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Content
Announcements:
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News:
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30th International Human Rights Training Program (Montreal, 14 June-3 July 2009)
FARE Action Week against Racism and Discrimination in European Football takes place from 16th
to 28th October 2008
Request for New Tactics Partner Grant Proposals (up to USD 6,000)
John Smith Fellowship Programme 2009
World Bank Winter Internship Program - Application Period Now Open
The U.S. Department of State launched a worldwide competition
13.09 Stop testing on animals!
15.09 Hands off channel “2x2”!
18.09 Round table: “The new Labour Code – a necessity or a menace for youth?”
26.09 Monopoly of the Bar on rendering of legal services expected
26.09 “Great Terror” and its echoes”
28.09 “Every activist knows how to make All-Russian Civil Network”
Announcements:
30th International Human Rights Training Program (Montreal, 14 June-3 July 2009)
We are delighted to contact you today with details about our next annual International Human Rights
Training Program. We are looking forward to another inspiring three-week program and the opportunity to
meet more than 120 participants from around 60 different countries.
We are inviting you to forward the Application Form, Program Information and Memorandum of Agreement
to your international network of human rights activists and encourage organizations who you think could
benefit from the program to apply. It is also a good opportunity to share with your network your personal
experience at the IHRTP. We always appreciate recommendations from people who have experienced the
IHRTP.
All forms and background information can be found at: http://www.equitas.org/english/programs/IHRTP.php
In circulating the information please bear in mind that the IHRTP is intended for human rights workers and
educators from non-governmental organizations, National Human Rights Institutions, government bodies
and educational institutions. The goal of the IHRTP is to strengthen the capacity of human rights
organizations to undertake human rights education efforts aimed at building a global culture of human rights.
The curriculum is based on principles of adult experiential learning in which participants and facilitators
engage in a process of mutual teaching and learning. The Program Information provides a detailed
description of the Program.
More information: http://yhrm.org/eng/news/advertisement/62/
FARE Action Week against Racism and Discrimination in European Football takes place from 16th to
28th October 2008
Ignoring racism, is accepting racism – take your stand and join the FARE Action Week!
Discrimination and racism is sadly a regular occurrence in European football and is all too often swept under
the carpet. Therefore, for the 9th successive season the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network
is coordinating action in and around football stadiums across Europe. Between 16th and 28th October 2008
large sections of the European football family in more than 35 countries will stand united against racism and
discrimination.
The idea behind the FARE Action Week is that a wide range of initiatives and activities address local
problems within their club or community, while also joining groups across the continent to present a unified
stand against racism in the game.
More information: http://yhrm.org/eng/news/advertisement/60/
Request for New Tactics Partner Grant Proposals (up to USD 6,000)
New Tactics, in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is currently accepting
partner grant proposals for 2008-2009. The application deadline for these Partner Grants proposals is 27
October 2008. These funds are intended for human rights practitioners to share, translate, adapt and/or apply
the New Tactics materials and resources for strategic and tactical innovation in local human rights struggles
as well as share examples of innovative tactics with a broad range of people. For more information, visit our
website http://www.newtactics.org/grants/ned2008/rfp.
John Smith Fellowship Program 2009
The John Smith Memorial Trust is inviting applications to participate in the John Smith Fellowship Program
2009.
Applications are welcomed from 1st September 2008 - 5th November 2008. The application process is
administered by the British Council on behalf of the John Smith Memorial Trust. Applications for the 2009
Program must be completed in English and emailed to your local British Council office as a Microsoft Word
document no later than 5th November 2008.
Applications for Russia are administered by the John Smith Memorial Trust.
Fellowships are invited from the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Russia and Ukraine.
For further information about how to apply please use the links below for your relevant country of
application:
Armenia:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/armenia-education-scholarships-john-smith.htm
Azerbaijan:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/azerbaijan-education-study-in-uk-john-smith
Georgia:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/ge-education-scholarship-john-smith-fellowship.htm
Kyrgyzstan:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kazakhstan-education-funding-john-smith.htm
Moldova:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/ukraine-education-funding-john-smith-moldova.htm
Russia:
http://www.johnsmithmemorialtrust.org/web/site/Programme/HowtoApply-Russia.asp
Ukraine:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/ukraine-education-funding-john-smith.htm
Short-listed candidates are interviewed in-country, and the final selection of Fellows is made by the John
Smith Memorial Trust in the UK in mid-February.
Normally, successful candidates are aged between 25 and 35 and in employment at the time of application.
Outstanding candidates may be considered even if they do not meet these criteria. Preference is given to
applicants working in:
- the political process, e.g. in parliament or in a reputable political party/institution;
- legal services, especially in the field of human rights;
- journalism/broadcasting;
- government service (including local government);
- NGOs with explicit involvement in furthering democracy and social justice, or encouraging equal rights,
democratic access and accountability in government.
For more information and how to apply, see:
http://www.johnsmithmemorialtrust.org/web/site/Programme/how_to_apply.asp
World Bank Winter Internship Program - Application Period Now Open
The application period for the Winter Internship Program 2008 is now open. The Program is open to students
who are nationals of the Bank's member countries and attracts a large number of highly qualified candidates.
The goal of this Internship Program is to offer successful candidates an opportunity to improve their skills as
well as the experience of working in an international environment. Interns generally find the experience to be
rewarding and interesting. To be eligible for the Internship Program, candidates must possess an
undergraduate degree and already be enrolled in a full-time graduate study program. Read more:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTHRJOBS/0,,contentMDK:20515785~isCUR
L:Y~menuPK:64262360~pagePK:64262408~piPK:64262191~theSitePK:1058433,00.html?cid=IS
G_E_WBWeeklyUpdate_NL
For a full list of open positions and scholarships: http://www.worldbank.org/jobs
The U.S. Department of State launched a worldwide competition
The U.S. Department of State launched a worldwide competition aimed at enhancing the global dialogue on
democracy. The Democracy Video Challenge asks budding filmmakers, democracy advocates, and the
general public to create video shorts that complete the phrase, "Democracy is." The winners will be selected
by the online voting public. Six regional winners will be eligible to claim an all-expense paid trip to the
United States that includes screenings of their videos in New York, Hollywood and Washington, meetings
with film directors, public officials and democracy advocates from nongovernmental organizations, and time
on film and TV sets. Contestants who wish to compete anonymously may also submit videos. One
anonymous video will be selected as a winner; however, that contestant will not be eligible to claim the
travel prize.
Partners include: the Center for International Private Enterprise, the Directors Guild of America, the
International Republican Institute, the International Youth Foundation, Motion Picture Association of
America, NBC Universal, National Democratic Institution, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts,
USC's School of Cinematic Arts, TakingITGlobal, and the U.S. Department of State. YouTube is providing
the video platform.
For more information about the Democracy Video Challenge, contact: Laura Hesselton at 202/453- 8363 or
via email at hesseltonle@state.gov
For additional details, visit www.youtube.com/democracychallenge.
News:
13.09.
Stop testing on animals!
On September 13-14, Dresden, the capital of Saxony, became a European capital of mass actions against
vivisection.
Activist from different movements and of different ages from Germany (Dresden, Berlin, Kemnitz, Leipzig,
Freiburg, Cologne, etc.), Denmark, Austria and Russia (Rostov-on-Don) came into the streets to claim:
“Tierversuche gehцren abgeschafft – Stop testing on animals!”
On September 13 at 11 a.m. members of “Tierrechtsgruppe Dresden” (dresden@die-tierbefreier.de) and
“Tierbefreier e.V.” (www.die-tierbefreier.de) began pitching tents in one of the squares in the city centre –
ALTMARKGALERIE. The territory was divided into two sections, informational and spoken.
Animal defenders from Dresden organized a little trade fair where one could buy recent books on the subject,
get some information on other organizations of animal defence, buy relevant pins, T-shirts, caps. The most
favourite place was the ground near a van VEGAN REVOLUTION where one could try various vegan
dishes.
At 3 p.m. the column of demonstrators started going along the main street. The march had been accorded
with the city authorities so the column was accompanied by four police cars and a helicopter. The
demonstration went on till 5 p.m., the distance of about 5 km was covered. As it went, animal defenders
became the most interesting sight in the city. Hundreds of tourists pointed their cameras to the demonstrators
instead of the beauty of Saxony. Passers-by joined the column.
The day ended successfully in the Alternative Centre (AZ Conni) with German rock-bands concert devoted
to the problem of laboratorial animals.
Mikhail Badasyan
15.09
Hands off channel “2x2”!
A picket was organized on September 13 in Novopushkinskii park, Moscow in support of mounting a
monument to Kenni, one of the characters of the animated cartoon series “South Park”.
The action was caused by a number of experts and two prosecutor's offices having found the series “South
Park” extremist, violent, religiously objectionable and antisocial. It may put a stop to running the cartoon and
cause suppression of the channel.
Is was not only the channel itself that stood against such a decision, but also its viewership that appealed to
the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation, the Basmannaya inter-district prosecutor’s office
of Moscow, and the Federal service of supervision over the mass media.
Here are quotations from these appeals:
We protest against prejudice to the channel “2x2”. This is not the first time that the channel falls victim to
accusations of religious groups which ignore cruelty, blood, sex, violence at other channels. It makes us think
that this is not some sacred values being defied that cause a problem with the channel “2x2” but just
somebody’s commercial interest, quite a material one.
“2x2” is the only non-partisan channel in Russia. A channel for those who do not watch “usual” TV
broadcast full of criminal series, similar news, cheap humour, mobile message quizzes and endless
brainwash.
We ask you to take into account the opinion of 11 million people viewership of the channel.
You can see some pictures taken during the picket here:
http://community.livejournal.com/2x2tv/89991.html
18.09
Round table: “The new Labour Code – a necessity or a menace for youth?”
Not long ago 386 people's delegates voted for a new version of the Labour Code and passed it after its first
reading. That was what worried the Kiev city organization “Foundation of Regional Initiatives” and the
youth initiative “Direct action” which organized the round table: “The new labour law code – a necessity or a
menace for youth?” Leaders of parliamentary groups, the authors of the bill (people's deputies Aleksandr
Stoyan, Yaroslav Suhii i Vasilii Hara), representatives of trade unions, representatives of youth and students’
organizations were invited to the event. It is important that neither the people’s deputies nor the authors of
the bill took part in the round table that shows their attitude to the public opinion.
During the meeting the speakers paid attention to some negative changes introduced by the new code. Thus,
Andrei Movchan (youth initiative “Direct Action”) reported that the bill provides for legality of ten hours'
long working days, pay by the hour, reduction in the rights of trade unions concerning the protection of
workers. He also told about the consequences of such innovations. Oleg Vernik (the head of the central
committee of the Kiev city trade union “Protection of labour”) shared his concerns about the disappearance
of the Article 45 providing for possibility of ripping up labour contract by the worker or removal of the
manager at the instance of the trade union because of breach of labour law and default on obligations of the
collective agreement. He also accentuated that the bill does not settle such problems faced by the youth and
the society in general as the problem of the period of probation, inefficiency of students’ unions, etc.
Also the new labour code provides for extension of the reasons of discharge, eliminates legitimacy of labor
disputes commissions, etc.
The meeting was ended by the representatives of trade unions, social, youth and students’ organizations
signing an agreement creating a common front against legitimated slavery. The agreement claimed their
opposition to violations of the present workers’ rights and liberties, both those of youth and elders.
Individual correspondent of the International Network – Youth Human Rights Movement Boyarskii Nazarii
(Kiev, Ukraine).
26.09
Monopoly of the Bar on rendering of legal services expected
Monopoly of the Bar on rendering of legal services may be introduced in Russia. The proposed statute
concerning this called 'On rendering competent legal assistance' has already been prepared by the Council of
Federation and is going to be discussed in the State Duma within the next few days.
The bill provides for any legal services from verbal legal advice to representation in court to be rendered
professionally by advocates, notary officers and patent agents only. Lawyers of companies and state
institutions will be allowed to render legal services only to their employer for and foreign counsels will be
allowed to engage in international law only.
Members of the jural community call the proposal an attempted repartition of legal services market and point
that monopolization of the market by the bar may lead to increase in costs for consumers.
President of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Yuri Dzhibladze considers such a law to be a hard
blow to non-profit organizations.
By materials of the publishing house Kommersant, lenta.ru and the mail-list ngo-legal.
26.09
“Great Terror” and its echoes”
“Great Terror” and its echoes”, a manual for history and social science teachers, is going to be published in
the network of the international action “Remember 1937!”.
On the 30th of October, the Memory day of victims of political repressions, teachers from different Russian
cities will be invited to conduct lessons for high school students based on the manual.
The manual contains the plan of a lesson dedicated to the period of repressions of 1937-38 in the USSR,
thesis of the “Memorial” society “1937 and the present Russia”, documents forming the regulatory basis of
the “Great Terror”, thematic glossary and other materials. It may be used by history and social science
teachers in their work regarding the period of 1930-50s.
The manual has been worked out by the participants of the Youth Human Rights Movement; its importance
and high quality has been noticed by eminent experts on the subject.
The action “Remember 1937!” is aimed at preserving the memory of the tragic totalitarian past of Russia
and involving young people into such an activity. The action is organized by the international Youth Human
Rights Movement, the “Young Europe” international network, the All-Russian union of Literary Men, the
Free University and other organizations.
The action is a part of the Russian national youth campaign “All different – all equal”.
The materials of the manual are available for screening and downloading at
www.remember1937.hrworld.ru.
You can also contact the “Remember 1937!” organizing committee by e-mail:
remember1937@hrworld.ru.
28.09
“Every activist knows how to make All-Russian Civil Network”
The conference of the All-Russian Civil Network (ARCN) concerning “Court, corruption – weak points of
Russian society. Developing the ARCN” gathered in Moscow on September 28.
The ARCN formed as a network of non-profit non-political organizations from the All-Russian civil
congress soon after its fourth meeting in December 2007, when human rights defenders distanced from
political formations. Then, headed by re-elected co-chairman Garry Kasparov (the United Civil Front) and
newly elected co-chairs – Yurii Samodurov, Ella Kesaeva (the committee “Voice of Beslan”), Natalya
Evdokimova (Saint-Petersburg Human Rights Defence Council) and Lev Ponomaryov (the movement “For
Human Rights”) it went on as an independent organization and changed the web-address to vrgkongress.ru
while the other part of the ARCN with two former co-chairmen of the All-Russian Civil Congress – the
president of the INDEM Foundation Georgii Satarov and the president of Institute of national project ‘Social
commute’ Alexander Auzan – chose its own way and took the previous domain civitas.ru.
The ARCN is headed by the chairman of Moscow Helsinki group Lyudmila Mikhailovna Alekseeva.
Hundreds of delegates arrived to the conference from different regions of the country. The meeting appeared
really non-political: talking about reliance of judicial authorities on executive authorities, almost all
spokesmen tried to avoid noting names of concrete high-ranking officials and nothing has been mentioned
concerning politically motivated court decisions and political prisoners in Russia.
In conclusion Lyudmila Alekseeva claimed that our country needs a strong civil society and it has to take
from the state as many functions as possible (within the limits of the law). And the ARCN, in its turn, has to
unite all the people who want to solve these problems.
More information:
http://civitas.ru/news.php?code=5712&year=2008&month=9&atyear=0
http://hro1.org/node/3227
----------------------------------------News may describe the following actions:
- organized by the participants or correspondents of the YHRM in the framework of actions and campaigns
of the YHRM Network;
- organized by the participants or correspondents of the YHRM;
- those in which the participants or correspondents of the YHRM took part;
- organized NOT by the participants or correspondents of the YHRM but by partner organizations and/or in
the framework of the topics connected with YHRM directions of activity.
All other news aren't included in the e-newsletter of the YHRM Network.
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