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In a joint letter delivered on 13 March 2024, Human Rights House Foundation and several international and Belarusian civil society organisations urged Human Rights Council Member States to support the renewal of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus, and the establishment of an independent accountability mechanism to build upon and take forward the work of the OHCHR Examination on Belarus.

One year ago, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, FIDH Vice-President Valiantsin Stefanovic and Viasna lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich were sentenced to ten, nine and seven years of imprisonment on fabricated charges, respectively. Several organisations, including HRHF, and led by The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) demand their immediate and unconditional release, and call on the international community to use all available diplomatic, political and other means at its disposal to urge the Belarusian authorities to respect the rule of law and to free all those convicted under politically motivated charges.

On 21 July 2023, prominent human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka was released following two and a half years behind bars in Belarus. In this interview with Human Rights House Foundation, marking six months since his release, Sudalenka shares his experiences from unjust imprisonment to forced exile and discusses the dependence of Lukashenka’s regime on continuous repressions against Belarusian civil society.

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.

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.

Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) was active throughout the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) advocating on key issues including calling for the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, as well as the issue of reprisals for civil society engaging with the UN, and the human rights situations in Belarus, Georgia, Serbia and Ukraine.

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.

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.