A third torch procession trying to stir up resentment against foreign students (and beat up any they find) is part of a worrying development over the last 6 months which human rights defenders believe is being deliberately encouraged in Kharkiv and needs firm measures now

A new handbook summarizing Ukrainian and European experience on considering the needs of national communities at local level has been published in both Ukrainian and Romanian

Depressing statistics, but there are some positive moves in the fight against xenophobia. The Kyiv police have recently launched two criminal investigations over cases involving racial crimes, and there seems to be progress in the case of the murder of the Nigerian Hodnoys Myevi

In an open letter, the journalists express concern about the screening of a Russian film "Brides of Allah" which they consider to give a subjective and inadequate assessment of the war in Chechnya, and believe its showing on Crimean television to give grounds for further political speculation on the topic of Islam and the Muslim community in the Crimea.

A number of prominent Ukrainian writers, journalists, academics and public figures have expressed solidarity with the publishing company “Fact” in their stand against xenophobia, but have asked them not to boycott the coming book fair despite the planned participation of MAUP

The law enforcement agencies in Kyiv are investigating the murder of a Nigerian national Hodnoys Myevi. Human rights groups believe that this is the first murder in independent Ukraine committed on racial grounds.

According to the editorial office of the new television channel “ATR”, their goal is to help restore the Crimean Tatar language and culture.

A recent interview given by a former head of the Kharkiv regional division of the Department for the execution of sentences paints a worrying - and familiar - picture of the situation in Ukraine’s penal institutions. Many of his allegations have been angrily denied by the current holder of this post

Representatives of Ukraine’s largest religious communities stress that the language issue must not be used to stir up tension and division within Ukraine

The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group considers that the acts of self-injury amongst people on remand or prisoners in Kharkiv and Lviv were the direct result of cruel treatment from the administrations of these institutions.

Activists from the organization “Freedom without borders” accuse the Russian authorities of taking no action in a situation of rising persecution and killing of non-Russians by neo-Nazi organizations

Worrying reports of special subdivisions being deployed in some penal institutions, subjecting prisoners to violence and humilation

An article from the newspaper “Sevodnya” discusses official claims regarding alleged grounds for deporting a group of Uzbek nationals in February, and highlights questions remaining unanswered.

The editorial office of RUPOR received a letter from Vinnitsa. Prisoners of two penitentiaries tell about the horrible situation with human rights in these establishments.

On 7 April a press conference of Volodymir Butenko, the head of the Kharkiv regional branch of the State department of penitentiaries, was held in the press-center of the informational agency “Status Quo”. The topic of the conference was “New priorities of penitentiary system”.

Open letter to Volodymir Moysik, the Head of the Committee of the Supreme Council of Ukraine in charge of legislative provision of law-enforcing activities, from Oleksandr BUKALOV, the Head of the association of penitentiaries of Ukraine.

Some statistics.