Latest

Human Rights House Foundation is among 60 organisations jointly calling for the EU to take action against SLAPPs – the gag lawsuits silencing journalists, activists and human rights defenders across Europe. The coalition of organisations today endorses the Model EU Anti-SLAPP Directive ahead of the European Commission’s launch of its European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP).

More and more journalists and civil society organisations are being sued by powerful businessmen and politicians. We call on the EU to ensure those with a watchdog role are protected from gag lawsuits. This scrutiny is the lifeblood of healthy democracies, writes a group of 99 organisations including Human Rights House Foundation.

“It was in spring 2020, during the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, when I started feeling that the situation was changing… Belarusians were changing.”

Human Rights House Foundation joins 30 Belarusian and international organisations calling for the Belarusian authorities to drop their criminal defamation lawsuit against editor-in-chief of Nasha Niva, Yahor Martsinovich and to immediately release him from custody.

Download our “We Stand With Belarus” graphics pack to show your support on the Global Day of Solidarity with Belarus, 20 September 2020.

Human Rights House Foundation is very concerned about the expansion of persecution of dissenting voices in Azerbaijan. This is a deeply worrying trend that has taken place over many years and only increased under the guise of Covid-19 response since March.

Several international and Belarusian civil society organisations including Human Rights House Foundation call on the United Nations Human Rights Council to convene a Special Session to address human rights violations committed in the lead-up, during and after the August 2020 Presidential elections in Belarus.

We, the undersigned members of the network of Human Rights Houses, urge European governments to call on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately launch an international commission of inquiry into human rights violations in Belarus in relation to the 9 August presidential elections.

In advance of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 14 August, Human Rights House Foundation calls upon the EU to send a clear and strong message to the Belarusian authoritarian president, police, and his security forces that those responsible for grave human rights abuses will be held accountable.