Annual Report 2023

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is an internationally oriented human rights organization. Much of our work is directed at monitoring and documenting human rights violations outside Norway’s borders, supporting local initiatives in the OSCE region, and carrying out advocacy work through major international institutions and media. This does not mean that we are inactive at home. On the contrary, in 2023, the NHC organized various events in Oslo and other Norwegian cities to promote human rights and democracy. We worked tirelessly to inform decision-makers and stakeholders at home and to ensure that human rights and democracy remain at the centre stage of the political agenda in Norway.

A critical new report by the NHC highlighted issues for national minorities in Norway, which comprise Jews, Kvens/Norwegian Finns, Forest Finns, Roma, and Romani people (‘Tatere’). The report showed that there is a significant problem with hate speech against people who belong to national minorities.

During 2023, the NHC made extended advocacy efforts on budgets, hearings, and legislation in Norway. A key issue was the Norwegian Government’s Nansen Program for Ukraine, where we worked to ensure the inclusion of Ukrainian civil society. Much of our national advocacy work cooperates with local NGOs, especially participants in the Norwegian NGO Forum for Human Rights and academic institutions.

Related to the war in Ukraine, the NHC advocated for Norway to support the establishment of an ad hoc tribunal to try the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over this crime in Ukraine.

NHC, together with ICJ Norway, challenged the government to initiate a process of ratifying the so-called Kampala amendment to the ICC statute, which defines the crime of aggression and provides jurisdictional rules for ICC prosecution. The government announced in April that it was considering ratifying and introducing the crime in the Norwegian Penal Code.

The visa situation, especially for Russian human rights defenders, has been another critical advocacy priority. NHC argued that human rights defenders should be granted a multi-entry Schengen visa.

We frequently organize meetings for visiting partners with Norwegian politicians, committees at the Norwegian Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant government entities.

During the fall, we organized a study visit for ten young human rights activists from Belarus, a country where the democracy movement has been under immense pressure since the mass arrests following fraudulent presidential elections in 2020. The activists had an opportunity to meet with representatives of Norwegian civil society to study best practices and establish new connections. At the same time, the Norwegians were updated on developments surrounding political prisoners in Minsk and other Belarusian cities. We also organized an online solidarity campaign following the sentencing of Ales Bialiatski and other prominent Viasna members.

For the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we organized an art exhibition at the Gallery Albin Upp in Oslo. We hosted an 8 March event with the Afghan Embassy and the Nobel Peace Center devoted to women’s rights in Afghanistan and a hearing with Norwegian political parties on the uprising among women and minorities in Iran. We invited the head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Erik Møse, to our office for a public discussion on accountability for war crimes.

Concerns about authoritarian developments in Georgia led us to organize a panel event with guests from Tbilisi in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute for Foreign Affairs (NUPI). In neighbouring Azerbaijan, authoritarianism is long established, which is why the NHC submitted a thorough shadow report to the November review of the country in the UN Human Rights Council, where Azerbaijan underwent its Universal Periodic Review. In the context of a state of emergency in Armenia, we have advocated for continued support for human rights reform in the country in our meetings with international stakeholders.

The NHC has always been engaged in the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community. This year, we worked hard in support of the introduction of a ban on conversion therapy, which would be a major step forward in securing the rights of vulnerable groups in the community. We also worked with LGBTIQ+ communities abroad, assisting in specific cases where our support was vital to the safety of individuals at risk. We participate in the Pride celebrations in Oslo every year, welcoming international guests and organizing events with different LGBTIQ+ topics. We are also one of the organizers of the Barents Pride in Kirkenes, a central annual meeting point for the Nordic countries and Russia. This is one of the very few cross-border events in current circumstances.

Arendalsuka is an annual event that has become a focal meeting point for politicians, businesses, and civil society in Norway. In 2023, we were the main organizer of two significant events, including “Ukraine: Can Putin be Arrested?” and “Democracy on the Line: Stories from Poland, Hungary and Slovenia”, which were wildly successful. We were involved in a total of nine events in the week.

This year’s Anna Politkovskaya seminar was held at Litteraturhuset and featured Elena Milashina of Novaya Gazeta, who discussed journalism and repressive practices in Russia.