Egypt and its human rights activists behind bars. The Egyptian government has targeted civil society with…
On September 4, 2016, Azerbaijani civil society leaders signed a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (COE), Thorbjørn Jagland, urging him to call upon the COE’s Venice Commission to comment on Azerbaijan’s upcoming Referendum Act. The letter was signed by Intiqam Aliyev, Emin Huseynov, Rasul Jafarov, Anar Mammadli, and Dr. Leyla…