HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE NETWORK Annual Report 2003 OSLO MOSCOW WARSAW SARAJEVO BERGEN ZAGREB NAIROBI MINSK ISTANBUL BAKU LONDON KAMPALA BAKU KAMPALA ISTANBUL Article 19 English PEN LONDON Index on Censorship for the the for VIASNA VIASNA Belarusian Belarusian PEN-Center Belarusian Foundation MINSK Lev Sapega Association of Journalists Law Initiative Supolnast Center Belarusian Language Language Belarusian Human Rights Center Center Rights Human F. Skaryna Partnership Partnership Skaryna F. 2 for B.a.B.e Croatian Womenís Womenís Human Rights ZAGREB Emerging Houses Croatian Law Center Law Croatian Helsinki Committee Human Rights Group and Torture Release Release Commission Legal Center NAIROBI Federation of against Women against People Against Women Lawyers Women Center for Law and Political Prisoners Political Research International Kenya Human Rights Coalition on Violence Violence on Coalition Child Rights Advisory Norwegian Committee Committee Church Aid (Norwegian AFS Norway AFS Foundation Peace Corps) Fredskorpset Idenity Project Project Idenity BERGEN War and Children and War Egil Rafto House International Exchange International Norwegian Afghanistan Norwegian of of Journalists Renesansa Professional Professional Zene Zenama Human Rights in in Rights Human Serb Civil Council Independent Union Union Independent (Women to Women) (Women SARAJEVO Helsinki Committee for for Committee Helsinki Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bosnia of of Group Convicted Convicted Foundation Psychiatric International Independent Non-violence Frontiers Group Right of Child Businessmen Human Rights Human Dignity Network Group Mother's Right Right to Life and Moscow Helsinki Movement Without Movement Without Soldiers' Mothers Moscow Center MOSCOW for Prison Reform Association of Russia Society for the Defence Defence the for Society The Human Rights House Network for Established Houses "POLIS" in Poland International International Association Graduates of Human Rights Polish-Tibetan Polish-Tibetan WARSAW Young Journalists' Journalists' Young Polish Section of the the of Section Polish Helsinki Committee Helsinki Foundation Commission of Jurists of Commission Human Rights School Friendship Association Committee OSLO Committee Foundation for Health and Health for Human Rights Human Kurdish People The Norwegian Norwegian Tibet for the Rights of Norwegian P.E.N. Burma Committee Norwegian Helsinki International Society Society International Human Rights House The Norwegian Council Network Secretariat Contents Map of the Human Rights House Network 2 Introduction 4 Human Rights House Network Secretariat, Oslo 5 Activities 5 Administration 7 Building Civil Societies. By Professor Bernt Hagtvet 9 Established Human Rights Houses 10 Oslo 10 Moscow 12 Warsaw 15 Sarajevo 18 Bergen 20 Statement from the Network Meeting, Bergen, October 2003 21 Emerging Human Rights Houses 22 Zagreb 22 Nairobi 22 Kampala 24 Minsk 24 Baku 25 Istanbul 27 London 27 Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. 3 Introduction “Defending human rights is becoming ever more of a high-risk venture”. Nine years ago, in July of 1995, the UN declared safe The Human Rights House Foundation (HRH) is working area surrounding Srebrenica gave way to the pressure to let other countries experience the same set of synergy of Serbian troops. Some of the worst atrocities of the effects and civil society support. More Human Rights entire Balkans war were to follow. Due to the eye witness Houses are under establishment in Zagreb, Nairobi, accounts and other testimonies which reached the rest London, Baku, Kampala and Istanbul. In Belarus, Europe’s of the world, Srebrenica was soon established in collec- last remaining dictatorship, both the free media and tive memory alongside My Lai, Sabra and Shatila, and independent human rights organisations continue to suf- Rwanda, all sites of large scale attacks on innocent civil- fer violations of their rights, for instance as violations of ians. their freedom of expression and association. The Human Rights House Network has repeatedly addressed these Among the many testimonies from Srebrenica were violations. The Belarusian organisations’ own assessment the Polish-Norwegian film maker Maria Fuglevaag is that under the current political leadership, establish- Warsinski’s documentary Crime and Punishment. ing a Human Rights House will be difficult. For the time In this film, Warsinski tells the story of three men, who being, Minsk is kept a virtual house through which were the last remaining prisoners of war and involuntar- human rights NGOs co-operate on various projects. ily brought into an international political game. A human rights defender is someone who acts upon Three years after the official ceasefire, on the 10th of the recognition, in the face of the other, of his or her December 1998, Crime and Punishment was premiered own humanity. This recognition, it seems, is becoming at the Norwegian Human Rights House’s marking of the ever more important. In recent years, and in particu- 50th anniversary of United Nations’ Universal Declaration lar since 9/11, the United Nations’ Secretary-General’s of Human Rights. Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders has documented a deterioration of the security and working The premiere in Oslo was followed by the local premiere, conditions of human rights defenders. The experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where in the meantime anoth- throughout the Human Rights House Network is the er Human Rights House had been established. same; promoting and defending human rights is becom- Organisations within this House participated in raising ing ever more of a high-risk venture. the three men’s case. Less than a month later, the three were free. HRH believes that this development is in itself reason good enough to step up our efforts and establish more Since then, the Human Rights House in Sarajevo has Human Rights Houses in more different places around become a meeting point for inter-ethnic, multi-religious the world. Attempts to improve human rights standards and across-the-political-spectrum dialogue. At any can only succeed if the pressure comes from within, from point since 1998, four to six organisations have worked each and every country’s own people. Human Rights together from this house, serving the public and helping Houses help make this possible. thousands of victims of human rights violations through lobbying, media and election observation, human rights education and the provision of free legal aid. From join- ing forces in a Human Rights House, the organisations also help each other through increased co-operation, Maria Dahle added weight to authority approaches, improved access Executive Director for clients, enhanced security and reduced costs. The Human Rights House Foundation 4 The Human Rights House Network Secretariat, Oslo Activities in Zagreb (Croatia), Nairobi (Kenya), Minsk (Belarus), The Human Rights House Foundation’s (HRH) Secretariat Istanbul (Turkey), Baku (Azerbaijan), Kampala (Uganda) is located in Oslo, Norway. Joint activities carried out by and London (England). the Human Rights House Network are co-ordinated by the Secretariat. The network’s shared ambition is to pro- In addition, HRH has had informal discussions with mote, protect and enhance human rights. This is done human rights defenders from Guatemala, Colombia, through Afghanistan, North and South Korea, the USA, Lebanon, • the establishment of more Human Rights Houses Palestine, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa. • sharing of knowledge and experience between these houses Associating oneself with the Human Rights House • carrying out joint projects, involving two or more of Network does not affect anyone’s freedom or integrity. the houses As each organisation within a Human Rights House remains free to decide its own priorities, each house is The number of member organisations in each house also free to focus on what the member organisations of varies, but in total, the network currently consists of more the house find suitable. than seventy organisations. Manual on establishing a Human Rights House: Every Human Rights Houses: Since 1989, Human Rights Houses new establishment is carried out in close co-operation have been established in Oslo and Bergen (Norway), with local partners. HRH’s recently revised manual Moscow (Russia), Warsaw (Poland) and Sarajevo (Bosnia guiding local partners through the whole establishment and Herzegovina). More houses are under establishment process, is available on the network’s joint website www.humanrightshouse.org. Berit Lindeman (left) and Niels Jacob Harbitz (right) Jadranka Milicevic (Sarajevo) and Hilda Mawanda (Nairobi) started working at the Secretariat in 2003, while Borghild work with women’s rights at their Human Rights Houses. T Krokan (center) was on maternity leave. Photo: Magnar Photo: Borghild Tønnesen Krokan. Naustdalslid. 5 Fundraising: The secretariat’s role is to provide both Seminar on Azerbaijan: In December 2003, the Secretariat consultative and financial assistance to NGOs wishing hosted a one-day seminar addressing the recent dete- to establish a Human Rights House. If an initiative to rioration of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. establish a new Human Rights House is found viable, the The well-attended seminar, which generated notable secretariat seeks funds from private and public sponsors. media interest, also asked what options the