To mark Political Sponsorship Day, the ISHR is once again drawing attention this year to the plight of tens of thousands of political prisoners worldwide. The IGFM would like to thank all MPs who are working alongside us to secure the release of political prisoners. The photo shows some of the MPs who have taken on a political sponsorship. Photo: ISHR Ukraine: Father and son abducted by the
On 1 April, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the 16-year prison sentence handed down to 68-year-old dissident Alexander Skobov on charges of “justifying terrorism”. Russia's Supreme Court upholds prison sentence following an appeal Skobow joined the proceedings via video link for the pronouncement of the verdict Frankfurt am Main, 2 April 2026 – On 1 April, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the 16-year prison sentence handed down to
Upon the special request of the President of Lebanon, Joseph Auon, the President and the Secretary General of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), Thomas Schirrmacher and Matthias Böhning, participated in the first-ever Beirut International Conference on Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue for Sustainability. Professor Thomas Schirrmacher addresses Sunni and Catholic leaders in Lebanon The conference was organised by the Lebanese One Voice Foundation, which is connected to
Karin Müller-Kinet has been working in humanitarian aid at ISHR for four decades. Under the leadership of Karin Müller-Kinet from Bergen-Enkheim, 106 banana crates of clothing, 41 food parcels, 3 beds and a generator were loaded onto a lorry belonging to the overseas aid organisation of the Free Evangelical Churches of Germany at midday on 31 March. Several #ISHR staff members pitched in despite changeable weather and loaded the relief
Speech of Prof. Thomas Schirrmacher against (forced) prostitution: “Women are increasingly being treated as commodities” Thomas Schirrmacher giving the keynote © Mission Freedom Thomas Schirrmacher, a human rights expert specializing in religious freedom and in human trafficking, had the privilege of delivering the keynote speech at the 15th anniversary celebrations of Mission Freedom. He helped establish the organization 15 years ago, in part through his book “Human Trafficking,”
54th Annual Conference of ISHR Europe as a Guarantor of Human Rights and Peace Date: 11–12 April 2026 Location: Gustav Stresemann Institute, Langer Grabenweg 68, 53175 Bonn Start: 12:00 PM (arrival from 11:00 AM) We look forward to your participation! Once a year, we bring together members, partners, human rights defenders, friends, and interested participants from around the world to exchange on current
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a warrant for the arrest of Lev Ponomarev, an 84-year-old human rights activist and former director of the ‘For Human Rights’ movement. Diese Informationen hat „Mediazona“ in der Datenbank des Ministeriums gefunden. Screenshot: Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs It is not known exactly what Ponomarev is accused of. The contact number listed on the wanted notice is that of the duty
The Russian attacks during the coldest time of the year have taken their toll on the civilian population in Ukraine The attacks on critical infrastructure reported by our television channels do not begin to describe the long-term consequences that the civilian population will have to cope with in the coming period. ISHR members in Kyiv took to Telegram and other channels to express their despair at not knowing how to
Recent amendments to Moldova’s law on political parties have raised growing concern among legal experts and human rights organizations. The reform, adopted in 2025, significantly expands the state’s ability to restrict the activities of political parties or even dissolve them. The government justifies the changes as necessary to combat illegal party financing, voter bribery, and foreign interference in political processes. However, critics warn that some of the new provisions could
The ISHR’s social media accounts have been classified as ‘extremist material’ in Belarus The human rights organisation is not deterred by this designation and will continue its work on Belarus. In the Republic of Belarus, the long-standing dictator Lukashenko rules with brutal severity and has thousands of people arrested on arbitrary grounds. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have left the country since the rigged elections of 2020, whilst thousands more