International Human Rights Day is an occasion for many organizations to publish statements on human rights. For those who have not enough time to go through all of them, here a selection of four main statements that focus on human rights defenders:
1. The NGO CIVICUS dedicated Human Rights Day 2015 to those who tirelessly defend human rights:
Earlier this year, CIVICUS reported that core civil society freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly were violated to a significant degree in 96 countries in 2014. From CIVICUS’ reporting over the course of 2015, there has been no let-up in attacks on human rights defenders despite the issue being highlighted by the United Nations in an upcoming resolution to be adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2015 and a clear recognition of ‘public access to information and fundamental freedoms’ and ‘civil society partnerships’ in the Sustainable Development Goals.
In Burundi, we have seen a severe escalation of violence on all actors who oppose President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government. More than 200 people have been killed and 200,000 have fled Burundi. More than 3,000 individuals have been arbitrarily detained and denied fair trials. Targeted extra-judicial killings, torture and arrests have become so common that most human rights defenders and leaders of CSO have had to leave the country.
In Egypt, human rights defenders have faced an increase in public defamation, travel bans and detentions, while several civil society organisations are under official investigation by the authorities. Under the draconian anti-protest and other anti-terrorist laws, many have been sentenced to years in prison due to unfair trials.
In Russia, a law on “undesirable organisations” was brought into force to prevent civil society organisations from operating in the country on national security grounds. Several national civil society groups have been forced to either close down or register as “foreign agents”.
In several parts of Latin America, including Bolivia and Peru, state and private agencies have sought to criminalise protests related to environmental and land rights issues while victimising civil society leaders leading them. In Brazil, several assassinations of activists and journalists engaged on the above issues have been reported.
In China, new legislation was proposed to constrain civil society activities and peaceful dissent. Human rights activists, lawyers and their supporters are facing serious challenges. In India several writers and intellectuals have returned national awards against growing intolerance for dissenting voices, including those of civil society organisations.
In Angola, fifteen youth activists are facing criminal charges for discussing non-violent civil disobedience. There are credible reports of them being tortured in detention while civil society activities in the country have been further controlled and limited through a presidential decree passed in March 2015.
CIVICUS urges the international community to dedicate this human rights day to the protection and promotion of human rights defenders and civil society organisations. No one should be persecuted for standing up for the rights of others.
2. To mark Human Rights Day 2015, Hina Jilani of the Elders argues that a stronger UN means empowered human rights defenders.
..”As we celebrate Human Rights Day in 2015, the 70th anniversary year of the UN, it is an appropriate moment to reflect on the achievements the international community has made in bolstering human rights and protecting the most vulnerable. For me, a key aspect of this is the work of women human rights defenders and the protection they are afforded by the UN and other international bodies.”
“These brave women do essential, risk-laden work to bring communities together and to protect human rights in times of conflict. Having worked for the United Nations as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders for over 8 years, I have seen how the UN can empower and protect human rights and their defenders worldwide. But there is much more to be done. I welcome the most recent resolution on human rights defenders that was adopted by the General Assembly. However, I note with regret that it is for the first time that the resolution was put to a vote and not adopted by consensus as in the past. The fact that Pakistan was one of the fourteen countries that opposed the resolution is deeply worrying for the human rights community in the country.“
Over the past seventy years, the nature of conflict has shifted to “identity” issues rather than questions of contested territory. This makes the work of human rights defenders, especially women, more important than ever. However when promoting these values in times of conflict, women are seen as betrayers of their communities and traditional values, and are often silenced.
In my home country of Pakistan, where identity-based conflicts centred around religion and extremism are prevalent, this is all too common. The issues raised by human rights defenders are cast aside and not important when there is a ‘larger’ battle to fight. I have heard countless times that women “complicate” peace processes. But this complication comes from a desire to ensure that the dimensions of peace with which women are familiar are not left out of any political settlement.
In the 2004 Pakistani parliamentary elections it became compulsory for political parties to fill up seats on a proportional basis specifically for women. This brought great improvements, for women and for human rights in general. The Human Rights Commission report of 2012 found almost all human rights legislation was tabled by women, regardless of what political parties they belonged to.
….Civil society also has a key role to play in ensuring human rights are respected and grassroots voices are heard. …Like within peace processes, civil society voices must be protected and heard by the Security Council to ensure a lasting peace. The Council needs to understand better what is happening on the ground. But it is also morally important, so that those people most affected by conflict have the chance to be heard. We need to work to improve the United Nations so that it fully protects the human rights of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants, not just pays lip service to the lofty words in its charter. Today, on Human Rights Day, we have much to celebrate; the past 70 years have seen great achievements in achieving comprehensive human rights standards for all. Bolstering and strengthening the United Nations will empower human rights defenders on the ground and their ability to uphold these standards for the next 70 years ahead.
While this year brought more than its fair share of human rights abuse stories, it also showcased the innovative and impactful ways that activists and human rights defenders are using media and technology to shed light on injustices and call for change — from cellphone videos exposing horrific police violence in the US, to activists on Twitter demanding accountability for a crippling garbage problem in Beirut, to media collectives in Rio organizing Whatsapp groups to notify favela residents of nearby shootings.
However, with major platforms like Facebook and Twitter constantly changing, and new apps emerging nearly every day, it’s often hard to determine which of these tools and strategies are the best fit for a human rights advocacy campaign or non-profit organization, and it can be difficult to navigate the ethical dilemmas that arise when consuming and sharing social media.
This is followed by a selection of podcasts that treat different problems facing human rights defenders when dealing with issues such as: the ethics of using citizen media in reporting and advocacy, social media campaign strategies, and working with celebrities to increase engagement. Visit audioBoom’s website for the latest clips.
4. Finally, on the eve of Human Rights Day 2015 EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, announced the first ever EU comprehensive Human Rights Defenders Mechanism. The initiative is set to become one of Europe’s key tools to assist human rights defenders at high risk, including in remote areas, running until 2018.
The mechanism counts on a budget of €15 million of EU funds until 2018. This funding is in addition to the continuous support to Human Rights Defenders already provided by the EU, including under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human rights (EIDHR).
Through the new mechanism, the EU will provide human rights supporters at risk with:
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– Short-term support, including physical protection, legal and medical support, trial and prison monitoring, and urgent advocacy and relocation, among other actions;
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– Medium-term support, including monitoring of their situation, early warning of risks, training on risk prevention and security (including digital security), and international, regional and national advocacy.
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– Long-term support including support to national networks, advocacy, lobbying and development of strategies to counter restrictions and sanctions imposed on human rights defenders by states.
The mechanism is managed by a consortium of 12 independent international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have practical experience of working to support human rights defenders at risk. [see https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/international-cooperative-consortium-protect-the-defenders-launched-on-2-december/] The mechanism has worldwide coverage, with a specific focus on remote areas. The concrete initiatives to be supported under the mechanism are decided upon by the NGO consortium, against a number of criteria including identity, situation and needs. The number of Human Rights Defenders and local organisations benefiting from the mechanism is expected to progressively increase in response to developments which adversely affect the human rights situation worldwide.
As set up in the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy (2015-2019), the European Union and its Member States are fully committed to strengthening support for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and to addressing threats to the democratic space for civil society organisations and their supporters worldwide. The establishment and the implementation of the first EU HRDs Mechanism under the EIDHR is a major innovation to achieve these objectives.
The funding for the mechanism comes from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Support to human rights and human rights defenders in situations where they are most at risk is the first objective of the EIDHR Regulation for 2014-2020. For the whole seven-year period, 20-25% of the EIDHR total budget (i.e. €200 – 250 million), will be dedicated to supporting Human Rights Defenders in these situations.
http://theelders.org/article/stronger-un-means-empowered-human-rights-defenders [also in https://www.opendemocracy.net/hina-jilani/we-peoples-how-un-can-help-defend-human-rights]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/witness/international-human-right_b_8761448.html
http://www.europa-nu.nl/id/vjzpgw2t35zg/nieuws/eu_launches_innovative_new_mechanism_to?ctx=vhshnf7snxu9&s0e=vhdubxdwqrzw [but see also http://neurope.eu/article/business-first-human-rights-second/]
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
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