Today marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
In honor of the anniversary and International Human Rights Day, the European Solidarity Center (ECS) is set to honor champions of democratic movements in Central and Eastern Europe with Medals of Gratitude.
This year’s winners include the organizers and participants of the Granite Revolution of 1990, the first independence uprising in Ukraine, and a posthumous award for Matthias Domaschk, a German opposition figure and staunch ally of Solidarity, whose life ended under mysterious circumstances while in a Stasi prison in 1981.
The medal ceremony is set to take place at ECS at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the websites of the city of Gdańsk and the European Solidarity Center.
Source: eacea.ec.europa.eu, ecs.gda.pl, gdansk.pl
Belarusian authorities have added Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, a prominent human rights activist and political prisoner, to their list of „extremists.”
Bialiatski, currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely considered fabricated, is among the latest additions to Belarus’ „list of people involved in extremist activities,” which now includes over 3,500 (3,595) individuals.
Individuals on the list face numerous restrictions, including limitations on practicing certain professions and stringent state control over their financial transactions. Convicts on the list are also excluded from amnesty.
Recent updates to the „extremist” list have also added bloggers Sciapan Pucić and Jan Rudzik of the Nexta project, as well as Raman Pratasevich, a former blogger previously pardoned by Lukashenko.
Source: Polskie Radio
Polish lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a plan to freeze consumer energy prices in the first half of next year.
Poland’s new parliamentary majority introduced a bill to extend the freeze on electricity, gas, and heating prices for households and public-sector consumers until June 30, 2024.
The lower house of the Polish parliament approved the plan in a 247-1 vote with 197 abstentions last Thursday, state news agency PAP reported.
Under the approved plan, households, local governments, public institutions, small and medium-sized companies, and farmers would be eligible for the fixed rates.
The measure now goes to the Senate for further debate.
Source: Polskie Radio
The Polish women’s handball team lost to Denmark 32-22 last night at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, knocking them out of contention to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Polish team will now face Romania tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. CET in their last Group stage match.
Poland is one of thirty-two teams, including defending champions Norway, vying for supremacy in the 2023 World Women’s Handball Championship.
The tournament spans six venues across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden until December 17.
Source: Polskie Radio, ihf.info
Local police are investigating the circumstances of a woman’s death after her body was found floating in the Bay of Gdańsk near Orłowo.
Passers-by made the tragic discovery just after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, calling on Gdynia firefighters to retrieve the body of the unknown woman from the water.
According to Deputy Commissioner Jolanta Grunert of the Gdynia Police, an investigation team and a crime scene technician were dispatched to the scene. Police officers under the supervision of a prosecutor are currently working to determine the details and circumstances of the woman’s death.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly overcast and cold again, with a good chance for snow and possibly rain accompanied by a strong breeze from the southeast. Temperatures will stay close to freezing with a high of 1°C, or 34°F, dropping slightly overnight to a low of -1°C or 31°F. Slightly warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for more snow later in the week.
Listen:
Elizabeth Peck/MarWer
