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After a year marked by large-scale student and civic protests, the authorities in Serbia began introducing more intensive legislative changes aimed at restricting freedoms and further undermining separation of powers and democratic law-making. On 17 March 2026, these issues and more were discussed at an SHDMI side event organised by YUCOM, Human Rights House Belgrade, and Human Rights House Foundation.

Human Rights House Foundation joins Belarusian and international CSOs in urging the Belarusian authorities to revoke “extremist” designations against PEN Belarus, Human Constanta, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, and other civil society groups, align extremism laws with international human rights standards, and to end the practice of designiating organisations as “extremist” without reasonable and proportional grounds. The organisations also call international civil society to show solidarity with Belarus, and urge international bodies to assess violations, press authorities to meet their obligations, and halt abusive extremist designations.

In Belarus today, even culture is not safe from state repression. Books are labeled ‘extremist,’ independent publishers are targeted, and cultural workers face detention or exile. In this interview, Belarusian poet and human rights defender Taciana Niadbaj talks to HRHF about the personal realities of working under such pressure, the emotional cost of exile, and the growing risks for those who continue cultural work inside the country. She also discusses “Belarus. Banned. Books project—an initiative documenting censorship and preserving access to banned literature—highlighting how defending cultural rights has become an essential part of defending human rights.

In 2025, Human Rights House Foundation worked closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners to defend human rights and support perseverance amidst global uncertainty.

Between October and December 2025, the Solidarity Force project, supported by HRHF, brought together young human rights defenders from Belarus and Ukraine for an international course on human rights reflecting the context of repression in Belarus and Russia’s war against Ukraine. 16 participants strengthened their skills in human rights monitoring, advocacy, and documentation through a four-day training in Poland, webinars, and continued collaboration, while building cross-border connections based on trust and solidarity. HRHF spoke with two participants about their experience and how the project influenced their perspectives and work.

At the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, HRHF warned of accelerating authoritarianism and systemic repression in Georgia, citing credible allegations of the use of chemical agents against protesters, violence against journalists, the dismantling of civil society, and the use of repressive laws to silence dissent both in occupied regions and government-controlled territory.

At HRC61, HRHF highlighted the issues of forced displacement on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, as well as documentation from Ukrainian civil society partners on the persecution of journalists, civic activists, and Crimean Tatars.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF and Human Rights House Zagreb urged the Croatian authorities to ensure full access peaceful assemblies, introduce robust safeguards against SLAPPs, and strengthen coordination for implementing international human rights recommendations, and ensure meaningful and timely consultation with civil society.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF and Belarusian Human Rights House (BHRH) warned that Belarus continues to dismiss fundamental recommendations on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly while maintaining widespread repression. Together, HRHF and BHRH urged Belarus to unconditionally release all political prisoners, end the repression of civil society, and cooperate fully with UN human rights mechanisms.