We published videos throughout the day on Facebook, highlighting the importance of the four human rights that are essential for human rights defenders and their organisations to work freely and openly: the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association, and the right to be a human rights defender.
10 December activities:
The Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House
The Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House co-organised a film screening of the documentary entitled “Baltic Poker: What is Putin’s Game?.” Representatives of the House attended a human rights prize ceremony in Minsk, organised by Viasna, in which members of the House have been nominated for human rights defender of the year, journalist of the year, and human rights campaigner of the year. During the ceremony, a book authored by the prominent Belarusian dissident during Soviet times Mikhail Kukabaka was presented, in part to also celebrate his 80th birthday.
Viasna and other human rights NGO representatives distributed a special edition of the largest national independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya free of charge to people in the streets. The edition is dedicated to Human Rights Day.
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee co-organised a conference in Minsk on 8–9 December entitled “Citizens and police: interaction based on trust”.
Human Rights House Voronezh
Human Rights House Voronezh launched a video about human rights defenders entitled “Maybe you are a human rights defender” on their Facebook page.
Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv (EHRHC)
Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv (EHRHC) restarted their “Movie at the House” cinema club for Kolychivka students on 8th December. The students watched two short films from the travelling Human Rights Documentary Film Festival “DocudaysUA” called “Crowly – every cowboy needs his horse” and “Lost.” A discussion followed the films, and was moderated by Nadiya Samardak from NGO “Mart” and the EHRHC team. The cinema club will continue on a permanent basis teaching students about human rights.
On 8 December, the director of the Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv, Cyril Yekimov, moderated an event, organised by NGO “Mart”, called “Breakfast with the Human Rights defenders.”
Human Rights House Yerevan
Human Rights House Yerevan hosted a series of speeches and discussions, and the screening of a movie entitled “Listen to Me: Untold Stories Beyond Hatred.” They aim was to address human rights and the challenges of human rights protection in the context of 2016’s events.
Russian Research Centre for Human Rights
The Russian Research Centre for Human Rights held a seminar-conference for the alumni of HRHN’s International Law in Advocacy (ILIA) program and human rights activists in Tbilisi. The event was dedicated to actual problems of the judicial system and the functioning of the legal community, the relationship of all participants of the trial, as well as lawyers and human rights defenders. The conference was be attended by representatives of the Human Rights Houses of Norway, Georgia, Belarus, and Ukraine and partners from Moldova. There was a special session devoted to Human Rights Day.
Human Rights House Tbilisi
Human Rights House Tbilisi issued a statement calling on the Georgian government to support persecuted human rights defenders in the region.
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organisations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
Human Rights Day 2015
Last year, we invited everyone to share their hopes for the coming year
