54th Annual Conference of the ISHR

On 11 and 12 April 2026, the 54th Annual Conference of the ISHR took place in Bonn. Under the guiding theme “Europe as a guarantor of human rights and peace”, members, partners and international guests came together to discuss current developments — in particular the situation of political prisoners, people persecuted for their religion and those who are persecuted because of their commitment against authoritarian systems.

The country reports made clear how differently, yet at the same time how systematically, human rights are being violated — especially in Russia, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, China and Ukraine. In all of these countries, people are affected by acts of war, grave human rights violations, repression and political persecution.

At the General Assembly on 12 April 2026, board elections were held and honorary members were elected. The Chair, Edgar Lamm, the Board Spokesperson, Valerio Krüger, and the board members Carmen Jondral Schuler, Gunter Goebel, Michael Leh and Dima Rahr were all confirmed in their positions. Heinz Ernst had decided not to stand again for the office of Treasurer, but a successor was elected. Andreas Weisang, a lawyer and auditor, was elected to the important office of Treasurer. The ISHR is very grateful to Heinz Ernst for the work he carried out on the Executive Board in recent years and wishes Andreas Weisang all the best in this important role.

The ISHR is also pleased to welcome Theresa Hirte as a newly elected member of the Board. The doctoral candidate was elected to the Board as an assessor. The ISHR wishes Theresa Hirte every success in her new role.

Soon, you will find all speeches, greetings and further impressions from the conference here in video, text and image form.