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HRC54: Human rights in Crimea and the newly occupied territories of Ukraine
On 9 October 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC54, highlighting the human rights situation in Crimea and the newly occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, HRHF drew attention to the situations for imprisoned human rights defenders Vladyslav Yesypenko Emir-Usein Kuku and Iryna Danylovych.
When I communicate with [political prisoners] and their relatives, I tell them that [legal action] will not significantly affect their immediate situation, but it must be done.
On 24 February 2022, human rights lawyer Serghiy Zayets and his family became internally displaced persons (IDPs) for the second time as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion. They fled Irpin for Western Ukraine, where they still live today. Originally from Crimea, Zayets and his family fled the peninsula in 2014 following the Russian occupation. In this interview with HRHF, Zayets gives insight into his fight for the human rights of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russian custody and the volatile nature of living and working in a war zone.
HRC54: Statement on reprisals
With reference to upcoming Human Rights Council elections in October, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at HRC54 on 29 September 2023, repeating condemnation of Russia’s application for Council membership, and underlining that no State which retaliates against civil society for engaging with the UN should be a Council member.
Protecting and expanding civic space in the OSCE region – Warsaw Human Dimension Conference
On 3 October 2023, Human Rights House Foundation hosted “Protecting and expanding civic space in the OSCE region”, a side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The side event was co-sponsored by the Belarusian Human Rights House, as well as Human Rights Houses Banja Luka and Yerevan.
The human rights situation in occupied Crimea
In the context of the Human Rights Council’s 54th session, and interactive dialogues with the International Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and the High Commissioner on Human Rights, People in Need and Human Rights House Foundation are hosting an evening devoted to the human rights situation in occupied Crimea on Tuesday 26 September at Cinerama Empire Cinema, Geneva.
The Sunflower Declaration
Human Rights House Foundation co-signs the Sunflower Declaration that was launched by Nobel Peace Prize laureates at the Nobel Peace Conference in Oslo on 31 August 2023. The Declaration calls for urgent action to protect human rights defenders at risk.
“Most of all, I miss Ales’ optimism” – Natalia Pinchuk
14 July 2023 marks two years since human rights defender Ales Bialiatski was detained in Belarus alongside his Viasna colleagues Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. HRHF spoke to Bialiatski’s wife Natalia Pinchuk ahead of the day.
Belarusian youth speaks out for change
“We look at ourselves to see the state we are in as we make our journey to a free Belarus.” RADA, a Belarusian union of 37 youth organisations, has collected and published “Belarus. Youth. Long Live.”, an analysis of the current state of the independent youth sector in the country.
“The most important thing for a political prisoner is to know they are remembered.”
In June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation spoke to prominent human rights lawyer and former political prisoner Intigam Aliyev. We discussed human rights, his experience as a political prisoner, and the situation for his imprisoned colleagues in Belarus.