 RFE/RL Watchdog July 22, 2009 9:46:02 AM A blog of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's broadcast region.For more, please visit and bookmark Watchdog . |
 Media Watchdog Condemns Azerbaijan's Jailing Of Bloggers Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says a Baku court's rejection of an appeal to release two jailed Azerbaijani bloggers is "unacceptable," RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Uzbekistan Controlling Civil Society With 'GoNGOs' Rights activists say the Uzbek government is using government-operated NGOs (GoNGOs) to control civil society in the country, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Iran Lawyer Arrested On Way To Friday Prayers Shadi Sadr was apparently intercepted by plainclothes agents at around 11:30 a.m., while she was on her way to Friday Prayers in Tehran, where ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was to deliver an eagerly awaited sermon. More  Two Iranian Christians May Face Execution For Apostasy Two Iranian women jailed in Iran's notorious Evin prison for converting from Islam to Christianity may be executed for apostasy, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Prominent Rusian Rights Activist Murdered In North Caucasus In a development the U.S. has called "outrageous," a prominent Russian human rights activist has been found shot dead, hours after being kidnapped in the North Caucasus. Natalya Estemirova investigated atrocities in Chechnya. Her death is the latest in a series of similar killings that have gone unsolved. More  UN Says Kazakhstan Has 'Room For Improvement' On Minority Issues A top UN rights official has commended Kazakhstan for its "high degree of inter-ethnic and inter-religious cooperation and tolerance," but says a "number of issues" of concern remain. More  Report: Kyrgyz Officer Confesses To Beating Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Sabyrbek Kurmanaliev says that a policeman has confessed to beating a journalist in the southern Osh region who later died from his injuries, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More Imagine you're a police chief in the Azerbaijani capital and you're holding a pair of activist bloggers on pretty dubious charges of hooliganism. Further imagine that supporters of the detainees are gathered outside your police station for word of what awaits the two, potentially drawing attention to the case. What to do? More  U.S. Official, Turkmen President Hold Talks U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns says he had "productive" talks with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov in Ashgabat over the weekend, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More Slain Kyrgyz Journalist Buried; Probe Likely Suiunbek Satybaldiev, the prosecutor-general of the Nookat district, told RFE/RL that there is some evidence to support claims by Tashiev and his relatives regarding alleged police involvement in his beating. He said the case will be further investigated. More Grigor Voskerchian, who walked free from the courtroom as part of a general amnesty declared by authorities last month after spending about 18 months in prison, was sentenced in connection with last year's postelection unrest. More  Azerbaijani Activists Denied Release Before Trial Two youth activists, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, have been ordered in a closed court hearing to be held in detention for two months until the next hearing in their trial, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Youth Activists Arrested In Azerbaijan Prominent Azerbaijani youth activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were arrested early on July 9 after being involved in a fight in a restaurant. More Police reportedly approached Uladzimir Syakerka and Mikalay Zasusky near the entrance of the Electroapparatura factory in Homel. More A journalist in the Kyrgyz town of Nookat has been hospitalized after being severely beaten, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Turkmenistan, EU Hold Human Rights Talks Officials from the European Union and Turkmenistan have held a second round of human rights talks in Brussels, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More  Moldovan NGOs March Against Police Abuse, Torture Activists from several Moldovan human rights groups have held a march in downtown Chisinau to protest police brutality which, they say, in many cases amounts to torture, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More  Armenian Journalists Urge Release Of Iranian Colleagues Armenian journalists are signing a petition urging the release of their Iranian colleagues who have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown that followed Iran's disputed presidential election, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Israeli, Kazakh Presidents Open Religious Congress The third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions has opened in the Kazakh capital, Astana, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More |
