Centre for Human Rights - People in Need

14/05/2026

Civil society in Tunisia endures yet another blow from the increasingly repressive state. This time, the 'suspension strategy' targeted Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF), an important civil society organisation that faces the same ordeal as many others. We share the statement from ASF below, and we stand firm in support of civil society in Tunisia.

The suspension of the activities of Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) in Tunisia for 30 days constitutes an extremely worrying signal regarding the state of freedom of association and civic space in the country.

21/04/2026

🎬✊ One World in Brussels is underway! Check the festival’s website for the full schedule!

25/03/2026

⚠️ This is a dangerous inspiration drawn from Russia, opening the door to anti-democratic narratives, writes our director Nadiia Ivanova about the proposed Czech law on foreign funding of NGOs in her commentary for EUObserver.

🇨🇿 While the Czech government is cautiously distancing itself from a parliamentary proposal that sought to label all recipients of foreign funding as entities with foreign ties and subject them to repressive measures, a law on the “transparency of foreign funding” is, according to Prime Minister Babiš, still set to move forward.

🚨 As Nadiia Ivanova warns: “The prime minister suggested that ministries should determine which organisations they ‘do not need’, a framing that opens the door to the government targeting organisations it deems undesirable.” ⬇️

The initiative aims to give the government power to arbitrarily persecute anyone, including universities, activists, media, NGOs and others. Those who opt not to register would face fines of up to €600,000.

25/03/2026

Recently, Nadiia Ivanova, Director of our Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, spoke with POLITICO on the dangers of the proposal to introduce Russian-style ‘foreign agent’ laws in the Czech Republic.

💬“When laws of this kind are drafted so broadly … the extreme vagueness of those legislative terms always means they want to create a tool that they can, but don’t have to, use against whoever they want,”

As we have seen, where such legislation has been enacted, the consequences for civil society (and wider society as a whole) have been dire.
Read more⬇️

11/03/2026

📽️We are excited to invite you to the Czech premiere of the Taiwanese feature film "Yen and Ai-Lee", screening as part of the Jeden svět / One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival right here in Prague! 🇨🇿

Eight years ago, Yen killed her father to save her mother from abuse. Now released from prison, she returns to a home that feels foreign, a mother who hasn’t changed, and a younger brother she never knew existed. Shot in beautiful, atmospheric black-and-white, director Tom Shu-Yu Lin delivers a powerful look at the scars left by domestic violence and the struggle to find a future when the past refuses to let go.

Where to see it in Prague:

🗓️ March 12 | 20:30 – Municipal Library (Small Hall) Includes a discussion with director Tom Shu-Yu Lin! 🗓️ March 13 | 17:00 – Edison Filmhub Includes a discussion with director Tom Shu-Yu Lin!
The film is presented in Mandarin with English and Czech subtitles. 🌍

🔗 Find more details and book your tickets here: https://www.oneworld.cz/films/58379-yen-and-ai-lee

10/03/2026

[Must-Watch at One World Festival 202!6] 🌍🎥

We are honored to highlight Mailin, a deeply moving documentary screening as part of the Jeden svět / One World International Human Rights Film Festival right here in .

Mailin is an intimate portrait of a woman’s resilience. After surviving childhood abuse by a local priest, Mailin spends seven years working with director María Silvia Esteve to document her fight for justice and her journey to heal.

By blending family archives with poetic imagery, the film explores how motherhood can become a sanctuary and a way to break the cycle of pain. It is a story about the courage it takes to speak the unspoken for the sake of the next generation.

Don't miss the screenings in Prague: ✨ Thursday, March 12 | 18:00 | BIO | OKO – This screening includes a live discussion with director María Silvia Esteve! ✨ Sunday, March 15 | 20:00 | KOMORNÍ KINO EVALD
Join us at One World to support documentary cinema that changes the way we see the world.
👉 Get your tickets here: https://www.oneworld.cz/films/59396-mailin

08/01/2026

🇻🇪 Repression in Venezuela continues despite changes in leadership, and the situation on the ground is still unrpedictable.

🚨Read our statement to understand why sustained international attention and support remain crucial.

We have not observed any change in the human rights situation in Venezuela following the U.S. attack and the abduction of the presidential couple.

08/01/2026

We continue to closely monitor the human rights situation in Venezuela following the arrest of president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by the United States. The assistance we have been providing for more than 10 years is as needed as ever.

16/12/2025

🏆 It is extremely important that this year the EU’s was awarded to imprisoned journalists: Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia.

🤝 We are grateful for the opportunity to speak on this occasion in the Kancelář Evropského parlamentu centre in Prague about how we support relocated activists, journalists, and human rights defenders in their ongoing struggle for a democratic Belarus.

🗣️ We cannot afford to stop speaking out about journalists who are persecuted for their work. Pressure on authoritarians can work, and we must keep it up.

25/11/2025

🌍 Up to two-thirds of women elected in local
governments worldwide face violence simply
because of their gender & position in office.
From offensive remarks, exclusion from meetings,
to denial of resources, they endure constant
challenges. There is .

24/11/2025

🇹🇳 We are deeply concerned by the suspension of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)’s activities in Tunisia. It is another sign of increasing pressure on civil society in the coutnry.

🛡️ OMCT provides essential legal, psychological, social, and medical support to victims of torture, making its work indispensable for the protection of human rights in Tunisia.

🤝 We stand in full solidarity with OMCT and urge the Tunisian authorities to lift the suspension immediately and allow the organisation to continue its vital work without interference.

In the last four months, at least 14 Tunisian and international NGOs have been issued court orders forcing them to suspend their operations for 30 days.