Mikola Dziadok „A free Belarus means a free Europe”“ Bonn, April 11, 2026. Presentation at the Annual General Meeting: Mikola Dziadok is a Belarusian blogger, journalist, and activist who has spent a total of 10 years of his life in prison. After serving his first prison sentence, he was arrested again during the 2020 protests and sentenced to another term of imprisonment. He was finally released in
From right to left: Member of the Bundestag Dagmar Schmidt, Lord Mayor Frank-Tilo Becher, Member of the Bundestag Frederik Bouffier and ISHR member Gerhard Keller hold up portraits of abducted Ukrainian civilians for whom they have taken on political sponsorships. Gerhard Keller is holding the portrait of Kostiantyn Zinovkin, whose political sponsors are Member of the European Parliament Michael Gahler and Member of the State Parliament Frank Steinraths. Press
The IAC ISHR is finalising a practical guide on monitoring the right to a fair trial In a context where trust in the justice system depends directly on the quality of judicial proceedings, professional tools for assessing the extent to which the judicial system meets the standards of a fair trial take on particular significance. In modern democratic states, independent monitoring of court hearings is viewed not as external control,
As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, more than 2,100 children who had been forcibly displaced by Russia have been returned to Ukraine. Since the start of 2026, 150 children have been returned to Ukraine. Meanwhile, a special commission under the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice continues to analyse data on cases of abduction of Ukrainian children. What is known about the return of Ukrainian children? As of August
Oleksandra Matviichuk Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer, reports by video at the 54th Annual Conference of the ISHR in Bonn in April 2026 on the systematic documentation of war crimes and the dramatic situation of the Ukrainian civilian population. “We must break the cycle of impunity” Bonn, 11 April 2026 Dear colleagues, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, My name is Oleksandra Matviichuk. I am a
54th Annual Conference of the ISHR Europe as a guarantor of human rights and peace 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
Dmytro Lubinets Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights, reports by video at the 54th Annual Conference of the ISHR in Bonn in April 2026 on the systematic and widespread violations committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. “Peace without human rights is no peace at all” Bonn, 11 April 2026 Dear colleagues, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, It is a privilege to address
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