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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 25 March 2024, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement highlighting the human rights situation in Azerbaijan during the country’s UPR adoption at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

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 15 March 2024, Human Rights House Foundation will host “Media and Civil Society Under Pressure ahead of COP29 in Azerbaijan”, a civil society event on the sidelines of the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

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.

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.

Ane Tusvik Bonde joined Amnesty Norway in September 2023 following almost two decades with the Human Rights House Foundation. In this interview, Ane shares her reflections about the significance of the Human Rights House concept, the Network and the power of solidarity.

14 human rights defenders refined their advocacy skills and deepened their knowledge of Council of Europe (CoE) advocacy throughout 2023 as part of the Human Rights House Foundation’s Advocacy Capacity Building Programme, co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union.

On 3 October 2023, Human Rights House Foundation called attention to efforts to reduce or erase civic space across the OSCE region during a statement at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.