ISHR NEWS
IGFM Wittlich’s 600th aid convoy: help from person to person
The Wittlich branch of the International Society for Human Rights has reached a special milestone with the loading of its 600th humanitarian aid consignment.
Belarus: ISHR at the Letucień Festival in Kraków: €230 raised for Aliaksandra Pulinovich
On 1 August, the ISHR took part in the Belarusian Letucień Festival in Kraków. The main purpose of our participation was to raise awareness of the case of the young Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandra Pulinovich.
Between Protection and Extradition
ISHR urges Kazakhstan to stop the extradition of Julia Emelianova and Mansur Movlaev. If returned to Russia, both activists face politically motivated imprisonment, torture and enforced disappearance.
Kazakhstan must stop extradition of Russian activists
As Kazakhstan strengthens its economic partnership with the EU, the cases of Julia Emelianova and Mansur Movlaev raise urgent questions about human rights, refugee protection and compliance with the principle of non-refoulement.
What Can Germany Do to Help Prevent a Chinese Attack on Taiwan?
ISHR German Section Board Member Michael Leh argues that Germany must strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence, reduce dependence on China and deepen ties with its democracy.
Unwavering Moral Courage
At a ceremony in Leipzig, journalist Zhang Zhan and pastor Roland Kühne received the Liu Xiaobo Human Rights Prize for defending human rights.
China: Raid on house church
On June 14, 2026, the communist authorities of the People’s Republic of China conducted a large-scale raid against the Early Rain Covenant Church.
Vietnam: Christian imprisoned after changing his church
Y Tup Knul has been named as “Prisoner of the Month July 2026”. They are calling for action on behalf of the 56-year-old.
Syria: Minorities are waiting for accountability, security and equal rights
A year and a half after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, religious minorities are still waiting for equality and the rule of law.
Pakistan/Egypt: Forced marriages of girls from minority groups
Professor Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the International Council of the ISHR, has denounced the frequent toleration of forced and child marriages by Pakistani authorities in a statement.
China/Tibet: Call for joint protest against new law
Parliamentarians from the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have called for Europe-wide condemnation of China’s “Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress” at a conference.
Cuba: Press conference in Berlin
On 27 May 2026, former political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer was in Berlin.
Syria-Germany: Strengthening cooperation in the field of crisis response
The Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management discussed with a German delegation ways to strengthen cooperation in the areas of emergency, crisis and disaster response, as well as benefiting from German expertise.
“True security lies in protecting all Syrians”
ISHR leaders met with His Eminence Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, to discuss the challenges facing Syria’s Christian communities following the country’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime.
ISHR Leaders Engage with Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch Amid Historic Post-Assad Elections
In a timely show of international solidarity, Archbishop Prof. Thomas Schirrmacher and Matthias Böhning met with His Eminence Ignatius Aphrem II.
“Put a stop to the enemies of freedom of religion and belief!”
The yearbooks on Religious Freedom 2025 and on Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025 were presented in Berlin today.
Schirrmacher Celebrated in Liberia on 65th Birthday
Archbishop Thomas Schirrmacher Celebrated in Liberia on 65th Birthday for Church Leadership and Human Rights Advocacy
President and Secretary General of ISHR visit the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius
Thomas Schirrmacher commemorates the murdered Jews, and a murdered bishop from Lithuania
Schirrmacher commemorated the murdered Jews in Auschwitz and Krakow
Last year, Thomas Schirrmacher visited the Auschwitz Memorial with his wife to commemorate the murdered Jews as a sign against anti-Semitism.
ISHR delegation visits Tikhanouskaya: Solidarity with Belarus in exile
On 7 August 2025, ISHR Secretary General Matthias Boehning and ISHR President Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Paul Schirrmacher met in Vilnius with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya.
ISHR-President to testify in USCIRF hearing on Turkey
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing announced a virtual Hearing on “Freedom of Religion or Belief in Turkey” on August 14, 2025, at 10:30 AM.
IIRF and ISHR leadership involved in Faith & Freedom Summit IV in the Latin American Parliament
The fourth Faith & Freedom Summit focusing on FoRB took place under the title “Practicing What We Preach” in the Latin American Parliament in Panama City.
ISHR President speaks in the Italian parliament on Interreligious Dialogue
Schirrmacher publishes his speech at the Second Parliamentary Conference on Interreligious Dialogue of the IPU
SG Participates in Letter-Writing Workshop for Ukrainian Civilian Prisoners in Berlin
On 27 May, the ISHR Secretary General participated in a letter-writing workshop in Berlin, co-organised by ISHR and the human rights organisation Libereco.
Schirrmacher congratulates Joachim Gauck
IGFM/ISHR congratulates former Federal President Joachim Gauck on being awarded the Hermann Ehlers Medal
Schirrmacher thanks Liberian Acting Interior Minister
The President of ISHR thanked the Hon. Samuel F. Today for his spontaneous and enormous help to the Liberian refugees displaced from the refugee camp in Buduburam.
ISHR Secretary visited the office of the IGFM in Frankfurt
On Thursday, 8 May 2025, ISHR Secretary General Matthias K. Boehning visited the office of the German section of the ISHR in Frankfurt.