The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders welcomes the Recommendation 1866 (2009) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe about the situation of human rights defenders in Council of Europe member states and joins the Assembly’s call upon the Council of Europe to further increase its contribution to the protection of human rights defenders and their work. 
The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders also welcomes the Committee of Ministers’ Declaration adopted recently, which mandates the Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene in threatening situations and strengthen the role and capacity of his office in order to provide strong and effective protection for human rights defenders. 
South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders would like to stress that human rights defenders in South Caucasus are often exposed to repression inter alia arbitrary arrests, detention, denial of the right to fair trial, unlawful restriction of their freedom of expression and information, etc.
South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders calls upon the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to pay special attention to the PACE Recommendation 1866 (2009) and take all reasonable steps to ensure safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders in their respective countries.

Full text of the Recommendation can be seen at:

http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta09/EREC1866.htm

For Further Information about the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders, contact Human Rights Center (Tbilisi, Georgia) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 3-A, Kazbegi Ave., Entrance 2, 4th floor, Apt. 22. Tbilisi 0160, Georgia. Tel.: (+995 32) 37 69 50, Fax: (+995 32) 45 45 33,