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HRC59: Belarus must release all political prisoners and end crackdown on civil society
At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF called on the Belarusian authorities to end incommunicado detentions and ill treatement, reinstate banned NGOs, repeal repressive laws and to engage with the Council’s Belarus mechanisms.
HRC59: Rising repression of election monitors and journalists in the wider European region
At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation condemned state-backed disinformation, legal harassment, and physical attacks targeting journalists and election observers in countries like Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Serbia. Citing the imprisonment of Anar Mammadli and widespread abuse of “national security” laws, HRHF called for clear benchmarks to hold states accountable during election cycles.
Freedom For Political Prisoners in Eastern Europe & the Caucasus
We members of the Network of Human Rights Houses stand in solidarity with our imprisoned colleagues in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, as well as all political prisoners in the region.
House-to-House Project Fund 2025: Call for Applications
Human Rights House Foundation invites all Human Rights Houses, their member organisations as well as organisations and actors from outside of the network to apply for funding in collaboration to advance human rights priorities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Serbia, and Ukraine.
“mama, all my friends are criminals”
On 21 May, HRHF, alongside PEN Belarus, published a poem by Tacniana Niadbaj, poet, writer & human rights defender. The publication of the poem marked the Day of Political Prisoners in Belarus.
Resilience amidst growing repression: HRHF’s work at HRC58
At HRC58, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued to amplify the voices of civil society and human rights defenders facing increased repression across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Balkans. In particular, HRHF worked alongside partners to highlight ongoing human rights violations in Belarus, Georgia, and in the context of continued Russian military aggression against Ukraine.
Annual Report 2024 – Defending rights amidst rising authoritarianism
In 2024, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) worked closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners to protect and promote human rights amidst increasing challenges, including rising authoritarianism. Find out more in HRHF’s 2024 annual report.
Supporting Network partners with coaching and mentoring
In 2024, HRHF offered one-on-one support for advocates from the Network of Human Rights Houses as part of its strategic coaching and mentoring work. This included working closely with partners like Anastasiya Dziubanava from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, who was involved in advocating on two key resolution processes on Belarus at the UN Human Rights Council on the establishment of the Group of Independent Experts and the renewal of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. In this interview, Dziubanava shares insight into these processes.
HRC58: Over 1,200 Belarusian political prisoners remain behind bars, while those in exile face in-absentia prosecution
On 19 March 2025, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the continued imprisonment of human rights defenders in Belarus and the growing transnational repression faced by Belarusians in exile.