New Eastern Europe Magazine

In 1975, the Helsinki Final Act was signed, marking a landmark moment that introduced human rights into the framework of the international legal and political order. Its significance became even clearer in 1976, when initiatives such as the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, the Lithuanian Helsinki Group and the Moscow Helsinki Group were established to monitor the Soviet state’s compliance with its provisions.
These were the first wave of Helsinki monitoring groups, setting a model for later initiatives in other Soviet republics and across Central and Eastern Europe. At the height of the Cold War, these developments affirmed that the treatment of individuals within states was not merely a domestic concern, but a matter of legitimate international interest.
Today, as that very principle comes under strain, this legacy feels more relevant than ever. Major powers are increasingly abandoning decades of multilateralism, reverting instead to a geopolitical logic where might makes right. This shift has many dimensions that cannot be ignored. Among the most consequential is the growing tendency to subordinate human rights to national interests and the securitization of state policy. This trend is not confined to distant powers; it is increasingly visible across Europe as well.
In this issue, we pose a fundamental question: do human rights still matter? Our answer is unequivocal: they do. Yet, we have asked our contributors to examine this question within a broader and more complex context. Can multilateral institutions tasked with promoting human rights endure in the current climate? Where are the most serious violations occurring? And how is the concept of human rights evolving in our region?