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In September 2024, Human Rights House Yerevan and Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) hosted a two-day workshop in Armenia to equip civil society representatives with tools to combat Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The workshop gathered 17 participants, including eco-activists, environmental organisations, and human rights defenders, to discuss SLAPPs, examine their threats to democracy and free speech, and explore strategies for legal resistance. The event was facilitated by Mari Kapanadze from Georgian Democracy Initiative, Charlie Holt from Greenpeace International and the CASE Coalition, and Nora Wehofsits from HRHF.

At the 57th UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) worked alongside civil society partners to highlight the situation for human rights in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Balkans.

Yuliia Kishenko is a Ukrainian human rights defender and volunteer.
She became part of the human rights movement over 10 years ago through her activism, when she joined “East SOS” – a volunteer movement that grew into a charitable fund supporting victims of war. In recent years Kishenko has focused on human rights in education, national advocacy and supporting civil society in war.

Valentyna Potapova is a human rights defender from Ukraine. She is the head of national advocacy direction at Centre of Civil Education “Almenda”, a member organisation of Human Rights House Crimea, which had to relocate from Crimea to Kyiv following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Since then, Potapova’s work is focused on protecting the right to education of children remaining under occupation.

Dragoslava Barzut is a writer and human rights defender from Serbia. She is a Public Policy Program Manager at Civic Initiatives, a member organisation of Human Rights House Belgrade. Barzut’s work centres on combating hate speech and hate crimes, addressing the shrinking civic space, and advocating for the rights of LGBTQI people.

Liubov Vinogradova (1952 – 2024), a Russian human rights defender and medical psychologist, passed away in May 2024. Vinogradova was the Executive Director of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia (IPA) from 1989 until her passing, working to expose and end the practice of punitive psychiatry in Russia.

Maria Poszytek is a lawyer and human rights defender from Poland. She works at the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, a member of the Network of Human Rights Houses, and focuses on rights of migrants, especially the right to liberty, right to life and security, right to an effective remedy, right to freedom of torture and inhuman treatment, rights of the child.

Asria Taleb Mohamed is a human rights defender from Western Sahara who works for the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, a member of the Norwegian Council for Africa (a member organisation of Human Rights House Oslo), and advocates for women’s rights, international law, the right to self-determination, and the rights of refugees. With a background in journalism, Taleb Mohamed’s work is focused on informing the world about Western Sahara, through art, media and public speaking.

Natia Tavberidze is a human rights defender from Georgia. She has been involved in human rights activities for over 15 years and, currently, as a Coordinator of Human Rights House Tbilisi, Tavberidze focuses on freedom of expression, support and protection of human rights defenders.