Eastern Europe
The history of the International Society for Human Rights is closely tied to that of the Soviet Union. After its fall in 1991, ISHR sections formed in many countries of the former USSR, including all six countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) as well as in Russia. Currently, exciting joint projects regarding freedom of information and media and strengthening civil society actors are being carried out in the region by the sections, iniated by the ISHR in Germany, with support from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Bangladesh: The Alarming State of Child Safety in Bangladesh
Nearly 16,000 Children Reported Missing in Seven Months – A Human Rights Report and Recommendations to the Government
The President of the ISHR visits Kyrgyzstan
Thomas Schirrmacher visited Kyrgyzstan, with a particular focus on the situation of the country’s indigenous people.
ISHR: Newsletter September 2026
Human rights work today is unfolding in a world undergoing profound transformation.
Turkey: Hopes of reopening fade 55 years after closure
A renewed spark of hope among Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey has recently been extinguished after first being kindled at a meeting in Washington.
Iran: Young Bahá’í arbitrarily imprisoned
Parsa Najafi, a member of Iran’s Bahá’í community who was 19 at the time of his arrest, was detained on 6 June 2026 during a search of his parents’ home in the Iranian city of Isfahan.
India: Five years in prison following false conversion allegations
The ISHR and the Evangelical news agency IDEA have named evangelical pastor Chhot Singh Dhurve and others convicted with him in India as the “Prisoners of the Month for September 2026”.
China: 84-year-old Falun Gong practitioner dies in custody
For 27 years, followers of Falun Gong, the meditation movement founded in China in 1992, have been relentlessly persecuted by the country’s communist dictatorship.
Russia: Desperate plea for help from a Russian prison
“I am not writing this letter to beg for sympathy. I am writing because the silence within these walls is becoming unbearable.” – Valery Perov
Lebanon: Undaunted Commitment to helping families in distress
“The situation here remains very unstable. Just when we think peace has finally returned, something happens that fuels tensions. It doesn’t look good. But we remain hopeful.”
Nigeria: Strengthening those left behind through solidarity with the survivors
“There are so many murders in Nigeria right now,” writes Sister Dr. Mary Rose-Claret Ogbuehi, founder of the local aid organization Women Empowerment through Education (WETE) in Nigeria’s Enugu State.
Syria: Christians in Syria need our support now
Many Christians still want to leave the country. “We no longer feel at home here,” many say, even though their families have lived in Syria for generations.
ISHR: Newsletter August 2026
Human rights work today is unfolding in a world undergoing profound transformation.
ICCJ Annual Conference in Hanover
As part of the annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews, Prof. Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the ISHR, visited the Bergen-Belsen Memorial together with Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious representatives.
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.
Indigenous peoples in the Pacific are increasingly under threat
Schirrmacher learns about the situation of Indigenous Peoples from the High Chief of Savusavu and other leaders across the Pacific
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.
ISHR President meets the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Germany
Thomas Schirrmacher met in Berlin with Dilshad Barzani, the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Germany, at his office near the German Bundestag for an in-depth discussion.
ISHR President Participates in European Union Reception in Timor-Leste and Meets President José Ramos-Horta
The President of the ISHR participated in an official reception hosted by the Ambassador of the European Union to Timor-Leste on the occasion of the “Celebrating Europe” reception in Dili, Timor-Leste.
Universal Rights 2.0
Matthew Daniels, Thomas Schirrmacher, Matthias K. Boehning. Universal Rights 2.0: Educating a Digital Generation to Advance Universal Rights. ISHR Global Issues Series, Vol. 3. Culture and Science Publishing: Bonn, 2026. 148 pp. ISBN 978-3-86269-341-2.
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.