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On the 10th anniversary of the Russian occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Human Rights House Crimea, alongside its member organisations, and Human Rights House Foundation, reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the rights and freedoms of the people of the temporarily occupied Crimea. We demand justice and accountability for the egregious violations of human rights that have transpired since 2014 and have intensified since February 2022.

Ahead of the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, HRHF spoke with Ukrainian human rights defender Liudmyla Yankina about the main challenges facing civil society, and the situation for human rights in Ukraine. We also discussed what has changed over the last two years through the prism of her work protecting representatives of civil society.

Over 300 organisations including Human Rights House Foundation sent a joint letter to UN representatives calling on them to ensure live online modalities of participation for UN human rights bodies and mechanisms in light of concerns regarding access and participation of civil society in these spaces. Read the letter below.

Authorities in Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aim to introduce Russian-style “foreign-agent” legislation, amidst an alarming deterioration in the situation for human rights in the region. In this interview with HRHF, human rights defender Tanja Boromisa, discusses what these developments mean for Republika Srpska, the wider region, and more.

On 21 July 2023, prominent human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka was released following two and a half years behind bars in Belarus. In this interview with Human Rights House Foundation, marking six months since his release, Sudalenka shares his experiences from unjust imprisonment to forced exile and discusses the dependence of Lukashenka’s regime on continuous repressions against Belarusian civil society.

Oleksandr Larin is a pensioner from Mariupol, Ukraine. In this interview, originally published in Ukrainian by Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv, Larin discusses fleeing his home following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as volunteering to help provide humanitarian aid to people whose homes were damaged/destroyed.

On 19 December 2023, HRHF delivered a statement at the UN Human Rights Council highlighting the situation for those unjustly detained or imprisoned in Crimea.

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.

24 лютого 2022 року адвокат прав людини Сергій Заєць та його сім’я стали внутрішньо переміщеними особами (ВПО) вдруге в результаті повномасштабного російського вторгнення. Вони евакуювалися з Ірпеня на захід України, де живуть досі. Проживаючи в Криму до 2014 року, Сергію та його сім’ї довелося переїхати з півострова після російської окупації. У цьому інтерв’ю для Фонду Домів прав людини, Сергій розповів про свою боротьбу за права людини українських політичних в’язнів, що знаходяться у російському ув’язненні, вибудові стратегічних справ та особливості життя та роботи під час війни.

Ahead of International Human Rights Day 2023, HRHF has spoken to several human rights defenders from around the Network of Human Rights Houses to ask them about the state of human rights in their countries and why they find it important to continue their work.

After several years of unprecedented global events, the Network of Human Rights Houses convened in Warsaw from 20-24 November for the first in-person Network meeting since 2019. Colleagues from 28 CSOs from 12 countries reconnected to discuss successes, common challenges, and emerging human rights trends. Together, the Network welcomed its newest member, Human Rights House Banja Luka.

In December 2023, the UN General Assembly will vote for the eighth resolution on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Human Rights House Crimea (HRH Crimea) member organisations have submitted recommendations to the resolution. This year, their emphasis is on new trends emerging amid the full-scale Russian aggression. In this interview originally published by HRH Crimea, Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group and co-coordinator of the Expert Network of the Crimean Platform, gives insight into these proposals and highlights the significance of this resolution and international advocacy efforts.