We work with human rights defenders in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine, to identify systemic abuses and urgent threats to civil society and marginalised communities. Together, we undertake strategic litigation to secure justice and accountability.
We are lawyers and human rights experts.
Our focus
Our work falls under three intersecting themes: Civic Space and Democratic Accountability; Discrimination; and Conflict and Security Force Abuses.
-
1. CIVIC SPACE AND DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY
-
Lawyers, human rights defenders and journalists underpin democratic accountability and are being increasingly targeted for their work.
-
We need to ensure these communities can protect their own rights and the rights of others, as well as challenge disinformation, censorship and unlawful surveillance.
-
2. DISCRIMINATION
-
We work in contexts where there is systemic discrimination against marginalised communities including women and LGBTIQ+ communities, which is exacerbated during periods of conflict and repression.
-
We need to support these communities to challenge these violations and address discriminatory legal frameworks and practices.
-
3. CONFLICT AND SECURITY FORCE ABUSES
-
Conflict-related abuses are the main challenge to the region at the moment.
-
These abuses need to be documented and challenged, to allow victims to access justice and to ensure accountability.
The Enforced Disappearance Legal Database is the first and only resource of its kind for lawyers litigating cases involving enforced disappearance.
With content available in English, Spanish, French and Russian, it includes nearly 200 case summaries, drawn from the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights, UN treaty bodies, and domestic courts. It provides international standards on enforced disappearances as set out in international humanitarian law and international criminal law, and information on international and regional human rights systems.
‘In Limbo’
Since 1994, more than 7,000 people have been disappeared in Chechnya and the neighbouring republics, by those working for the Russian state.
Our new animation, ‘In Limbo’ tells the story of the families of the disappeared and their search for answers.
Our Impact
Over the past twenty years, our work has secured landmark judgments that have improved the lives of our applicants, their communities, countries and – in some cases – people across the entire Council of Europe region.
185
Cases won
94
Case success rate
1198
Applicants represented
Read more about the impact of EHRAC's work
Explore our legal resources
Our legal resources section includes our Legal Guides and Briefing Notes, as well as our library of Rule 9 Submissions and Third Party Interventions.
Explore our legal resources
