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Georgia’s authorities must protect, without discrimination, the universal and fundamental rights of all people in Georgia, including freedoms of assembly and expression of LGBT+ groups and their supporters, and human rights defenders.
We, the undersigned Georgian and international human rights and civil society organisations, condemn the 8 July attack against the Tbilisi Pride festival and call on the Georgia authorities to fully investigate and hold to accountable all those responsible.
HRC53: Statement on Judges and Lawyers
On 26 June 2023 Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC53 on the challenges faced by human rights lawyers, particularly in Azerbaijan, as well as raising concerns about the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. HRHF also asked the Special Rapporteur for recommendations for judges and lawyers that have had to flee their countries including Belarus and Russia.
HRC53: Statement on Freedom of Expression
On 23 June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting the situation for freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, and Serbia.
Georgian authorities must guarantee freedom of artistic expression
Human Rights House Foundation and members of the Network of Human Rights Houses join their Georgian colleagues in a joint statement expressing solidarity with Georgian filmmaker Salome Jashi, her colleagues, and all the representatives of the art & cultural sector, as well as calling on the Georgian authorities to ensure a safe an enabling environment for artistic creativity in the country.
“Without dreaming big there is no thinking big” – Network workshop on building impactful projects
From 12-15 June 2023, 20 participants from the Network of Human Rights Houses gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for “From Idea to Impact”, a workshop organised by Human Rights House Foundation focused on designing and implementing impactful human rights projects. The workshop was co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union.
The role of civil society in promoting & protecting human rights – OSCE SHDM III
On 26 June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation will host “The role of civil society in promoting & protecting human rights”, a pre-event at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. The event is organised by Human Rights House Foundation, Austausch e.V. & Netherlands Helsinki Committee with the financial support of the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The event is sponsored by Civic Solidarity Platform and Human Rights Houses Belgrade and Tbilisi.
Crimea to Batumi in 11 days: a human rights defender’s leap to safety
In October 2022, human rights defender Olena Vinsent, fled increasing danger in occupied Crimea with her mother, their three cats and their dog, driving through Russia to reach safety in Georgia. Today she lives and carries out human rights work in Batumi and is still getting used to feeling safe.
Platform for Children: Georgian youth take a leading role on issues that affect them
Between May and December 2022, the “Platform for Children” project co-organised by the Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (member organisation of Human Rights House Tbilisi) and Indigo Fund provided more than 150 children and teenagers from 16 cities in Georgia a chance to speak up and discuss the issues that affect their physical and mental well-being. From these discussions, twelve multimedia resources were produced and have been disseminated to both children and adults across the country.
Georgia: “Authorities still believe a ‘foreign agent’ style law is needed”
On 10 March 2023, the Georgian Parliament voted down the so-called “foreign agent” and “foreign influence” bills following mass protests in the country. In the weeks following, Human Rights House Foundation spoke to Human Rights House Tbilisi’s Natia Tavberidze discussing next steps for civil society as well as support that Georgian civil society needs now from international colleagues.