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On 26 June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation will host “The role of civil society in promoting & protecting human rights”, a pre-event at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. The event is organised by Human Rights House Foundation, Austausch e.V. & Netherlands Helsinki Committee with the financial support of the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The event is sponsored by Civic Solidarity Platform and Human Rights Houses Belgrade and Tbilisi.

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.

Today, marking the Day of the Political Prisoner in Belarus, HRHF and the undersigned organisations, led by Article19 reiterate condemnation of the Lukashenka regime’s ruthless crackdown on civil society and independent media. We continue to stand in solidarity with courageous Belarusians who persist in their fight for freedom. The international community will keep demanding the unconditional release of all political prisoners.

We, the undersigned organizations dedicated to the promotion of universal human rights, write to voice our strong support for the non-profit organizations and media from Republika Srpska, entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to condemn efforts of authorities in Republika Srpska which want to restricts human rights, especially freedoms of expression and association of human rights defenders, […]

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.

HRHF and several international CSOs urge the European Commission to observe three key factors in the context of the EU Foreign Interference Law before proposing any legislation, including conducting a fundamental rights impact assessment, providing clarity and purpose, and respecting its fundamental rights obligations.

In a joint submission led by Amnesty International, Human Rights House Foundation and several civil society organisations and representatives have outlined core principles to be included in Global Digital Compact at the 2024 UN Summit of the Future.

On 10 March 2023, the Georgian Parliament voted down the so-called “foreign agent” and “foreign influence” bills following mass protests in the country. In the weeks following, Human Rights House Foundation spoke to Human Rights House Tbilisi’s Natia Tavberidze discussing next steps for civil society as well as support that Georgian civil society needs now from international colleagues.

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.

In this op-ed for Human Rights House Foundation, OVD-Info highlights Russian civil society calls for an end to the authorities’ assault on freedom of expression.