An attempt was made on the life of a leader of the La Europa peasant farmer community in northern Colombia, as concern rises about a wave of killings of human rights defenders, including land activists.

Iranian human rights defender Mansoureh Behkish is facing trumped-up national security charges for peacefully defending the right to truth and justice concerning the mass killings of political prisoners, including her siblings and brother-in-law, during the 1980s in Iran.

Mamadou Sajo Jallow, an ex-deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has been held incommunicado for more than two months at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) without access to his family or a lawyer. He remains in detention despite a court granting him bail.

375 registered associations and NGOs were permanently closed and their assets seized following an executive decree No. 677 issued on 22 November.

Three members of Yemen’s Baha’i community have been arbitrarily detained since 10 August. One was held incommunicado for six weeks. All three remain detained without charge. They are prisoners of conscience.

Two pro-democracy activists who are among a group of people arrested on 6 November have been charged with aiming to “overthrow” the state under Article 79 of Viet Nam’s Penal Code.

Four of five activists whose two-year jail sentence was confirmed by a Cairo appeal court on 27 January were released on 18 November through a presidential pardon.

A youth fundraising update for December 2016. This update contains several Christmas/end of year themed fundraising ideas.

Maria Chin Abdullah, human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, was arrested on 18 November for organizing a rally on free and fair elections.

John Battaglia, aged 61, is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 7 December. He was sentenced to death for killing his two young daughters in 2001.