The Mercator Fund is conducting a major enquiry into the feasibility of licensing opium in Afghanistan for the production of medicines such as morphine and codeine. The initial findings were presented to the International Symposium on Global Drug Policy in Kabul in September 2005. Phase 2 is currently looking at how such a system could be implemented and the implications of doing so. This project is being directed by the Senlis Council, the operational arm of the Fund, which has now opened an office in Kabul.

For more information
http://www.senliscouncil.net

Court orders closure of Freedom House office

The Uzbek Court in Tashkent has ordered the closure of the Freedom House branch office for violations of Uzbek legislation. The court ruled that Freedom House had overlooked obligatory requirements for foreign NGOs, including providing information on internal financial flows, programmes and activities.

Source
IJCSL, April 2006