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With human rights crises unfolding in neighbouring Azerbaijan and Georgia, Armenia remains the story of hope for human rights and freedoms in the South Caucasus, but civil society in the country faces many challenges. In this interview, HRHF spoke to Arpy Manusyan, President and Research Director of Socioscope NGO (a member organisation of Human Rights House Yerevan), on issues ranging from the apathy in society following the second Nagorno-Karabakh war, to increasingly disappointing rhetoric surrounding next year’s elections, and what role Armenian civil society can play in reconnecting with the public.

“There may soon be no one left in Azerbaijan to write these stories, to document these abuses, to bear witness,” argued Azerbaijani journalist Arzu Geybulla (Free Voice Collective), addressing the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. The statement was delivered following the Committee’s request that HRHF suggest experts to speak at a hearing on 26 June regarding the situation for human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan.

Four years after the detention of Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich, over 40 international human rights organisations urge the Belarusian authorities to uphold the rule of law and to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in Belarus.

At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF and Human Rights House Banja Luka echoed UPR recommendations to Bosnia and Herzegovina to guarantee a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders, align all legislation on free association, expression and assembly with international standards, and to resource and strengthen national human-rights institutions.

At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation highlighted the effects of Georgia’s new “foreign agent” law as well as recent legal threats against NGOs and the punitive fining of rights defender Baia Pataraia. HRHF urged repeal of the law and pressed for concrete international support to shield civil society from intensifying state pressure.

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.

In recent months, Serbia has witnessed some of the largest protests in its modern history. With slogans like “Corruption kills” and “Pumpaj!” (“Pump it!”) students have emerged as the driving force behind these leaderless demonstrations, supported by the wider civil society while intentionally distancing themselves from it. In this op-ed, Uroš Jovanović from Civic Initiatives – a member organisation of Human Rights House Belgrade – explores the roots of the protests, the strategies used to intimidate civil society, and the muted response of international actors.

During the 2025 Democracy Defender Award seminar in Vienna, HRHF issued recommendations to OSCE States on how to address shrinking space for civil society. HRHF Congratulates Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association for the well-deserved recognition of their commitment to advancing democracy and human rights in Georgia.

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.