Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group

Description

The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group is one of the oldest and most active human rights organizations in Ukraine, based in Kharkiv. It was established as a legal entity in 1992, though it had worked as a human rights group since 1988. It was the first official human rights organization in the former Soviet Union.

Its mission is to gather information about human rights abuses and pass it to the relevant people, organizations and media. It carries out public investigations of violations, legal education and reviews of draft laws against international standards. It appeals to legislative, executive and judicial bodies on human rights problems and supports public protests, actions and conferences.

It monitors and defends freedom of expression, privacy and the right to a fair trial. It works against torture and cruel treatment and against discrimination. It documents the history of the Soviet-era dissident movement and analyses the human rights situation in Ukraine, including the impact of the Russian invasion.

The group runs a public reception and library, legal aid services, an online library, a hotline to search for missing people and a virtual museum of the Ukrainian dissident movement. It also offers psychological support related to the war. It works with international partners including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.