Human Rights Center (Georgia), Armenian Helsinki Association (Armenia) and Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (Azerbaijan) cordially invite diplomatic missions, delegations of international organizations, NGOs and all media to a presentation of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders which unites 30 well-established human rights NGOs, 10 from each respective country.

The event will take place at 18 p.m. on the 16th of July in Hotel “Courtyard-Marriot” Tbilisi, Georgia.

South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders seeks to facilitate the development of a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. In the Caucasus region, including the South Caucasus, human rights defenders often face serious challenges and persecution for their activities. A country where a human rights defender is not safe from persecution and harassments for his or her activities, the liberty and rights of each human being is under serious threat. Therefore, the creation and effective functioning of similar Networks is of utmost importance for building up a vibrant civil society and the establishment of a state based on respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders provides assistance to persecuted human rights defenders by offering them shelter, free legal, psychological and medical aid. The Network also offers trainings to its members on various aspects of human rights protection and a number of other services to members and non member NGOs as well. The Network member NGOs meet every six months at regional meetings to develop a common understanding about the progress achieved, existing challenges and the activities to be undertaken.

South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders already has provided material, psychological and medical assistance to three persecuted human rights defenders (one Georgian and two Azerbaijani), including help to seek a temporary safe environment in a third country.  The Network has issued a number of press releases and statements concerning the freedom of expression and the media freedom situations in the South Caucasus, about individual cases of harassments, attacks and imprisonments of human rights defenders and a statement welcoming the PACE Recommendation 1866 (2009) about the situation of human rights defenders in Council of Europe member states.

As a follow-up to the training in Georgia on UN mechanism for protection of human rights, eight Azerbaijani members of the Network prepared a joint alternative report to be submitted to the Human Rights Committee for its hearing in July on Azerbaijan’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Preparation of the report was coordinated by the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety, with support by the Human Rights House Foundation and the Geneva-based Center for Civil and Political Rights.

Human Rights Center (Georgia) together with its partner organizations Armenian Helsinki Association (Armenia) and Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (Azerbaijan) implements the Project of the Network. . Human Rights House Foundation (Norway) facilitates implementation of the Project of the Network, together with the coordinating organizations. Information Agency MEMO.RU (Caucasian Knot) is an associated partner in the Project of the Network and assists project partners in planning and implementation of the public awareness campaign.

The Creation of South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders is supported by a generous contribution from the EU of 698 483 Euros, approximately 1.627.465 GEL.

For further information, please contact:

Simon Papuashvili, Georgia Country Coordinator, Tel.: (+995 32) 37 69 50, (+995 93) 94 60 47

Mikael Danielyan, Armenia Country Coordinator, Tel.: (+374 10) 589991, (+374 93) 417113

Emin Huseynov, Azerbaijan Country Coordinator, Tel.: (+99450) 3984838, (+99412) 4180334