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Dzianis Boltuts, an anti-fascist and fan of the MTZ-RIPO football club, was detained on 25 September 2020 as a suspect in a rioting case – public gatherings against the Lukashenka regime are oftentimes described as a “riot”. He was later charged under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code, “group actions that grossly violate public order”. At the start of 2021, Boltuts was also charged under Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (participation in riots) and under Art. 364 of the Criminal Code (violence or threat of violence against a police officer). A day after his birthday, Dzianis was sentenced to six years in a medium-security penal colony.

On 29 September 2022 at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation highlighted cases of reprisals against human rights defenders in Russia and Belarus, and asked the Assistant Secretary-General what more could be done by the Council to support defenders.

On 28 September 2022, Human Rights House Foundation and several Ukrainian and international civil society organisations co-hosted “Crimea in the shadow”, a side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

On 28 September 2022, at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement on the rise of attacks against human rights defenders in the OSCE region.

On 27 September 2022, at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement on the rise of Ill Democracies in the OSCE region and what effect it might have on the protection of human rights defenders.

On 27 September 2022, Human Rights House Foundation called on the UN Human Rights Council to formally address the dire and deteriorating human rights situation in Russia by establishing a Special Rapporteur mandate.

On 24 September, Viasna volunteer Tatsiana Lasitsa was released in Belarus after serving one year and eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence. While we welcome this news, we highlight that Lasitsa not have been in prison in the first place – the case against her was a reprisal for her legitimate human rights work. We repeat our call for the release of her Viasna colleagues and for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus.

On 23rd September, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC51 highlighting the human rights situation in Ukraine following the full-scale Russian invasion, with a particular focus on the situation for enforced disappearances as reported by network of Human Rights Houses member, ZMINA. The statement was delivered during the Interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.

On 22 September 2022, Human Rights House Foundation co-organsed a side event on the human rights situation in Russia at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council alongside other human rights organisations.