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In a statement at HRC 41, HRHF calls on the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus, support Belarus in implementing its recommendations from human rights treaty bodies, and encourage Belarus to expand on its meaningful cooperation with civil society.

HRHF raises hate speech and smear campaigns against women human rights defenders in Armenia, in its statement to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC41) on 26 June 2019. This follows the UN special rapporteur on freedom of association and assembly presenting his report on his November 2018 visit to Armenia.

In a letter to member states of the Human Rights Council, HRHF and other international NGOs urge the Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus. Further, they set out tangible steps that Belarus can take to address “systemic human rights challenges” in the country.

In an open letter to all permanent missions to the United Nations, 399 NGOs, including HRHF, have issued a joint letter warning of a critical funding gap affecting UN human rights mechanisms and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

During follow-up discussions of Armenia’s universal periodic review in April 2019, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Naira Zohrabyan gave a discriminatory speech relating to issues of transgender people. Some 20 Armenian Human Rights NGOs, including Human Rights House Yerevan, issued the following statement calling on the Armenian authorities to examine the incident and condemn the speech made by Zohrabyan.

The Venice Commission expresses that “States must create an enabling environment in which associations can effectively operate and access funding, including foreign funding.” This comes in its review of standards applying to funding of NGOs within Council of Europe member states, published in March 2019.

Some 10 human rights organisations, including Human Rights House Foundation, issued a joint statement on 22 March 2019, responding to the outcomes of the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

During an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC40), Human Rights House Foundation delivered the following statement on women human rights defenders.

Speaking at the European Parliament, Azerbaijani human rights lawyer Fuad Aghayev raises how political bias in access to the Bar and politically motivated suspensions and disbarment have left only a handful of human rights lawyers to take politically sensitive cases.