Anastasiya Alekseyeva Anastasiya Alekseyeva speaks about the work of ISHR in Ukraine, ranging from direct humanitarian aid at the front line to monitoring the rule of law, in order to help secure a just and democratic future for the country despite the war. “We want to leave our children a country where it is possible to live after the war, where they can develop and where they
Kevin Lick Kevin Lick, the youngest prisoner in Russia to be convicted of “high treason”, speaks about the dangers of political indifference and state repression, which he experienced firsthand. Despite psychological torture and imprisonment, he now uses his freedom to draw attention to the fate of the more than 1,500 political prisoners who remain behind bars and to fight against collective forgetting. Bonn, 11 April 2026. Speech
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
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
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
Russian society is atomised Russia is home to members of various indigenous peoples. For example, the Itelmen in Kamchatka. Itelmen human rights activist Dmitry Berezhkov, who lives in exile in Norway, explains how they are oppressed in Vladimir Putin's empire. BY MICHAEL LEH Dmitry Berezhkov comes from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East of the Russian Federation. The 47-year-old belongs to the small indigenous Itelmen people, of whom only about 2,500
Russia Builds a Digital Iron Curtain: WhatsApp Accuses Authorities of Attempting Full Block Amid Push for State Messenger MAX Russia is moving closer to erecting a new kind of Iron Curtain — not of concrete and barbed wire but of code and surveillance. WhatsApp has accused Russian authorities of attempting to fully block the messenger as part of efforts to push users toward a state-controlled alternative vulnerable to
