Latest

At the OSCE’s second Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of the year, HRHF highlighted issue of GONGOs within the multilateral system and the role they play in challenging human rights and liberal democratic narratives, including at the OSCE’s human dimension pillar proceedings.

At the OSCE’s second Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of the year, HRHF urged the OSCE Participating States to strengthen legal safeguards against digital threats to civic space, as well as calling for the OSCE to establish a formal mechanism to monitor and report on reprisals against civil society for engaging with the institution. HRHF also called for additional steps to be taken to address rising threats to civic space, including for various stakeholders to review their own digital practices in order to not undermine the security and safety of civil society.

At the first of the OSCE’s key human rights forums of the year, HRHF worked with civil society partners from the Network of Human Rights Houses and beyond to continue to raise the issue of reprisals and threats against human rights defenders across the OSCE region, as well as highlighting the situations in Georgia and Serbia via side events co-organised with partners.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF worked closely with partners from the Network of Human Rights Houses and beyond to keep civic space and accountability at the centre of international attention. HRHF cited the reporting and analysis of partners to highlight the human rights situations in multiple countries, renewed calls for scrutiny where repression is entrenched, and used interactive dialogues, UPR adoptions, side events, and various meetings with officials to bring the voice of civil society partners to HRC member and observer states.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, HRHF and Belarusian Human Rights House (BHRH) warned that Belarus continues to dismiss fundamental recommendations on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly while maintaining widespread repression. Together, HRHF and BHRH urged Belarus to unconditionally release all political prisoners, end the repression of civil society, and cooperate fully with UN human rights mechanisms.

On 17 March 2026, HRHF and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee hosted a side event at the OSCE SHDMI. The event featured the Moscow Mechanism rapporteur and representatives of Georgian civil society, who discussed opportunities to respond to the report’s findings and recommendations and to propose further next steps for participating States.

During the first Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of 2026, Human Rights House Foundation warned that the continued detention of prominent Azerbaijani human rights defender Anar Mammadli reflects wider pattern of reprisals against civic actors across the OSCE region. HRHF urged participating States to make every effort to protect human rights defenders engaging with the OSCE.

Following a year of large-scale student and civic protests, accompanied by reports of excessive use of force against demonstrators the freedoms of assembly and expression have been under increasing attack in Serbia. On 11 March 2026, these issues and more were discussed at a HRC61 side event organised by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights with the support of Human Rights House Foundation.

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation expressed concerns about the environment in which human rights defenders operate in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska, as reflected in the Special Rapporteur’s country report, urging authorities to implement her recommendations.