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In November, Serbia marks one year since the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, and the subsequent student protests sparked by it. Today, despite growing international attention, concerns over the country’s human rights situation are deepening, and civil society warns about escalating repression as the government responds to dissent. Human Rights House Foundation spoke with Jovana Spremo, Advocacy Director at the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), about this situation and more.

At the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued its work to amplify the voices of civil society partners from the Network of Human Rights Houses. HRHF addressed issues ranging from reprisals against human rights defenders to crackdowns on civic space, while pushing for accountability for serious human rights violations.

In September 2025, eighteen human rights defenders from ten countries visited Strasbourg as part of the Advocacy Training Programme, organised by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and co-funded by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
The study visit took place one week before the Autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), giving participants timely insights and practical experience in engaging with CoE stakeholders and amplifying civil society’s voice at the heart of Europe’s system for protecting and promoting human rights.

“The Georgian Dream government is still sensitive to international pressure. It is still acting as though international legitimacy is important and responding to international monitoring and reporting. But this window will close and the international community will lose some of its leverage. This is the moment to apply maximal pressure,” writes HRHF’s Head of Advocacy Dave Elseroad in New Eastern Europe.

2 October 2025 marks six months since former political prisoner Andrei Chapiuk was released from prison in Belarus, and since he left the country for his safety. This month also marks five years since he was imprisoned. In this interview with HRHF, Chapiuk discussed adjusting to life outside of prison and in a new country, as well as the human rights situation in Belarus and his colleagues still behind bars.

On the sidelines of HRC60, Human Rights House Foundation urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain scrutiny on Georgia, arguing that continued reporting from the High Commissioner is essential, alongside robust engagement with authorities to repeal repressive laws, end politically-motivated prosecutions, and ensure accountability for violations.

Human Rights House Foundation strongly urged the renewal of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia at HRC60, calling the mandate indispensable. Outlining the situation for human rights in the country, HRHF raised “foreign agent” legislation and its destructive impact on civil society, as well over 1000 political prisoners as recognised by Memorial.

In an interactive dialogue with the Belarus Group of Independent Experts during HRC60, Human Rights House Foundation welcomed the Expert’s conference room paper, as well as highlighted the situation for over 1000 political prisoners in the country, including Ales Bialiatski, Uladzimir Labkovich, Valiantsin Stefanovic, Marfa Rabkova and Nasta Loika.

In August 2025, Belarusian human rights defenders gathered in Geneva to advocate ahead of the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Belarus. This two-day programme of meetings with diplomats and participation in the UPR pre-session was the culmination of a nine-month capacity-building journey led by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) aimed at preparing Belarusian civil society partners, including members of the Network of Human Rights Houses, to engage effectively in the UPR process and to support them in making formal submissions within the process.