* Sharia'a means “path” or “pathway to be followed” in Arabic. The Shari'a law consists of legal commands recognised as Islamic law. The Islamic law implementation varies based on cultural, customary, historical, and political factors and, all as local interests. Source: Ahmad, Neven & Pinar Tank (2021) Shari’a Law and Women’s Rights. GPS Centre Gender and Mediation Backgrounder. Oslo: PRIO.
Oslo Breathing Space City
Oslo Breathing Space City is a temporary relocation programme with the aim of creating a breathing space for human rights defenders living in stressful or hostile environments. The project running since 2023 is rooted in Norwegian civil society and was initiated by five Norway-based organisations: Amnesty International Norway, Human Rights House Foundation, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Rafto Foundation and The Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF). The NHRF acts as the secretariat. The funding for the project comes from Oslo municipality, Fritt Ord, EUTRP, as well as other donors.
Through this initiative, two human rights defenders from different parts of the world receive the opportunity to come to Oslo each semester for a stay of up to three months. The aim is that this allows them to take a break from their everyday life in stressful and hostile environments, and then return to their home countries with a larger and stronger network, having rested and recovered, and carrying feelings of solidarity and support with them. Breathing Space City is also a tool to educate a wider audience, namely the citizens of Oslo, on human rights work to create solidarity between cities and human rights movements around the world. The programme is tailored to each defender’s needs and wishes and includes elements such as psychosocial support and well-being, enhancing their support network, training in areas of interest, cultural and leisure activities, as well as participation in activities for awareness-raising and advocacy.
Please note that we do not have open calls for applications. In case a call for applications is opened, it will be posted on this website.
Past participants of the programme
Naghma Iqtidar, Pakistan
Spring 2023
“It was great experience both in terms of providing a space to reenergize and rethink and in terms of opportunities of exposure and networking. [...] I got the much-required space for reflection and planning and a lot of learning opportunities. Living 3 months in a different society itself was a learning experience.”
Naghma is a human rights activist from Karachi and currently the General Secretary of the Democratic Youth Front. She has also been General Secretary of the Democratic Students Federation (DSF), a progressive students’ organisation. She works closely with university students and regularly conducts study circles to promote progressive ideas among them. She supports activists and advocates for justice in cases of missing persons in Pakistan. She is part of the Steering Committee of Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network and supports the activities of the network. In addition, she is associated with the women’s movement in Pakistan and is an active member of Pakistan's Women's Working Group and other initiatives.
Intigam Aliyev, Azerbaijan
Spring 2023
"This Program allowed me to relax, recover, meet new interesting people and organizations."
Intigam is a renowned human rights lawyer who has worked for decades to increase respect for human rights and legal principles in his home country of Azerbaijan. He is the author of over a hundred complaints to the European Court of Human Rights and has served for a period as an independent expert for the Council of Europe. Intigam is a principled human rights defender who has been and continues to be a very important mentor and teacher for young lawyers and activists, not only in his home country but in the rest of the region.
Syahrul, Indonesia
Fall 2023
"Oslo is a free and peaceful city, people are caring and helpful. For me, Oslo is the face of a human rights-friendly city."
Syahrul is a human rights defender and lawyer from the Aceh province in Indonesia. He has been the director of Banda Aceh Legal Aid (LBH Banda Aceh) from 2019 to 2024. Syahrul joined the organization in 2014. Since then, he and LBH Banda Aceh have defended marginalised groups from various backgrounds. They include victims and survivors of past atrocities and armed conflicts (1976-2004), political prisoners, and religious minorities who were charged with defamation of religion and social persecution. The organisation also works to defend and protect the LGBTIQ communities, women who suffered from discrimination under the Shari’a Law* and victims of sexual violence and local indigenous communities facing land grabbing and encroachment from large palm oil plantations.
Suren Perera, Sri Lanka
Spring 2024
“This period of closer to three months was the best in my life due to the relaxation, knowledge, experiences, network, and time for self-reflection and planning I had. What a wonderful time!”
Suren is a human rights lawyer working with the Human Rights Office Kandy in Sri Lanka, a long-term grantee partner of the NHRF. He works in the legal team of the organisation, handling cases of victims of rape and torture, families of the disappeared and the family members of prisoners attending to their legal requirements, and others. Suren handles very sensitive cases of gross human rights violations, such as the case of the 2019 Easter attack. He is also a team member for mobile legal clinics, which makes it possible for civil society to be educated on human rights. The Human Rights Office provides holistic assistance to the victims, offering security, legal, and medical assistance and trauma counselling and rehabilitation of the prisoners and the families of the disappeared and all those who are victimised by serious human rights violations.
Stanislava Petlytsia, Ukraine
Autumn 2024
“I would summarize my programme experience as exactly what I needed to take a break from all my usual responsibilities and live my life differently. This space helped me not only to breathe, but to exhale first and realize that I cannot be effective when exhausted.”
Stanislava is an LGBTQI+ and women’s rights activist from Ukraine. She was the coordinator of the community centre "PrideHub '' for LGBTQI+ and friendly people. Moreover, she was a coordinator in the organisation Sphere. Stanislava organises events such as the Kharkiv Pride, the Women's Solidarity Weeks, and exhibitions and performance such the "Women and War" exhibition to raise visibility of women's contributions to the collective struggles. For the last 2 years, Stanislava has been working on projects aimed at countering gender-based violence and the issue of marriage inequality in Ukraine.
Vesna Malešević, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Autumn 2024
“The entire journey was a blend of new experiences and the development of existing knowledge and skills, allowing me to build personal capacities that will assist me in my future work. Besides the programme, which was both fulfilling and tailored to my needs, the stay in Oslo was an experience in itself – exploring the city and observing urban life is something that might happen only once in a lifetime.”
Vesna is a human rights defender from Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She works as a manager in the Association of Independent Creators and Activists “Geto” (Udruženje Nezavisnih Stvaralaca i Aktivista “Geto”), using art and culture as a method of democratisation and defending human rights. Geto has been at the forefront of advocating for LGBTIQ+ rights, women’s rights, and organising events to foster dialogue and understanding on the issue. They believe that using art as a means of communication allows them to reach a broader audience beyond traditional human rights activists. By presenting human rights cases through artistic expression, they aim to create a greater impact and raise awareness among diverse groups of people.
In this video, Syahrul from Indonesia talks in more detail about his experience in the programme.
In this article by Global Citizen, you can read about the career development of Suren from his first encounter with human rights to his participation in the Breathing Space City programme, about how his stay in Oslo helped him to take better care of himself, and much more.