Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

In my post of 5 april I referred to the report of a large group of NGOs denouncing thousands of violations of rights of Human Rights Defenders. On 7 April the  Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), reported the establishment of an Office of the Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The first Rapporteur will be Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez. The Office of the Rapporteur has to foster greater support and visibility to the contribution of human rights defenders and justice operators – who are also included in the mandate – in constructing a democratic society. The Observatory welcomed the IACHR decision and expressed the hope that it will contribute to encourage states to take action for guaranteeing the safety of human rights defenders according to international law and through effective measures of prevention, protection, and investigation, in order to improve the conditions in which human rights defenders in Latin America have to carry out their work. For further information, you could contact: in OMCT: Eric Sottas, Andrea Meraz: + 41 22 809 49 39, or in FIDH: Karine Appy, Arthur Manet: + 33 1 43 55 25 18

This entry was posted on April 13, 2011 at 19:15 and is filed under FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, IACHR, OMCT.

Tags: Americas