Today is the last day of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Asia (April 19–20, 2016) held in Doha, Qatar. The forum …
press releases
Press Release
Press Release: Turkmen Special Services Increasing Pressure on Dissidents Abroad
Against a backdrop of growing international criticism of the human rights situation in Turkmenistan, the country’s security services have stepped up operations aimed at suppressing …
Russian Environmentalist Evgeny Vitishko Not Released from Prison Colony; His Life is in Danger
On November 21, 2015, Evgeny Vitishko was expected to be released from the prison colony where he is serving an unjust three year sentence. On …
Russian Court Reduces Evgeny Vitishko’s Prison Sentence
On November 10, 2015, the Kirsanov court (Tambov Oblast) held a hearing on reducing Evgeny Vitishko’s sentence based on Article 80 of the Russian Criminal Code. The court made the decision to free Vitishko from the prison colony, and if today’s decision is not appealed by the prosecutor or the prison representatives, Evgeny will be released from the prison colony in 10 days.
Freedom for Arrested Civic Activist and Freelance Journalist in Turkmenistan
Crude Accountability calls for the immediate release of Saparmamed Nepeskuliev, a civic activist and freelance correspondent for the Turkmen service of Radio Free Europe Radio …
After Twelve Years of Struggle, the Village of Berezovka Will Finally Be Relocated
On July 10, 2015, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Premier-Minister, Berdibek Saparbaev, publicly announced that the village of Berezovka will be relocated and that the Karachaganak Petroleum Operating …
July 10 Review of Appeal to Reduce Evgeny Vitishko’s Sentence
On July 10th in the Kirsanov district court of Tambov region, his lawyer Sergey Loktev will bring before the court a review of his appeal to reduce Evgeny Vitishko’s sentence. Vitishko, an environmental prisoner, has been imprisoned since Februrary 2014 for “defacing” a fence around the summer home of the former governor of Kransodar region and current Minister of Agriculture of Russia, Alexander Tkachev.
International Environmental Activists Denied Visitation with Evgeny Vitishko at Sadovaya Prison Colony
Vitishko is serving three years in the penal colony for allegedly writing graffiti on an illegal fence in a protected forest in Krasnodar region. An outspoken critic of the Sochi Olympics, about which EWNC wrote a comprehensive report cataloging the numerous environmental violations associated with the construction of the Olympic village and surrounding infrastructure, Vitishko has been unjustly targeted by the Russian authorities for his environmental activism. Denied parole in April 2015, he has served one year and three months of his three year sentence.
Mass Poisoning of the Children in Berezovka: Causes of the Emergency and the Account of Events
On November 28, 2014, at least 19 children and three adults lost consciousness in the school of the village of Berezovka, West Kazakhstan, and were taken to the Burlin district hospital in the city of Aksai. Six children were later transported to the regional hospital in Uralsk. On November 29, the Deputy Head of the Regional Health Administration, M. Aymurzieva reported that there has been exposure to an unknown toxic substance. On December 3, Regional Prosecutor S. Karamanov stated that gases were emitted within the territory of the Karachaganak oil field in excess of the maximum permissible concentrations of hazardous substances.
Widespread Enforced Disappearances and Torture in Turkmenistan: New reports call for immediate action to ‘Prove They Are Alive!’
The ‘Prove They Are Alive!’ campaign, led by an international coalition of human rights groups, held a briefing today at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where it launched two reports, Prove They Are Alive!: The Disappeared in Turkmenistan, and Ovadan Depe: Medieval Torture in Modern Turkmenistan.