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Between October and December 2025, the Solidarity Force project, supported by HRHF, brought together young human rights defenders from Belarus and Ukraine for an international course on human rights reflecting the context of repression in Belarus and Russia’s war against Ukraine. 16 participants strengthened their skills in human rights monitoring, advocacy, and documentation through a four-day training in Poland, webinars, and continued collaboration, while building cross-border connections based on trust and solidarity. HRHF spoke with two participants about their experience and how the project influenced their perspectives and work.

​​As Ukraine approaches a fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war, Ukrainian human rights lawyer Kateryna Rashevska reflects on working through blackouts, documenting war crimes, and why justice — not just ceasefire — will determine the region’s future. From losing her organisation’s office to confronting global shifts in international law, she speaks about resilience, responsibility, and the long struggle for accountability, and at what cost.

HRHF joins international human rights and media freedom organisations in expressing serious concern regarding the recent letter of Azerbaijani journalist Aysel Umudova sent to media outlets from Baku Pre-trial Investigation Facility, in which she has reported being subjected to sexual harassment and ill-treatment by police officers during her arrest on 6 December 2024. Umudova’s letter published in December 2025 echoes the earlier case of a journalist and human rights defender, Ulviyya (Ali) Guliyeva, who faced arbitrary detention, torture, and explicit rape threats by a police officer while in police custody on 6 May 2025.

An interview with a human rights defender from Crimea on enforced disappearances in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the situation for those unjustly detained and the power of letters.

On 17 September 2020, human rights defender and Viasna member Marfa Rabkova was arbitrarily detained for her legitimate human rights work. On the fifth anniversary of her detention, Human Rights House Foundation joins 30 human rights organisations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, in renewing the call for her immediate and unconditional release.

On 2 June 2025 at SHDMIII, HRHF highlighted the systematic steps taken by authorities in Georgia to close civic space, criminalise legitimate human rights work, and to silence civil society and opposition voices. HRHF also highlighted the deteriorating situation in neighbouring Azerbaijan citing the cases of Anar Mammadli and Ulviyya Ali as examples of hundreds of political prisoners in the country.

From 8 March to 11 April, the Portraits of Strength exhibition was presented in Croatia’s three largest cities: Zagreb, Osijek, and Split. In close collaboration with local civil society, Human Rights House Zagreb organised the exhibitions and panel discussions. The events brought the powerful stories of women human rights defenders from across the Network of Human Rights Houses to a wider Croatian audience, highlighting the crucial role that women play in defending human rights.

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) play a vital role in protecting and promoting human rights—often in the face of discrimination, threats, and violence. A powerful new exhibition by Human Rights House Banja Luka sheds light on the work of 12 such defenders, sharing their stories of resilience, solidarity, and impact.

In 2024, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) worked closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners to protect and promote human rights amidst increasing challenges, including rising authoritarianism. Find out more in HRHF’s 2024 annual report.