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At the United Nations, Human Rights House Foundation highlighted the increasing “Russianisation” of Crimea, and the human rights violations as a consequence, and called on the international community to further scrutinise the human rights situation in Crimea. Furthermore, all parties in the on-going conflict in Eastern Ukraine must fulfil their obligations under international human rights law.

Journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed in a car bomb attack in Kyiv on 20 July 2016. His murder follows recent attacks on journalists and a climate in which journalists and media are discredited and in some cases vilified for their work.

The “Bring International Standards Home” (BISH) project celebrated its 10th anniversary with the start of the new academic training cycle for Belarusian human rights defenders in Belarus, from June 3–10 at the Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv. BISH is a project within Human Rights House Foundation’s International Law in Advocacy (ILIA) program.

On the 12 of July at the UN, high-level representatives from States, civil society and the private sector discussed the human rights situation in the world. There was also a first televised live debate with the candidates for Secretary General at the United Nations, which was open for questions from the public.

The exhibition “Women Human Rights Defenders: Portraits of Strength” is being held from 30 June to 30 July 2016 at America House in Kyiv, Ukraine. It features 18 women human rights defenders in the Human Rights House Network, acknowledging the vital role that women play locally, nationally, and internationally in protecting and promoting human rights.

On 29 June, HRHF delivered a statement addressing the human rights situation in Ukraine and welcoming the report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring mission in the country. HRHF made this statement during the regular periodic update on Ukraine at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council.

On 20 June 2016, the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) held a side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The panel, including UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heynes and representatives of Ukrainian civil society, reported on different aspects of the human rights situation in Ukraine two years after Euromaidan.

The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) may continue its visit to Ukraine in September, which was previously interrupted by obstacles from SBU.

On 25 May 2016, the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) suspended its visit to Ukraine. The SPT asserts that the Ukrainian government denied its delegation access to several places in the country – places where it suspects people are being deprived of their liberty by the Ukrainian Security Services. Such a suspension has only happened once before, in Azerbaijan.