Greetings from the Secretary General
"Now, more than ever!" This is the title of an important conference the NHC organized in mid-April 2024. The event was dedicated to the urgent need for our continued, efficient - and increased, support to Ukraine.
The title underscored the urgency caused by Russia's war against Ukraine. The suffering and devastation experienced on Ukrainian territory is simply unbearable. The crime of aggression and violations of international law committed under Putin's leadership cannot be left unpunished. The potential damaging consequences for Europe's security cannot be overestimated.
The same sense of urgency is felt regarding the waning support for democratic values and human rights globally. Freedom House states that global respect for universal freedoms has declined for 17 years. Populism and nationalism are rising in Europe, resulting in more extreme political movements. Sometimes, they also gain substantial political support.
Globally, 2024 is a year of elections. More voters than ever in history will head to the polls in at least 64 countries, including the European Union. They represent a combined population of about 49% of the world's population. The results of these national elections will prove consequential for years to come.
The March 2024 "presidential elections" in Russia showcased our neighbour to the east as the semi-totalitarian regime it has become. Russia no longer has a leader elected by popular vote. To our west, we are looking at the upcoming elections in the United States of America, plagued by extreme polarisation and disinformation campaigns. None of the American candidates raised much enthusiasm, but one defied democratic processes, promoted a more inward-looking USA and praised authoritarian leaders abroad. That is a genuine concern not only for Americans but also internationally.
The NHC's support for the work of human rights organizations aims to counter the attacks against democracy and human rights that we are facing.
We can have an impact in creating a strong and diverse civil society which, together and in partnership with other stakeholders, is able to influence authorities to respect and protect human rights and the rule of law. We strive to achieve this through three priority objectives:
To advocate for and support civil society organizations to develop tools and capacity to challenge authorities domestically and internationally on human rights issues;
to advocate for and support groups and individuals at risk to gain attention, obtain legal protection and access to and benefit from services and assistance programmes in target countries;
and to document human rights violations, and advocate for applying international mechanisms to fight impunity and promote accountability.
At the core of human rights work is the person. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee was founded in 1977 to create a platform for solidarity with the defenders of democratic rights and values during Soviet times. Many of our friends and partners have been targeted for their work and have been killed, beaten up or imprisoned. Belarus and Russia currently hold record numbers of political prisoners. Among them are, to mention but a few, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus and several of his colleagues at the Human Rights Center Viasna; Russian opposition politician and analyst Vladimir Kara-Murza, Memorial's Yuri Dmitriev and Golos' Grigory Melkonyants. We continue to demand their release.
The work of human rights organizations such as the Norwegian Helsinki Committee is needed now more than ever.
Berit Lindeman
Secretary General