The HFHR has begun to observe the trial of 21 men charged with assaulting police officers and using force to obstruct their work. The incident allegedly happened in May 2010 on the 10th-Anniversary Stadium in Warsaw after the lethal shooting of Maxwell Itoya, a Nigerian citizen. The defendants come from Nigeria, Cameroon, Guatemala and India.
Last week the second hearing was held in the District Court for Warszawa Praga-Południe. The Court found that the case satisfied the criteria of the mandatory defence requirement because of circumstances hampering the defence. Due to the absence of one of defence counsel the Court adjourned the proceedings until 8 March 2013.
During the trial the HFHR monitors the observance of procedural safeguards for the defendants, including the right to defence and the presence of an interpreter.
From June 2022 to November 2024, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) implemented a 30-month regional project that provided opportunities for emergency support for Ukrainian civil society and independent media in the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion. The project was funded by the European Union and implemented by ERIM-led coalition of partners, including including Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House, Black Sea Trust, East Europe Foundation, Human Rights House Tbilisi and HRHF.
Hennadii Vypynashko is a Ukrainian human rights defender who coordinated the Protection Program of the Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv for over 2.5 years, supporting civil society representatives affected by Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. In this interview, he shares stories about supported human rights defenders and journalists, his motivation, and key takeaways from his experience.
Maryna Savchenko is a journalist from the Kherson region. Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the occupation of the Kherson region, she stayed in the city to report on the situation for the outside world for as long as she could while facing increasing threats. In this interview, she gives insight into her work and life under occupation, the story of her escape and the support she received to sustain herself.
