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Human Rights House Foundation is alarmed by the latest wave of crackdowns against what remains of independent media and dissenting voices in Azerbaijan. Over the course of the last 25 days, at least 11 journalists and human rights defenders have been detained on dubious and seemingly ungrounded charges, in retaliation for the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression. The latest events are a deeply worrying attack on the Azerbaijani media sector and dissenting voices, particularly as they come in advance of recently announced and early Presidential elections on 7 February 2024. We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to drop the criminal cases against recently jailed individuals and release them immediately.

In an open letter, Human Rights House Foundation joins Amnesty International and 97 other civil society organisations in expressing serious concern at the EU and several European states‘ decision to suspend or review their funding to Palestinian and Israeli civil society organisations.

74 civil society organisations including Human Rights House Foundation have written to the European Commission, the European Parliament’s rapporteur, the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and the Ministers of Justice of all EU Member States to reiterate their concerns regarding the trilogue process of the anti-SLAPP Directive. Members of the CASE coalition urge the European institutions to negotiate the strongest possible Anti-SLAPP Directive that effectively protects public watchdogs.

HRHF is concerned by the Georgian authorities’ on-going efforts to criminalise, hinder, and de-legitimise the essential work of civil society and obstruct peaceful protests. We call on the Georgian authorities to reverse restrictions on civic space and create an enabling environment for human rights defenders and other civic actors.

HRHF welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s (HRC) adoption of a new resolution on Russia, which renews the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Russian Federation.

Human Rights House Foundation issued a statement on 11 October 2023 at the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the rise of radical anti-rights groups in Georgia, concerns for the human rights situation in Russian-occupied South Ossetia, as well as recommending that the capacity of the Public Defender’s office is increased.

We, the undersigned members of the Network of Human Rights Houses, are concerned by the attempt to suppress independent civil society and drastically narrow free civic space for the essential and legitimate activities of human rights defenders in Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 9 October 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC54, highlighting the human rights situation in Crimea and the newly occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, HRHF drew attention to the situations for imprisoned human rights defenders Vladyslav Yesypenko Emir-Usein Kuku and Iryna Danylovych.

HRHF joins other international NGOs in calling on UN Member States to refrain from voting for Russia at the UN Human Rights Council elections on 10 October in New York.