Latest

From October 7-11, 2024, 15 human rights defenders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine gathered for a week of advocacy as a part of the Network of Human Rights Houses’ 30th anniversary celebrations. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and Network partners aimed to deepen engagement with Norwegian policymakers and raise awareness of critical human rights challenges across the region, emphasising the need for increased political and financial support from Norway for civil society.

In September 2024, Human Rights House Yerevan and Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) hosted a two-day workshop in Armenia to equip civil society representatives with tools to combat Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The workshop gathered 17 participants, including eco-activists, environmental organisations, and human rights defenders, to discuss SLAPPs, examine their threats to democracy and free speech, and explore strategies for legal resistance. The event was facilitated by Mari Kapanadze from Georgian Democracy Initiative, Charlie Holt from Greenpeace International and the CASE Coalition, and Nora Wehofsits from HRHF.

Gayane Hambardzumyan is an Armenian human rights defender. She has been working with Women Resource Center (WRC), an Armenian women’s rights organisation and member of Human Rights House Yerevan almost since its establishment in 2003. She established WRC’s branch, Women’s Center Shushi, in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On 1 July 2024, Human Rights House Foundation hosted “Rising Authoritarianism and its Impact on Civil Society in Eastern Europe”, a civil society side event on the sidelines of the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The human rights situation across the regions where Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) works was further influenced by military conflict and crackdown against independent civil society. Despite this, we continued to work closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses to protect and advance human rights. Read our 2023 Annual Report.

On 18 March 2024, in Vienna, Human Rights House Foundation and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee co-hosted a civil society Human Dimension event where OSCE State delegations could hear directly from human rights defenders from seven countries, including representatives from several Human Rights Houses in the region.

On 18 March 2024, Human Rights House Foundation and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee organised a civil society event where 20 CSO representatives briefed OSCE delegations in Vienna on the human rights situations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

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.