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HRC54: Statement on reprisals
With reference to upcoming Human Rights Council elections in October, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC54 on 29 September 2023, repeating condemnation of Russia’s application for Council membership, and underlining that no State which retaliates against civil society for engaging with the UN should be a Council member.
HRC54: Human rights situation in Belarus
On 25 September 2023, Human Rights House Foundation highlighted the death of Belarusian artist Ales Pushkin behind bars, as well as the situation for the 1490+ political prisoners in the country.
Protecting and expanding civic space in the OSCE region – Warsaw Human Dimension Conference
On 3 October 2023, Human Rights House Foundation will host “Protecting and expanding civic space in the OSCE region”, a side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The side event is co-sponsored by the Belarusian Human Rights House, as well as Human Rights Houses Banja Luka and Yerevan.
The Sunflower Declaration
Human Rights House Foundation co-signs the Sunflower Declaration that was launched by Nobel Peace Prize laureates at the Nobel Peace Conference in Oslo on 31 August 2023. The Declaration calls for urgent action to protect human rights defenders at risk.
Belarus: Leanid Sudalenka released
Human Rights House Foundation welcomes the news that Leanid Sudalenka, our colleague from Viasna Human Rights Centre, was released today after spending two and a half years behind bars. The case against him was unjust and he should not have been imprisoned in the first place. We repeat our call for the release of his Viasna colleagues and all political prisoners in Belarus.
Advocating for human rights in Belarus, Ukraine & more – our work at HRC53
At the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued to underline the alarming human rights trends prevailing in Eastern Europe. Alongside members of the Network of Human Rights Houses and other partners, HRHF once again urged the Council to adopt decisive measures in response to the pressing regional crisis, including on the issues of freedom of expression, assembly, and association, as well as pressure facing judges and lawyers.
“Most of all, I miss Ales’ optimism” – Natalia Pinchuk
14 July 2023 marks two years since human rights defender Ales Bialiatski was detained in Belarus alongside his Viasna colleagues Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. HRHF spoke to Bialiatski’s wife Natalia Pinchuk ahead of the day.
Belarusian youth speaks out for change
“We look at ourselves to see the state we are in as we make our journey to a free Belarus.” RADA, a Belarusian union of 37 youth organisations, has collected and published “Belarus. Youth. Long Live.”, an analysis of the current state of the independent youth sector in the country.
“The most important thing for a political prisoner is to know they are remembered.”
In June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation spoke to prominent human rights lawyer and former political prisoner Intigam Aliyev. We discussed human rights, his experience as a political prisoner, and the situation for his imprisoned colleagues in Belarus.