Current status
First stage outcomes
Cooperation with national NGOs and international institutions
Council of Europe
Support

Current status

The first stage of the project for a group of Belarusian HR defenders and lawyers completed in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009, a new group of HR defenders has been studying and networking within the framework of the project.

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First stage outcomes

19 Belarusian and Ukrainian HR defenders and 8 lawyers completed the program and received new knowledge and practical skills in the application of international and constitutional human rights law.

Participants started to actively use new remedies in litigation and practice while protecting individual rights at the country and international level.

Experts from Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish NGOs associated with the HRHN gave lectures on the freedom of expression, associations and assembly.

Two manuals for lawyers were published:

1. “Freedom of expression, gatherings and as­semblies. International standards and Belarusian legislation”
2. “Examples of individual communications to the UN Human Rights Committee, Constitutional complaints and other written works. Material of the program “De facto implementation of international obligations of the Republic of Belarus”.”

Participants have teamed up for joint projects and HR defenders from the regions started to work on “strategic litigation” cases.

An electronic legal portal for HR defenders for exchanging experience and publishing material on HR activities was created.

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Cooperation with national NGOs and international institutions

The project was carried out in cooperation with Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Czech NGOs:

• Belarusian Helsinki Committee
• Belarusian Association of Journalists
• Counseling Centre group
• Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
• The professional assistance NGO
• European Humanities University

The ODIHR/OSCE Human Rights Department has supported the project financially and invited partici­pants to the Implementation Meetings in Warsaw in 2006 and 2007.

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Council of Europe

The Directorate General of Human Rights-DG II con­tributed towards training for lawyers in October 2006 by providing an expert from the Registry of the Euro­pean Court of Human Rights. Director of the Informa­tion Office of the Council of Europe in Vilnius visited several seminars in the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in 2007. The Technical Cooperation Department of the Directorate of Cooperation of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Af­fairs of the Council of Europe invited 24 participants to visit the Council of Europe in March 2008. A study visit to Strasbourg was conducted by the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe.

The International Service for Human Rights contributed to the seminar for lawyers in Vilnius in August 2006 by providing an expert on the UN Dec­laration on Human Rights Defenders and other UN human rights instruments.