From February 4-5, 2012 “Center for Strategic Litigations” HR NGO conducted a two-day training entitled “European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: articles 7, 8 and 9 and the additional protocols of the Convention”. The training was organized for advocates, practicing lawyers and Law students of Lori region, within the framework of “Supporting Human Rights Cases through Legal Education” project, supported by the US Embassy Public Affairs Section and the USAAA.

The training included vivid examples from real cases regarding the articles of the Convention that provide legal punishment for the violation of the right to respect for one’s private and family life, his home and his correspondence, right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, also all the rights that as additional protocols supplement the Convention.
The training discussed all the possible methods for applying to European Court for the cases that are under proceeding.
The advocates also suggested discussing the recent changes in the Law on Advocacy in Armenia.
In the end of the training the participants completed evaluation forms that show the productivity of the training.

On 26 January 2012, Front Line Defenders launched its 2012 Annual Report on human rights defenders, which highlights global trends and developments in the situation of human rights defenders in 2011 and analyses the situation in each region of the world. The Report highlights the fact that while international media and public attention focused on the dramatic events unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa, elsewhere repressive governments continued to respond to any challenge to their power and privileges with violent repression.
The Report is based on Front Line Defenders’ work in support of human rights defenders at risk. In 2011, Front Line Defenders issued 256 urgent appeals on 594 human rights defenders at risk in 70 countries; it provided 189 security grants and trained more than 470 human rights defenders. Overall, more than 1380 HRDs benefited from Front Line Defenders’ protection support in 2011.

The report might be downloaded here: Front Line Defenders 2012 Annual Report on HRDs