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Ukrainians are fighting two battles – one against the brutal Russian invasion, and the other to defend the democratic progress the country has made since independence in 1991. Weapons are needed to win the first battle, and for the second, a victory depends on support for local democracy and civil society.

Alena Hnauk is a 65-year-old pensioner and activist from the village of Tkachi in the Pruzhany region of Belarus. She was first sentenced to two years of home confinement for participating in the so-called “dancing protest” on 13 September 2020 in Brest.

In the early weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv (EHRHC) was damaged during an attack in the area by Russian forces. Attacks in the Chernihiv region left many injured and dead, and severe damage to the local community. Since then, and in partnership with other civil society actors, EHRHC has been working tirelessly to repair the House and to assist the healing process in the community as Russia’s military aggression continues.

We, non-governmental organisations – members of the international Civic Solidarity Platform, condemn the decision of the authorities of the Russian Federation to liquidate the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG), a member and one of the founders of our network.

On 30 January 2023, members of the Human Rights and Democracy Network issued a joint letter urging the European Parliament to reconsider the recent decision to enforce a strict 5oo-word limit for all urgency resolutions. 

If Ales [Bialiatski] had not received the [Nobel] Peace Prize, images of a Belarusian human rights defender locked in a cage in court would never have made international headlines.

On 20 December 2022, The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) issued a joint letter to the European Parliament raising concerns over recent debates and proposals to freeze all activities of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI) and to stop all urgency resolutions. HRDN members including HRHF urge that Parliament instead recommits to and doubles down on its efforts to speak up louder and stronger in the face of abuses, including those committed by any government who might have tried to exert undue influence on Parliament activities.

Over the course of several months in 2022, young Armenians explored the importance of human rights in Armenia’s constitution and other issues in society through 30 short films produced as part of a project organised by “Open Platform for Art” NGO and PEN Armenia.

Human Rights House Yerevan is close to completing the renovation of its premises – the home of Armenia’s human rights defenders – and you can help by donating today.