We host regular morning seminars called “One Hour of Human Rights” at our head office in Stockholm. From time to time we organise movie screenings followed by discussions. We also arrange, and participate in, a great number of different activities.
The perception about the human rights situation in Ethiopia differs depending on if you ask the Government, the citizens, local human rights defenders or the International community. Welcome to a seminar on May 30 with the independent journalist Mesfin Negash, who was forced to go into exile because of his work.
A new law prohibiting ”propaganda” for homosexuality was recently passed in St Petersburg’s local parliament. Similar laws have already been passed in Ryazan, Arkhangelsk and Kostroma, and there is a ongoing discussion about introducing propaganda laws on a federal level. Listen to Anastasia Smirnova and Alexandra Semenova about how the laws came about and how they affect the work for human rights, on Friday May 25.
Civil Rights Defenders in collaboration with Media Center Belgrade and Olof Palme Center, invite you to a series of quick panels with over 30 experts from civil society organizations, media and research institutes. Important questions concerning the electoral system, corruption, human rights, justice and equality in Serbia will be discussed. Date: 6th May 2012th Time: [...]
Ales Bialiatski, human rights defender and chairman of the organisation Viasna, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for tax evasion. His colleague, Viasna’s vice chair, Valjantsin Stefanovitj, has been charged twice. On 25 april he participates in a seminar about political prisoners in Belaus.
Chiranuch Premchaiporn is one of many independent voices who have fallen victim to tighter restrictions and control of internet activism in Thailand. Chiranuch is accused of crimes under lèse majesté. If convicted she risks 20 years in prison. Listen to Chiranuch telling her – and others’ – stories from a Thailand we rarely have access to.
Listen to the Serbian journalists Svetlana Lukic and Svetlana Vukovic. For many years they have worked to enhance the public debate in Serbia. They are working with Peščanik, a radio show and web platform, a unique forum for informing about human rights. Pescanik has been described as ‘anti-Serbian’ or ‘treacherous’ by other media. Seminar March 28.
Benedicte Berner, Vice Head of Civil Rights Defenders board and media analyst with focus on Russia, is monitoring the media situation during the Presidential election. Hear her speak about the media climate on March 9.
The lack of rule of law can lead to unforeseen consequences for a woman living in a repressive regime, as displayed in Jens Assur’s latest film Killing the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys. In order to highlight the International Women’s Day we will show the film at the National Historical Museum in Stockholm on March 8. A conversation about fair trials follows the film.
Civil Rights Defenders is organising an innovative training in using social networking tools to increase awareness, encourage action and empower communities.
Listen to Stanislav Dmitrievsky, chair of the Russian-Chechnya Friendship Association, and Robert Hårdh, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders, speak about the possibilities to identify and bring war criminals to the court.
Due to illness we have to cancel the seminar on February 22. We apologise for this!
Most of our seminars on current human rights issues are broadcasted live. View all our previous broadcasts on our Bambuser channel.
A year has passed since the Presidental election in Belarus and a wave of persecutions of human rights defenders, independent media actors and political opponents, has followed in its tracks. On the January 25, Anna Gerasimova, Director of the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius, will visit us to talk about the current human rights situation in Belarus.
Welcome to a crash course in digital self-defense and a conversation about the cat and mouse game going on in many countries, between authorities and advocates for free speech.
Civil Rights Defenders is organising a two-day regional conference in cooperation with Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) on the theme “The role of civil society, citizens and media in the Western Balkans: Challenges as an opportunity“. The conference will be held in Sarajevo, November 22-23. Journalists, activists and civil society organisations from the [...]
On November 9 the Pravo Ljudski film festival opens with Civil Rights Defenders’ photo exhibition Our Rights at Kino Meeting Point in Sarajevo.
On September 7 the Kosovo Memory book (Volume 1) was launched by our partner Humanitarian Law Center. The book , when fully completed, will document individual victims killed or disappeared in the armed conflict in Kosovo during 1998 – 2000. Hopefully the book with contribute o preventing political manipulation of the numbers of victims from [...]
Leaving the closet – Civil Rights Defenders bjuder in till ett samtal om hur det är att arbeta för hbt-personers rättigheter i olika delar av världen. Tio aktivister från Östeuropa, Sydostasien och Centralasien delar med sig av sina erfarenheter och diskuterar hur vi tillsammans kan stärka kampen för öppenhet och tolerans.
Human Rights Defenders and LGBT activists from all over the world gather in Stockholm during Pride. We have invited ten activists from six countries with the aim to support their struggle against discrimination and their quest for the rights that some of us take for granted.
Ninke Liebert, handläggare på Civil Rights Defenders, deltar i Sveriges Radios Konflikt lördagen den 18 juni klockan 09.00-10.00. I programmet diskuteras situationen i Norra Kaukasus.
On May 27-29 we co-organise a conference on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons in the Western Balkans. We hope to achieve a better understanding of the relation between human rights protection and equal rights of all people, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity.
A new African state will see dawn this summer. Exiled Zambian journalist Mr. Lloyd Himaambo, who covered the referendum on Southern Sudanese independence, visits us for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities that faces the Republic of South Sudan.
CANCELLED! Due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud Lloyd Himaambo’s flight to Sweden is cancelled. This means we have to cancel tonight’s seminar. We are very sorry about any inconvenience this may cause you.
On May 18, 2011, we held a conference in Skopje together with Macedonian Young Lawyers Association and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation. The main purpose of the event was to instigate a discussion among civil society actors about the recently passed Law against discrimination. The law does not meet European or general human rights standards [...]
More than six months have passed since Burma elected a civilian government. In practice, the referendum yielded no support for democratic reforms. Rather the military’s grip on power was strengthened. Just days after the referendum Aung San Suu Kyi was released, but around 2,200 political prisoners remain imprisoned. What has happened to the respect and [...]
More than three years have passed since the violence that followed the election in Kenya in 2007 took place, when more than 1,300 people were killed and several hundred thousand people were displaced from their homes. Still the authorities have not investigated the crimes. In 2010 the International Criminal Court (the ICC) brought charges against [...]
In 2009 Civil Rights Defenders and Regional Centre for Minorities arranged the first LGBT conference “Justice in Balkans: Equality for sexual minorities” in Podgorica, Montenegro. It provoked a fierce discussion and for the first time brought the LGBT matter into the public debate. Our collaboration continues with further strengthening the position of the LGBT communities [...]
Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Stockholm on April 27. In connection to his visit we urge Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to discuss with him the difficult situation that human rights defenders in Russia are facing. During the 2009 EU summit Reinfeldt raised this issue with President Medvedev and there is cause for [...]
On the 21st of January a demonstration organized by the opposition and held in Tirana ended in violent clashes between police forces and demonstrators. As a result, four persons were killed and large numbers were injured both among the protesters and the police. Many demonstrators were detained. It is not clear when they will be [...]
Our cooperation with the Russian Justice Initiative has so far resulted in 100 convictions against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights. Overall, Russia has been convicted 160 times for gross human rights violations in the North Caucasus. Most cases that we have conducted in the European Court date from 2002. But the brutality [...]
Our photo exhibition “Our Rights” is touring the Western Balkans. The exhibition is made in collaboration with the photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and the aim is to increase the awareness of the importance of Human Rights. With this exhibition we want to show what might be the consequences of human rights violations but also how [...]
Civil Rights Defenders and RFSL invite you to a seminar on LGBT rights in Russia In 2010, LGBT organisations (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) were denied registration. Organisations and activists have been assaulted, which the police ignores. At the same time, a Queer Culture Festival in St. Petersburg was a great success and the visibility [...]
In recent years, Islamist insurgents have been particularly active in Dagestan. On March 29 two suicide attacks were carried out in the Moscow metro in the middle of morning rush hour, killing 40 people and wounding dozens; the suicide bombers were from Dagestan. In response, the authorities have continued to commit serious violations of basic [...]
Our photo exhibition “Our Rights” will be shown during the Human Rights Forum in Örebro. The exhibition is made in collaboration with the photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and the aim is to increase the awareness of the importance of Human Rights. -In Sweden, we are good at talking about human rights and to promote them [...]
Amnesty International and Civil Rights Defenders invite you to a breakfast seminar on the 12th of November. Every year, the Living History Forum, on behalf of the Government, award a person who made great humanist and democracy efforts in the world with the Per Anger Prize. 2010 the human rights defender Elena Urlaeva is awarded [...]
Civil Rights Defenders will participate in Uppsala Pride; with an info table and arranging a seminar. Information about the seminar: Pride and Prejudice – why is Pride needed? Sara Laginder, intern at Civil Rights Defenders, invites participants to a discussion; What can we do and how can we work for equal rights of all citizens? [...]
Roma in Sweden have been subjected to gross violations of human rights, as in many other parts of the world. The group has been persecuted and discriminated. Not long ago Roma women were subjected to forced sterilizations. In February 2007 the Delegation for Roma Issues was established by the government in order to promote the [...]
On Sunday, the 10th of October, there will be a Pride Parade in Belgrade, Serbia. All through out this week there are ongoing activities in Belgrade, like movie screenings, seminars and exhibitions. To read more about Belgrade Pride and to check out the schedule. Civil Rights Defenders is arranging “Day Before Pride” together with the [...]
Civil Rights Defenders exhibition ”Our Rights” will be shown at the fifth edition of the International Human Rights Film Festival in Albania. Our Programme Officer Peter Mossop will be participating at the festival. The organizers themselves present the ideas and aims of the festival in the following way: Human Rights in Albania have been an [...]
In May 2010 Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Kosovo and Civil Rights Defenders published a report which scrutinized different parts of Kosovo governance structures. The report titled “State of Costriction” questions whether the citizens of Kosovo feel free to follow their conscience and judgment. The report concludes that the answer to this question is [...]
Joanna Kurosz, programme director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Civil Rights Defenders, will participate as moderator in the Conference of Human Rights Defenders in Belarus and the Baltic States. Around 70 Belarusian Human Rights Defenders will attend the conference together with 80 other participants from the Baltic countries, Western Balkans, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, [...]
Robert Hårdh, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders, has been invited to comment on the report made by Professor Dennis Töllborg on how the Swedish police conduct internal investigations. The seminar is open to the public; please notify Dennis Töllborg (dennis.toellborg@gri.gu.se) or Anders Månsson (anders.mansson@polisen.se) if you are coming. Date: Thursday 9th of September Time: [...]
Stockholm Pride was organised July 26 – August 1. The event serves as an important opportunity to remind about the right to life, personal security, and protection against discrimination of all people.
Our guest speaker in this spring’s last seminar in the series “One hour of human rights,” talks about the human rights situation in Vietnam. What issues are most important? How is the civil society organized in the country and how much do ordinary people know about human rights? Giang Nguyen was born in Vietnam and [...]
The Swedish Press Ombudsman, Yrsa Stenius, has been criticized and questioned during the last couple of months, among other for recommending the Swedish Press Council to criticize the daily Expressen for an article about Jan Guillou being in contact with KGB in the -60:s and -70:s. Expressen responded by boycotting the Press Ombudsman, and several [...]
Kyrgyzstan has for long been considered the least repressive country in Central Asia. A civil society has developed and been able to work relatively freely. But lately the situation has changed to the worse. Peaceful demonstrations are stopped by the military and journalists critical of the regime are persecuted, threatened and killed. Gennady Pavlyuk is [...]
In May 2010 Belarus will be inquired by the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review, UPR. Belarus has for a long time been criticized by both the UN and other international bodies for violations of fundamental human rights. The Belarusian authorities’ reaction to the criticism has been weak. Meanwhile, the country wants [...]
Internationally-supported transitional justice projects have come to play a central role in broader efforts to build peace, democracy and the rule of law in troubled states, based on the belief that impunity for war crimes tends to lead to new cycles of violence. But the record shows that their most prominent mechanisms – truth commissions [...]
Rebiya Kadeer, Uighur human rights defender, visits Civil Rights Defenders on Thursday December 3rd. We will show the documentary “Ten Conditions of Love” and talk about the Uighur’s struggle for human rights in China. See a film clip here. Date: Thursday December 3rd Time: 18.00-20.00 Place: Stora Nygatan 26, 1st floor Ten Conditions of Love [...]
Thirty years ago the Iranian Revolution brought Ayatolla Khomeini to power in Iran. Since then human rights defenders have been fighting for equality and respect for human rights, often with their own lives at stake. Parvin Ardalan, journalist and human rights defender from Iran, visits Civil Rights Defenders to talk about human rights in Iran. [...]
The civil society in the Western Balkans has initiated a process to establish a Regional Commission for Truth-seeking and Truth-telling About War Crimes. A very large number of NGOs in all the countries involved support and promote the initiative. The focus ahead will be to get the duty holders committed to the process. Will that [...]
Civil Rights Defenders is one of the organisers of the Human Rights Forum, Scandinavia’s largest forum for human rights. During this years event we will participate with the exhibition Our Rights and arrange several seminars on different topics. Civil Rights Defenders program for Human Rights Forum: Monday November 16 11.00-11.30: Film “Missing Lives: Disappearance and [...]
Oksana Tjelysjeva är verksam inom Rysk-tjetjenska vänskapsförbundet och kolumnist för den oberoende tidningen Novaja Gazeta. Usam Bajsajev arbetar för den ryska människorättsorganisationen Memorial, som i år tilldelats det prestigefulla Sacharovpriset. Ingmar Oldberg är Rysslandsexpert och associerad forskare vid Utrikespolitiska institutet. Robert Hårdh är chef för Civil Rights Defenders. Martin Uggla är ordförande i Östgruppen för [...]
In the beginning of 2008 a wave of violence was spread across Kenya. The election results from December 2007 were questioned and lead to massive riots. More than 1 000 people lost their lives and close to 600 000 were displaced. “Getting Justice: Kenya’s deadly game of wait and see” is a documentary about [...]
One year ago the European Union temporarily lifted the travelban on Belarusian politicians and civil servants, hoping that this would lead to an improved human rights situation in the country. In November the future of the sanctions will be decided. Fifty international and Belarusian organisations recommend, in a new report, that EU keeps the travelban [...]
Crystal Night and the fall of the Berlin Wall. November 9 has been a turning point in European history. Civil Rights Defenders participate in an event on the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, organised by Stockholms Stadsteater, in collaboration with the Swedish EU Presidency and the Foundation Natur & Kultur.
Public meeting with a panel discussion on terrorism legislation and human rights. Participants: Thomas Olsson, Lawyer, has represented members of al-Barakaat among other Laue Traberg Smidt, Danish Lawyer, has represented members of al-Aqsa among other Anna Wigenmark, Lawyer, Civil Rights Defenders Madelaine Seidlitz, Lawyer, Amnesty Abdirisak Aden, Gösta Hultén, Journalist, Charta 2008 Date: Saturday November [...]
The need for urgent aid in connection with natural disasters or armed conflicts will most probably increase in times of climate change and financial crises. At the same, the Swedish government has expressed a wish to prioritize long-term support for democratization and human rights. How will these two needs be combined and what are the [...]
This month’s seminar is temporarily moved to the afternoon and The Royal Coin Cabinett (Myntkabinettet)! Since this summer the human rights situation in North Caucasus has deteriorated dramatically. After the murder of the prominent human rights defender Natalja Estemirova in July, harrasments of human rights defenders have increased and several people have been murdered. Who [...]
The Pride Parade that would have been held in Belgrade, September 20, was stopped in the last minute. The Interior Ministry and the police suddenly announced that if the parade would be held in central Belgrade the participants’ safety could not be guaranteed. This means in fact that the parade was banned, and shows that [...]
Civil Rights Defenders participate, for the third time, at the International Square of the Book and Library Fair in Gothenburg. We will show the photo exhibition Our Rights, which was produced in cooperation with Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, and arrange a breakfast seminar on Friday morning. With Life at stake All over the world people are [...]
Together with the Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin we have made a photo exhibition to show our work for human rights in a contemporary context. The exhibition opens September 11 at 13.00 on the Central Station in Stockholm and will be shown September 11-13. Place: Entrance Hall at Stockholm Central Station
The world was shocked by the events of September 11 2001. It shook our values and respect for fundamental human rights was in many cases set aside. With this background Civil Rights Defenders asked photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin to interpret human rights in a contemporary context. The result is a collection of ten pictures that [...]
Daniel Poohl, editor in chief at the magazine Expo, talks about the growth of right wing extremist party Sverigedemokraterna. During the last couple of years the right wing groups have worked on transforming on the surface, adapting their message in order to become more accepted among the general public. Step by step they have become [...]
Turkmenistan has one of the most authoritarian regimes in the world. The country is also rich in fossil gas, and multinational companies will do almost anything in the competition for a contract. With a lot of humor and skilled story telling the director Arto Halonen questions the morale of some of the world’s largest companies [...]
Minoo Jalali, a lawyer born in Iran and living in Great Britain, claims that female and male political refugees are not treated the same in Great Britain. Maria Bexelius teaches in the right of asylum on Teologiska högskolan in Stockholm and has written the books “Right of Asylum, gender and politics” (2008) and “Women on [...]
Sofia Lindow, Master of Laws, talks about the conditions in Swedish custody, which has been criticized by the UN Committee against torture and the Committee against Torture of the European Council, among other. Lindow presents the criticizm of the committees and discusses what effect a deprivation of liberty can have on the mental health of [...]
Jekaterina Glod, analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS), talks about the latest developments in Belarus and the country’s relationships with Russia and the EU. On March 17 EU decided to give the Belarusian regime a new opportunity to come closer to the European Union. EU temporarily revoked a travel ban for a [...]
Zarko Hadzi-Zafirov, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, talks about the road towards EU for Macedonia. The presidential and local elections in March 2009 will affect the start of the negotiation talks about EU membership to a large extent. Last year the Macedonian government was heavily criticized for the riots and violence that followed the parliamentary elections, [...]
Bambuser
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube