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At the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued to underline the alarming human rights trends prevailing in Eastern Europe. Alongside members of the Network of Human Rights Houses and other partners, HRHF once again urged the Council to adopt decisive measures in response to the pressing regional crisis, including on the issues of freedom of expression, assembly, and association, as well as pressure facing judges and lawyers.

“We look at ourselves to see the state we are in as we make our journey to a free Belarus.” RADA, a Belarusian union of 37 youth organisations, has collected and published “Belarus. Youth. Long Live.”, an analysis of the current state of the independent youth sector in the country.

From 12-15 June 2023, 20 participants from the Network of Human Rights Houses gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for “From Idea to Impact”, a workshop organised by Human Rights House Foundation focused on designing and implementing impactful human rights projects. The workshop was co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union.

In October 2022, human rights defender Olena Vinsent, fled increasing danger in occupied Crimea with her mother, their three cats and their dog, driving through Russia to reach safety in Georgia. Today she lives and carries out human rights work in Batumi and is still getting used to feeling safe.

“We work with those who provide support to others and we call them ‘helpers’.” As a result of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country’s population has a greater need for support from human rights defenders, social workers, psychologists, psychotherapists, etc. Wika Solonitsyna (top photo), Programme Coordinator and Co-founder of AHALAR (member organisation of Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv), sheds light on how her organisation provides valuable assistance to helpers in Ukraine.

On May 18, the “Stories from occupied Crimea” photo exhibition opened in the capital cities of Ukraine, Belgium and Lithuania, marking the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatar People. The exhibition sheds light on the renewed repressions of Crimean Tatars since the 2014 occupation of the peninsula by Russia.

Between May and December 2022, the “Platform for Children” project co-organised by the Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (member organisation of Human Rights House Tbilisi) and Indigo Fund provided more than 150 children and teenagers from 16 cities in Georgia a chance to speak up and discuss the issues that affect their physical and mental well-being. From these discussions, twelve multimedia resources were produced and have been disseminated to both children and adults across the country.

2022 was a year of unprecedented assaults on human rights stemming from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. More than ever, the Network of Human Rights Houses came together to strengthen and advance human rights. Read our 2022 Annual Report.

Human Rights House Banja Luka has joined the network of Human Rights Houses as its newest member. The House will play a crucial role in promoting and protecting human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.