In September 2025, eighteen human rights defenders from ten countries visited Strasbourg as part of the Advocacy Training Programme, organised by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and co-funded by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
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Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) establishes and supports Human Rights Houses – coalitions of local independent civil society organisations working to advance human rights at home and abroad.
Today 80+ CSOs are united in the Network of Human Rights Houses, active across Eastern and Western Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
Together, we advocate for freedoms that underpin a strong and independent civil society and protect and empower human rights defenders.
Latest
Statements
February 5, 2026
Azerbaijan: Unlawfully detained women journalists face sexual violence amidst on-going crackdown on civil society
HRHF joins international human rights and media freedom organisations in expressing serious concern regarding the recent letter of Azerbaijani journalist Aysel Umudova sent to media outlets from Baku Pre-trial Investigation Facility, in which she has reported being subjected to sexual harassment and ill-treatment by police officers during her arrest on 6 December 2024. Umudova’s letter published in December 2025 echoes the earlier case of a journalist and human rights defender, Ulviyya (Ali) Guliyeva, who faced arbitrary detention, torture, and explicit rape threats by a police officer while in police custody on 6 May 2025.
Statements
January 29, 2026
Georgia: HRHF welcomes invocation of OSCE human rights mechanism to investigate violations and democratic backsliding
Statements
December 16, 2025
Ongoing Russian violations in Ukraine challenge UN values and obstruct any chance of sustainable peace
We stand for
Human rights defenders
Human rights defenders work to improve societies and contribute to peace and democracy. Defenders are agents for positive change and development. They are key in protecting against human rights violations and in advancing universal human rights.