We have just received a copy of an open letter from Amnesty International Canada to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in advance of his upcoming trip to the forthcoming APEC meeting in Singapore, followed by a visit to India. The letter urges Prime Minister Harper to uphold Canada's well-known reputation as a staunch human rights supporter by raising concerns with and presenting recommendations to Singapore authorities regarding the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan and other civil society representatives and to address ongoing human rights challenges in India. Below is an excerpt from the letter, followed by a link that will allow you access to the letter in full.

Singapore has two realities: its appearance as a progressive country with regular elections and economic success; and its record of human rights violations designed

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I live to this day as well...

Grigory Pasko, journalist

Instead of an epigraph: «Endpiece of a modern fairytale: «And had the not been rehabilitated, they live to this day as well» -- Jerzy Lec

Если Вы хотите прочитать оригинал данной статьи на русском языке, нажмите сюда.It goes without saying that I am disappointed by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights. But no more than that. The ECHR decision in any case is belated and doesn't change anything in my life. Much worse is that this decision, in essence, is a spit into the souls of thousands of people: both those who are still waiting for positive decisions with respect ...

TODAY: Georgia and Russia, one year on, guns quiet but war of words blazing: who started it?  Opposition says democracy far off; humanitarian issues remain; strike on Twitter linked to conflict.  Chavez military deal; Russia to calm Uzbekistan; launch radar.  Bloggers detained.'Differing narratives of the war persist': the New York Times looks back.  'There's even disagreement on what day marks the beginning of the five-day conflict'.  A 40-page report released by the Georgian government and a Russian Foreign Ministry statement highlight the different spins.  The Guardian outlines the arguments on both sides.  Georgia's Reintegration Ministry has defended the actions of President Mikheil Saakashvili in relation to the war, whilst the Georgian opposition brand the ministry's ...

CNN's Matthew Chance reports on the Natalia Estemirova, and mentions President Dmitry Medvedev's statement through a spokesperson.  I haven't yet seen a direct Medvedev quote, though Reuters has collected a number of reactions from Carl Bildt, HRW, Amnesty International, and others.Embedded video from CNN Video

TODAY: Diplomat accuses US of overplaying threat from Iran; what did Putin tell Bill Clinton?; Russia-Belarus tensions flare on loan; Amnesty slams human rights standards; reclaiming Soviet-confiscated art Russia will not object to a new UN Security Council resolution over North Korea but will continue to oppose sanctions.  According to the Guardian, senior diplomat Alexander Sternik has criticized the US for grossly exaggerating the nuclear threat posed by nations such as Iran.  The Moscow Times reports that at a private meeting in January, Prime Minister Putin offered assurances to ex-US President Bill Clinton that Medvedev is not his puppet and that the Kremlin and Washington would be able to come to an agreement on missile defense.  Poland is apparently pushing the US to ...

TODAY: Russia-US relations will not derailed by Georgia events says Washington; Lavrov suggests humanitarian motives for action in Georgia; Eastern Partnership deal made; Lebevev's Novaya Gazeta pay suspension scrutinized; Amnesty disappointed with human rights in Medvedev's first yearHillary Clinton reportedly has no interest in dwelling upon the Georgia issue at her meeting with Sergei Lavrov, saying, 'we want to normalize the relationship and raise it to a new level'.  President Obama is apparently 'hopeful' about improved relations.  Russian State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov has confirmed that Russia will take part in a session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, saying 'we want to continue the dialogue'.  Sergei Lavrov has defended Russia's actions in Georgia, claiming, 'we intervened . . . not to win geopolitical ...

See Pasko's first dispatch from Iceland here. Descendants of the Vikings or Political Correctness in Iceland Grigory Pasko, journalist Если Вы хотите прочитать оригинал данной статьи на русском языке, нажмите сюда. On 5 October of this year in Reykjavik one Icelandic newspaper took from me an interview. On that same day telejournalists also took an interview, having promised to put it on the air the next day. On the next day, the 6th, the interview came out in the paper, but was not shown on television. On that same day, the 6th of October, two more newspapers took interviews. And promised to publish them on the 7th. And on that same day, but later in time than when the interviews had taken place, it became known that Russia would supposedly allocate 4 billion euros to Iceland in the capacity ...