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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.

Human Rights House Foundation and other international human rights organisations urge the UN Human Rights Council member states show solidarity with Russian human rights civil society by supporting a resolution establishing a Special Rapporteur mandate on the human rights situation in Russia.

We, the undersigned human rights defenders and organisations from the Russian Federation, urge member States of the UN Human Rights Council to establish a mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Russian Federation at its 51st session.

In 2021, Human Rights House Foundation and the network of Human Rights Houses worked in partnership to meet human rights challenges across Europe from the Thames to the Caspian. Find out how we did this and continued our work together to advance human rights at home and abroad.

In a joint statement published on 7 September 2022 at the initiative of ProtectDefenders.eu, 50 international civil society organisations including Human Rights House Foundation are calling on all European Union institutions and the EU Member States to return on their political mandate in favor of human rights and human rights defenders, and lead on the implementation of concrete initiatives, good practices, and policy changes to ensure that at-risk human rights defenders can access European Union visas with guarantees, security, and predictability.

We, the undersigned members and supporters of the network of Human Rights Houses, call on the Serbian authorities to support and protect EuroPride 2022 organisers and participants and ensure their safety in the run-up to and implementation of festivities from 12 – 18 September 2022 in Belgrade.

On September 6, Minsk City Court will pronounce the verdict in the politically motivated and harrowing case of human rights defenders Maria (Marfa) Rabkova and Andrey Chapiuk, in a climate of sweeping repression of civil society in Belarus. The signatory organisations call for their immediate and unconditional release, as well as for the release of all other human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in the country.

On 1st September 2022, the very first Human Rights House – Human Rights House Oslo – was finally able to celebrate its 30th anniversary following a delay due to the pandemic and a change of premises.

Ivan Datsyshyn, known to his family and friends as Vanya, is a 21-year-old student of radiophysics and computer technology at the Belarusian State University. On the night of 11 August 2020, two days after the highly disputed presidential election, Ivan witnessed the detentions of protesters on Dzerzhinsky Avenue in Minsk. In an effort to force the authorities to leave and not detain people, he allegedly threw a stone at the police bus.