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In Belarus today, even culture is not safe from state repression. Books are labeled ‘extremist,’ independent publishers are targeted, and cultural workers face detention or exile. In this interview, Belarusian poet and human rights defender Taciana Niadbaj talks to HRHF about the personal realities of working under such pressure, the emotional cost of exile, and the growing risks for those who continue cultural work inside the country. She also discusses “Belarus. Banned. Books project—an initiative documenting censorship and preserving access to banned literature—highlighting how defending cultural rights has become an essential part of defending human rights.

In 2025, Human Rights House Foundation worked closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners to defend human rights and support perseverance amidst global uncertainty.

Between October and December 2025, the Solidarity Force project, supported by HRHF, brought together young human rights defenders from Belarus and Ukraine for an international course on human rights reflecting the context of repression in Belarus and Russia’s war against Ukraine. 16 participants strengthened their skills in human rights monitoring, advocacy, and documentation through a four-day training in Poland, webinars, and continued collaboration, while building cross-border connections based on trust and solidarity. HRHF spoke with two participants about their experience and how the project influenced their perspectives and work.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF and Belarusian Human Rights House (BHRH) warned that Belarus continues to dismiss fundamental recommendations on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly while maintaining widespread repression. Together, HRHF and BHRH urged Belarus to unconditionally release all political prisoners, end the repression of civil society, and cooperate fully with UN human rights mechanisms.

On 3 March 2026, on International Writer’s Day, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and the Belarusian Human Rights House (BHRH), co-organised a film screening and policy discussion in Brussels dedicated to freedom of expression, media freedom, and the situation of journalists and political prisoners in Belarus. The event was hosted by the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union.

Ahead of HRC61, HRHF joins Belarusian and international human rights organisations in urging Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council to support the renewal and strengthening of the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus (Group of Experts).

At the 2025 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference (WHDC), Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) advocated alongside partners for concrete action by OSCE participating States to address rising authoritarianism and increasing human rights violations across the OSCE region. HRHF worked to ensure that both international attention and policy responses were informed directly by civil society actors from across the OSCE region.

At the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued its work to amplify the voices of civil society partners from the Network of Human Rights Houses. HRHF addressed issues ranging from reprisals against human rights defenders to crackdowns on civic space, while pushing for accountability for serious human rights violations.

In September 2025, eighteen human rights defenders from ten countries visited Strasbourg as part of the Advocacy Training Programme, organised by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and co-funded by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
The study visit took place one week before the Autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), giving participants timely insights and practical experience in engaging with CoE stakeholders and amplifying civil society’s voice at the heart of Europe’s system for protecting and promoting human rights.