Initiatives

Buddhist monk Venerable Luon Sovath is one of three finalists for the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders announced today in Geneva. The announcement event is being ‘broadcast’ live at 11am Geneva time (5am ET) on www.martinennalsaward.org.

Freedom House and the Latin American Network for Democracy and Human Rights wrote an open letter to the Colombian government and leaders in the hemisphere calling for the inclusion of topics of democracy and human rights in their deliberations, and their inclusion in the agenda of subsequent summits. Nearly 150 activists and organizations from throughout the hemisphere signed the letter.

The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), consisting over 40 prominent human rights organizations and activists, today submitted a petition to the special procedures of the United Nation Human
Rights Council calling for the UN to help shut down North Korea’s vast gulag system.

On the seventh anniversary of editor Elmar Huseynov’s murder, the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA) remains deeply concerned regarding the continuing cycle of violence against journalists and impunity for their attackers in Azerbaijan. The IPGA calls for the authorities to bring Elmar Huseynov’s murderers to justice and to seriously investigate and prosecute all cases of violence against journalists.