Western Europe

UDHR60: Nikos Megrelis (Greek version)

Sameer Padania — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:19:26 -0800

Nikos Megrelis, a Greek journalist, and Managing Coordinator of GFMD Athens 2008, speaks about walls and human rights - in answer to our question "What image opened your eyes to human rights?"

UDHR60: Nikos Megrelis (English version)

Sameer Padania — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:04:36 -0800

Nikos Megrelis, a Greek journalist, and Managing Coordinator of GFMD Athens 2008, speaks about walls and human rights - in answer to our question "What image opened your eyes to human rights?"

Dan Bar-On Interview Part 3 of 4

JustVisionMedia — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:10:26 -0800

Dan Bar-On (1938-2008)
Interview Date: March 16th, 2008
Courtesy of Just Vision http://www.justvision.org
For an English translation of the interview, please visit: http://www.justvision.org/_files/Dan_Bar_On.pdf

Rights Work: LGBT Advocates in Latvia

Violeta Krasnic — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:40:22 -0800

What are the major challenges that LGBT activists in Latvia encounter in their work? Evita Goša is the board member of Mozaika in Riga, an alliance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and their friends. She describes how ignorance and stigma feed into repressive actions of various political actors in her country and outlines actions needed to bring greater visibility to and protection of LGBT rights.

The continuation of "Silenced NGO Partner" or "Polak's question - Round 3"

HCLU — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:59:04 -0800

It seems HCLU’s Silenced NGO Partner video (with more than 35.000 views on YouTube up to now) on the duel between Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Dutch psychiatrist Mr. Frederick Polak caused some disturbances in the still water. We learned that our video was not only popular among Dutch government officials, but also among staff members of various UN agencies, including UNODC itself. Mr.

The continuation of "Silenced NGO Partner" or "Polak's question - Round 3"

HCLU — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:59:04 -0800

Silenced NGO Partner

HCLU — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:54:54 -0800

WATCH OUR VIDEO ON THE GLOBAL DRUG CZAR BEING EMBARRASSED BY AN NGO REPRESENTATIVE! / This film was shot in March 2008 and was a major success on youtube. People sent hundreds of letters to the UNODC executive director.

Student Drug Testing - Beyond 2008 Series #6.

HCLU — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:29:38 -0800

As we reported earlier, the U.S. States Department and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) organized a regional conference in Budapest last December, where government officials attempted to convince their European colleagues to take into consideration the adoption of “best practices” from America, especially school drug testing, presented as a success story at the event. Since than, ONDCP have made further efforts to advertise random testing of students at other international gatherings, for example at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in March.

War on Drugs - Beyond 2008 Series #5.

HCLU — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:25:50 -0800

In the last three decades prison population in the U.S. grew rapidly: in the 1970s there were only 110 prison inmates for every 100.000 people, today there are more than 700, more than in any other countries on earth. My country, Hungary was found to have the highest rates of imprisonment in the European Union, but it is still far less than in the U.S. (155 per 100.000). The proliferation of the American prison-industrial complex is strongly related to the escalation of the War on Drugs.

Abstinence first? - Beyond 2008 Series #4.

HCLU — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:22:21 -0800

Some people think that the idea of total abstinence is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. But this is not true. Of course abstaining from worldly pleasures like sex and drugs had an intrinsic value according to many religious traditions from the beginnings of the civilization, but the idea that total abstinence should be prescribed for mainstream society as the only ethically acceptable way is a modern idea. As Harry G. Levine points out in his article, the concept of “addiction” itself was discovered in the end of the 18.