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Human Rights House Foundation welcomes the news that Leanid Sudalenka, our colleague from Viasna Human Rights Centre, was released today after spending two and a half years behind bars. The case against him was unjust and he should not have been imprisoned in the first place. We repeat our call for the release of his Viasna colleagues and all political prisoners in Belarus.

At the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued to underline the alarming human rights trends prevailing in Eastern Europe. Alongside members of the Network of Human Rights Houses and other partners, HRHF once again urged the Council to adopt decisive measures in response to the pressing regional crisis, including on the issues of freedom of expression, assembly, and association, as well as pressure facing judges and lawyers.

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.

On 12 July 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting the situation for over 140 political prisoners in Crimea as well as human rights in the newly occupied territories of Ukraine.

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.

On 5 July 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, urging the Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus. HRHF also called for the release of jailed human rights defenders Nasta Loika, Andrei Aliaksandrau & all 1500+ political prisoners in the country.

In June 2023, Human Rights House Foundation spoke to Anar Mammadli, a prominent Azerbaijani human rights defender, former political prisoner, and the founder of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS). We discussed human rights, his experience as a political prisoner, and the situation for his imprisoned colleagues in Belarus.

In October 2022, human rights defender Olena Vinsent, fled increasing danger in occupied Crimea with her mother, their three cats and their dog, driving through Russia to reach safety in Georgia. Today she lives and carries out human rights work in Batumi and is still getting used to feeling safe.

On 22 March 2023, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) delivered a statement on the human rights situation in Belarus at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council. In the statement, HRHF asked what more can be done to assist the more than 1,400 political prisoners behind bars in the country.