On November 26, journalist and human rights defender Mr. Taoufik Ben Brik was sentenced by the Tribunal de Grande Instance (Court of First Instance) in Tunis to six months in prison. Front Line expresses its concern at the verdict in a trial marred by several violations of the right to a fair trial. 

Front Line is deeply saddened by the murder of human rights lawyers Ms Concepcion 'Connie' Brizuela and Ms Cynthia Oquendo in the Maguindanao Massacre, which took place on 23 November 2009 in Mindanao Province. At least 57 people are reported to have been killed. Both women were members of the Union of Peoples' Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM). Concepcion Brizuela was also UPLM's treasurer and a member of its Executive Committee. 

On November 23 2009, the Forum for Strengthening Civil Society (FORSC) received notification of the cancellation of its authorisation by the Ministry of the Interior. FORSC is a platform of 146 organizations of civil society in Burundi. The cancellation of the authorisation follows an open letter sent at the end of last week from civil society organizations addressed to the President of the Republic of Burundi on the situation of human rights defenders in the country. FORSC was the first signatory of the open letter.