Archive for the 'Human Rights Defenders' Category

« Older posts

UN report on SLAPPs: the lawsuits that silence those who speak out

September 24, 2026

A journalist exposes corruption. An Indigenous leader defends their community’s land. An environmental activist raises the alarm on devastating pollution. Then comes a lawsuit. Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are designed to intimidate, exhaust and silence people who speak out on issues that matter to society. On 16 September, UN Human Rights presented a report during the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, examining their impact on human rights.

The report was prepared following a request from the Council in Resolution 56/7 and draws on discussions held during an expert workshop organized on 28 May 2025.

At the expert workshop, a representative of UN Human Rights held that the use of SLAPPs constitutes an abusive instrumentalization of judicial systems. They not only distort the purpose of legal proceedings; they transform courts from instruments of justice into tools of repression.

see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation-slapps/

In their first session of the workshop, centered on the impact of these strategic lawsuits on journalists, journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown spoke from her personal experience. Brown said that she had been the target of multiple strategic lawsuits against public participation, regarding her work on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.

The scandal involved theft and laundering of more than 4.5 billion US dollars from wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad into American financial institutions. The brave reporting led to the conviction of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on money laundering and abuse of power charges in 2022.

Unfortunately, the case also had consequences for the reporters. Two Malaysian business publications were suspended for three months, and two Australian journalists were detained and deported from Malaysia.

She was subject to intimidation by letters which alleged that her reporting amounted to libel, defamation, and an invasion of privacy. In 2017, a lawsuit on her reporting on a Malaysian political party led to lengthy proceedings ultimately depleted her pension and put her family at financial risk. 

Protesters hold placards, banners and shout slogans to protest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 08 August 2015. © EPA/AHMAD YUSNI

Her case is a clear example of the use of SLAPPs to suppress the work of investigative journalists, the tense relationship between litigants and media freedoms, and emphasizes a need for reform. Brown was interviewed by UN Human Rights in May 2024, on her experience reporting on environmental violations and corruptions in Malaysia.

Irene Khan, the former Special Rapporteur on promotion and protection of right to freedom of opinion and expression, said these lawsuits occur frequently because they are a subtle form of repression than overt physical attacks. In many cases, they are effective at silencing dissent and often succeed to bankrupt or deter defendants.

Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, agreed that this is a misuse of the legal system predominantly by large corporations: 474 lawsuits have been initiated by private actors since 2015, and 68 percent involved criminal charges.

Satterthwaite outlined recommendations to put an end to this abuse of legislation: Judges must be trained to identify and discuss these lawsuits properly. Bar associations must develop ethical guidance to sanction lawyers who misuse the legal system. States must enact legislation to counter the use of such lawsuits and decriminalize defamation where appropriate.

The expert workshop also examined ways to counter SLAPPs.

Nikhil Dutta, Senior Legal Advisor at the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law, noted that responses designed to counter such lawsuits had been enacted in numerous jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union.

Other approaches to solve these blatant human rights violations outlined in the expert workshop include enacting protections for public participation through legislation, empowering courts to dismiss abusive proceedings, establishing public funds for defense against SLAPPs, and establishing punitive damages on entities that file these lawsuits.

UN Human Rights has released a briefer on SLAPPs, a comprehensive summary of the report and the impact of these lawsuits on human rights, civic space, and victims. It suggests measures that States should take to tackle SLAPPs, including the decriminalization of defamation; the adoption of anti-SLAPPs laws; the possibility for courts to dismiss SLAPPs early; and the need to compensate victims and penalize abusive claimants.

The message is clear: states and others need to make it easy for people to speak up, to influence decisions that affect them, and to hold state institutions accountable. They must do what is in their power to ensure people do not face legal intimidation for defending human rights.

Freedom of expression and opinion is a precious good critical for protecting all human rights, and the law must not become a weapon to silence those who speak out.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2026/09/lawsuits-silence-those-who-speak-out

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, OHCHR, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Borderline Harassment: Human Rights Defenders in Poland Targeted at the Belarus Border

September 23, 2026

On September 22, 2026 Human Rights First issued a report on harassment of HRDs at this border.

Local Human Rights Defenders working near Poland’s border with Belarus say that Polish authorities continue to target them for providing food, medical care, and legal assistance to migrants and asylum seekers crossing from Belarus.

In August 2026, Human Rights First returned to the border region and spoke with activists. They described searches of their homes, phone seizures, questioning by border guards, online abuse and threats, fading public, political, and media interest, and shrinking funding. Several HRDs remain under criminal investigation or face prosecution. Many said they were exhausted.

Since 2021, Belarus has encouraged and enabled tens of thousands of people to cross its border into Poland, with smaller numbers sent to Latvia and Lithuania, to create political problems for the European Union. Many of those crossing are fleeing conflict and persecution in the Middle East and Africa.

The Polish government has responded to the crisis with harsh measures that violated rights. It introduced an exclusion zone at the border which remains in place and bans non-residents, including journalists and NGO workers, from entering the area. It also stationed soldiers at the border and built a high fence along the frontier. Since March 2025, it has also suspended the right to seek asylum at the Poland-Belarus border. In the wake of various developments, the number of crossings has fallen sharply, but pressure on those who help migrants continues.

Read the Report.

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/library/borderline-harassment-human-rights-defenders-in-poland-targeted-at-the-belarus-border

Posted in HRF, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,

UN rights expert speak out against Moscow’s transnational repression

September 23, 2026

Kasmira Jefford on 23 September 2026 in Geneva Solutions discusses the transnational repression by Russia as exposed in Mariana Katzarova’s report to the UN.

Reporting to the Human Rights Council this week on the Kremlin’s widening crackdown on Russian critics overseas, Mariana Katzarova urged states to create a binding international instrument to put a stop to authoritarian governments reaching across borders.  Since being appointed special rapporteur on Russia by the Human Rights Council in October 2022 – eight months after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – Mariana Katzarova has reported widely on the Kremlin’s expanding efforts to stifle critics and anti-war voices within its borders.

But her latest report took her into new territory. “Today, I report on how Russia is exporting that rule of fear,” she told members gathered in the Palais des Nations’ Assembly Hall on Monday. The country in question was conspicuously absent.

The Bulgarian human rights expert and former journalist described how Vladimir Putin’s government “has become one of the most prolific perpetrators of transnational repression” by building a state-run system to surveil, intimidate and punish any citizens seen to be voicing dissent abroad.

Drawing on more than 400 documented cases, Katzarova noted these were “not a series of isolated incidents”. “It is the continuation, beyond Russia’s borders, of the same structural, state-sponsored system of repression I have documented at home,” she added.

Her report, she claims, is the first UN country-specific report on transnational repression – a concept for which Katzarova said there is still no universal definition but which she describes as a state reaching beyond its borders to silence political or civic opponents.

In August, Russia introduced a new law imposing sweeping financial, property and consular restrictions on Russians living abroad who have pending convictions, including under legislation used to prosecute critics. “My report calls this civic death, de facto statelessness for people who remain on paper citizens,” she added, calling on Moscow to rescind the law.

Russia declined Geneva Solutions’ request to comment. In a statement issued earlier this month, Moscow’s foreign ministry said its stance was unchanged from previous years. “We do not recognise the mandate of this illegitimate special procedure, and any form of interaction with it is unacceptable to us”.

Several journalists and rights defenders targeted by Russia were also present at the Human Rights Council on Monday to share their testimonies – including Natalia Arno, an exiled Buryat human rights defender, who fell ill in 2023 with suspected poisoning symptoms during a conference visit in Prague.

Arno, who lives in the United States where she founded the Free Russia Foundation, recalls finding her hotel room door open and noticing a strange smell inside. She woke up the next day with sharp dental pain and cancelled the rest of her trip. On the flight back, she said her organs started to fail, and she was rushed to the hospital on arrival.

Arno said US authorities investigating the case couldn’t tell her what happened, claiming it was a matter of national security. However, according to the special rapporteur, she was told informally by a military hospital that was analysing her bloodwork that she had been targeted by a new type of Novichok.

The suspected attack was unlike anything she had experienced before. “This was another eye-opening level, because it seemed like surveillance, cyberattacks – they just wanted some information about us. But to physically attack us, it was something new,” Arno said.

She said that more needed to be done at an international level to raise awareness of transnational repression. “This issue should not only be treated as a human rights issue. It’s definitely a national security issue because it’s also an attack on the sovereignty of your country,” she said as she addressed states in the room.

Roman Dobrokhotov, Russian journalist and editor-in-chief of news platform The Insider, was also at the side event. “You don’t see my name here because of security reasons – I can’t announce in advance when I’m flying to a conference, even if it is a UN event.”

The Kremlin has targeted Dobrokhotov following investigations by his media into the government’s role in a string of deadly incidents, including the poisoning of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020. Last year, in a long-running trial in the UK, where the journalist and his family have been residing, a court found six Bulgarians guilty of spying for Moscow in a sophisticated operation that included Dobrokhotov among their targets.

He echoed Arno’s concern that repression of individuals was also a problem of global security, saying the same groups targeting him “were also responsible for a big wave of sabotage operations in many different countries”.

Katzarova said countries, particularly in Europe and the United States, where she had seen many cases of transnational repression, needed to work more closely to combat the problem, especially by vetting international compliance databases like Interpol to prevent politically motivated entries or arrest warrants from being automatically cleared.

The expert called for a UN convention to establish common definitions, host-state responsibility, and frameworks for prevention, accountability, and cooperation.

“I hope this is not just a distant dream, but there is a lot of work to be done by member states to initiate such a new instrument,” she told journalists, adding that the Human Rights Council should be at the forefront of such a movement.

“In the meantime, while we don’t have this convention in place, I am calling on the host states to actually develop on their national level a whole framework set up to tackle transnational repression with a strategy, with involvement of their law enforcement, prosecutors, civil society, in order to identify who the victims are,” she said.

Human Rights Council members will vote at the end of the session on whether to renew her mandate – in a resolution being led by the European Union. Commenting on the report on the human rights situation in Russia, the EU ambassador noted the existence of a systematic mechanism of repression in Russia that operates even beyond the country’s borders to suppress criticism.

“The EU is concerned about the report’s findings, the cases of murders and poisonings, the abuse of legal and administrative procedures, the conduct of digital operations, and the use of Interpol contrary to its intended purpose — all of which are directed against individuals both within Russia and beyond its borders,” the EU representative noted. [https://ua.news/en/world/es-zaklikav-rosiiu-pripiniti-peresliduvannia-gromadian-cherez-interpol]

see also:

Transnational Repression: A Year in Review
Transnational repression: Human Rights Watch and other reports
Human rights defenders increasingly face reprisals through transnational repression – #EndReprisals campaign!

https://genevasolutions.news/human-rights/un-rights-expert-calls-out-moscow-s-intensified-repression-of-opponents-outside-russia

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Open letter by NGOs to forthcoming EU-CELAC ministerial meeting on Security

September 23, 2026

To the leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union,

As you gather in the forthcoming EU-CELAC ministerial meeting, security will be in everyone’s minds: security of your populations; international security in the context of a growing number of armed conflicts around the world; as well as transnational security challenges, such as transnational crime and drug trafficking.

This security framing is not baseless.The deterioration of the security situation in the continent results from the complex interplay of state policies, corporate interests, transnational criminal groups, high levels of corruption and geopolitical dynamics. Latin America and the Caribbean remains one of the most dangerous regions of the world to be a human rights defender. According to data from the HRDMemorial, a global consortium of human rights organisations coordinated by Front Line Defenders dedicated to verify and document killings of human rights defenders, 274 human rights defenders were killed in 2025 in the Americas.

However, the undersigned organisations share the concern that the securitisation of politics and policies, rather than achieving safer societies and lowering levels of violence, is being misused to unduly target human rights defenders and civil society, undermine the rule of law as well as to push through an economic agenda of extractivism without proper consultation and safeguards nor a popular mandate.

The instrumentalisation of counter terrorism and other security legislation is nothing new and has been extensively documented, including against indigenous communities in the Americas and pro Palestine peaceful protesters in Europe. Human rights defenders have long been accused of being part of “extremist” or criminal organisations; and the finances of leading human rights organisations on both regions have been hit with false accusations of money laundering, financing of terrorism, foreign influence or tax evasion, weaponising the international security and financial normative architecture to cripple their legitimate and peaceful human rights work.

From these trends we are seeing a model emerge and grow rapidly across the Americas. This model, perfected and championed in El Salvador by the government of Nayib Bukele, follows a similar pattern: successive states of emergency justified under guise of security for the population, growing militarisation that enables arbitrary arrests, prolonged pretrial detention, violation of fair trial rights, harsh penalties, high-lethality police, deaths in custody, torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearances in what international jurists and experts have concluded may constitute crimes against humanity.

At the last EU-CELAC summit, on 9 November 2025, both sides jointly recognised “the role of civil society organisations and human rights defenders” and committed to combat “transnational organised crime and drug trafficking […] in full compliance with international law”. We note with alarm that the reality on the ground seems to be very different, as a slate of punitive measures and restrictive legislation, including foreign agents laws modelled on Russian legislation, is adopted across the region.

Human rights defenders are targeted and stigmatised as pawns of criminal groups – while boundaries between state institutions, private economic interests and criminal networks are often blurred and go unexamined. In this context, securitisation is not only a response to crime, it is used to facilitate economic interests by enabling governments and private actors to gain access to land, suppress resistance to projects, and concentrate power without transparency or oversight.

Security narratives become a justification for militarisation, restriction or closure of civic space and criminalisation of defenders, silencing them and ultimately clearing the path for extractive and infrastructure projects so they can move forward with little to no opposition. Too often, the international community reads this dynamic as a necessary trade-off between human rights and security and progress, which in turn reinforces the narratives used by these governments to sell this choice to their voters.

Respect for human rights and the rule of law have been jointly and repeatedly endorsed by all participants in successive EU-CELAC summits and other forums. The forthcoming EU-CELAC ministerial meeting thus presents an important opportunity for partners from both sides of the ocean to push back on this narrative of security versus human rights and democracy.

As both sides deepen their cooperation on security and strategic investment, through the Global Gateway and partnerships on critical raw materials and other sectors, all cooperation must be firmly anchored in values that both regions share: rule of law, human rights and respect for international norms and standards. To accept restrictions on civic space and attacks on human rights defenders as necessary for security and economic development is a cold and false trade off that betrays those values.

The leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union must be clear: there can be no sustainable security, responsible value chains and sustainable development goals without human rights and democratic institutions. Human rights defenders and civil society are not enemies, but play a crucial role in their societies, and must be allowed to carry out their legitimate human rights work.

Therefore, the undersigned organisations call on EU-CELAC leaders to issue a joint declaration dedicated to protect civic space and human rights defenders, and the rule of law committing to:

  • End the misuse of anti-terrorism and financial laws against civil society and publicly reject the criminalisation of human rights defenders;
  • ensure the rule of law and human rights safeguards in security and investment frameworks and in region to region cooperation, including under the Global Gateway and in any cooperation on critical raw minerals;
  • Condemn the indiscriminate and prolonged use of states of emergencies,and the creeping militarization of multiple aspects of public life, including military ownership of infrastructure and resources;
  • Develop policies to combat organized crime that are grounded in human rights, address the root causes of socio economic conflicts, and integrate anti-corruption measures;
  • Condemn the adoption of “foreign agent” laws and legal instruments designed to restrict civic space and foreign funding for human rights and non-governmental organisations.

In parallel, we urge you to act for mutual accountability in upholding the international human rights commitments of EU and LAC states by:

  • Maintaining continued international scrutiny for violations in EU-LAC exchanges and in multilateral forums, and promoting relevant structural reforms;
  • Condition cooperation and technical assistance on issues of security and justice on compliance with human rights standards and judicial guarantees;
  • Pro-actively and publicly support human rights organizations, journalists, defenders and families of victims through joint public declarations, robust diplomatic efforts and concrete cooperation; on protection programmes, psychosocial support, legal assistance and sustainable financing;
  • Promote effective legislation and policies for the protection of human rights defenders and ensure adequate funding for their implementation.

Download the Joint Letter

On behalf of the following organizations:

  • ActionAid
  • Amnesty International
  • Asociación Nacional de Centros (ANC) del Perú
  • CELAC – EU Civil Society Working Group
  • Coordinadora de la Mujer
  • Coordinadora de ONGs Española
  • Esquel
  • EU – LAT Network
  • European Network OIDHACO – International Office for Human Rights- Action Colombia
  • International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH
  • Foro para las Relaciones CELAC-UE
  • Front Line Defenders
  • Protection International
  • World Organisation Against Torture – OMCT

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/re-securitization-militarization-and-its-impact-human-rights

Posted in Amnesty international, FIDH, Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,

Netanyahu backs legislation that would strip ‘NAZA’ makers of citizenship – unlikely to succeed

September 22, 2026

Jewish Telegraphic Agency on 18 September reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would advance legislation allowing Israel to revoke the citizenship of people who defame soldiers or the state abroad, citing “NAZA,” the prize-winning documentary accusing the military of knowingly killing large numbers of civilians in Gaza.

But President Isaac Herzog rejected the idea of stripping the filmmakers’ citizenship, telling Channel 12 that it was “completely irrelevant” and had “no chance” of happening. Herzog nevertheless called “NAZA” “a shame and disgrace” and accused those involved in its making of “tarnishing” Israel’s name abroad.  Under current Israeli law, citizenship can be revoked only in narrowly defined cases involving a “breach of loyalty,” such as terrorism, treason or serious espionage, and the process requires court involvement. 

“NAZA,” directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is based on three years of interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli soldiers, most of them intelligence personnel, who describe their roles in surveillance, target selection and strikes in Gaza. The film argues that expected civilian deaths were routinely calculated in advance and, in some cases, accepted as part of the targeting process, allegations the IDF has rejected. 

Lt. Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi, a former military intelligence officer who was involved in issues of civilian warnings and target approval, disputed the film’s interpretation of “NAZA.” The acronym is Hebrew military term for “collateral damage,” or the civilian casualties that are likely to come in attacking a military target. 

Zehavi, who said she had not seen the full film and was responding to its promotional material, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency the estimate of civilian deaths is used in the planning process as a warning about the number of civilians who could be harmed in a strike.

….Channel 12 also reported that Israeli diplomats believed the Prime Minister’s Office was “fueling the internal debate around the film for political reasons and as part of an election campaign,” arguing that the government’s attacks were working against Israel’s interests abroad. 

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel also criticized the proposed measures, saying the government was entitled to challenge the film’s claims but using state power to threaten its creators or sources was “illegitimate and violated freedom of expression and freedom of the press.” The Committee to Protect Journalists called the citizenship proposal a “dangerous escalation” in efforts to intimidate journalists and filmmakers. 

More than 2,000 Israeli film professionals signed a petition supporting Abraham and Szor, warning that the campaign against them was nearing the legitimization of violence. Forty-three Israeli human rights, equality and peace organizations — including B’Tselem, Peace Now, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Breaking the Silence — also urged authorities to avoid prosecuting the filmmakers or their sources. Prominent international filmmakers and festival leaders joined their defense.

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

24 September 2026 in Geneva: panel on the role of women human rights defenders and environment

September 21, 2026

This event brings together women human rights defenders who live at the intersections of gender, climate and conflict and whose stories show that these issues need to be tackled in a coordinated, holistic way. On 24 September 2026; 1:00PM – 2:00PM CEST. Address: Room XI, Palais des Nations.

The climate crisis and conflicts are often addressed as separate global issues, however, these crises are deeply interconnected, as both are driven by the same extractive and political dynamics. Climate change compounds existing social and economic inequalities, including gender inequalities, intensifying pressures on natural resources and communities, and contributing to displacement, poverty and insecurity. At the same time, conflicts can destroy ecosystems and livelihoods, and leave communities less able to endure climate change impacts. Human rights defenders often work in contexts where environmental degradation, resource extraction, land dispossession and violence are deeply intertwined, shaped by political and economic interests that determine who controls resources, who benefits from their exploitation, and who bears the costs. In these contexts, violence and conflict become tools for maintaining unequal systems of power and access to land and natural resources, placing those who challenge them at particular risk.

Despite the accumulated risks, women defenders continue to organise and protect their communities and the environment in the face of extreme violence, war and State and non-State armed groups. 

On the occasion of the WHRD Advocacy Week organised by ISHR and partners, women human rights defenders whose stories embody these struggles – from defending the rights of fisherwomen in West Papua, to protecting the rivers of Serbia, or the wetlands in Mexico – have gathered in Geneva. These women live at the intersections of gender, climate and conflict and show us they cannot be tackled separately. [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2026/09/21/from-21-to-25-september-women-human-rights-advocacy-week-in-geneva/]

With more armed conflicts raging worldwide than ever, and the climate crisis churning out natural disasters and extreme weather events with increasing frequency, learning the lessons from the work of these women human rights defenders has never been more urgent.

Speakers:

  • Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
  • Women human rights defenders from Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific

Moderation: International Service for Human Rights

Interpretation in English, French and Spanish.

This event is co-organised by Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), WHRD Middle East and North Africa Coalition (WHRD MENA Coalition), Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC), Peace Brigades International (PBI), the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism (UAF), and Asia Pacific Forum on Women (APWLD).

https://ishr.ch/events/gender-conflict-and-environmental-justice-the-role-of-women-human-rights-defenders

Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

From 21 to 25 September Women Human Rights Advocacy Week in Geneva

September 21, 2026

Women Human Right Defenders (WHRDs) from around the world will be gathering in Geneva from 21 to 25 September, to learn about the UN Human Rights Council, advocate for their rights and amplify their own stories.

The week-long training, known as the Women Human Rights Advocacy Week, is co-organized by nine human rights organizations including Amnesty International (see below for full list). It is aimed at providing participants with practical tools to understand the Human Rights Council, while offering guidance on how to engage with it strategically and advocate for change in their communities.

“The women attending are risking their lives every day to protect their communities from climate change, greedy corporations and land theft,” said Lisa Maracani, Amnesty International’s researcher on human rights defenders. “Their knowledge is crucial to ensuring bodies such as the Human Rights Council remain effective, while the WHRD Advocacy Week is designed to provide these women with the tools and strategies to advance their advocacy on this global stage.”

The women attending [this meeting] are risking their lives every day to protect their communities from climate change, greedy corporations and land theft.Lisa Maracani, Amnesty International’s researcher on human rights defenders

Participants attending are WHRDs working at the nexus of gender, climate and conflict, and includes activists protecting the environment, the rights of women migrant workers, Indigenous land rights, as well as the rights of communities impacted by businesses activities.

The training aims to facilitate participation for activists who face multiple barriers to accessing the UN, to equip participants with a broad knowledge of the human rights system, to foster networks among them as well as between them and human rights experts, and to amplify their voices and calls for international accountability.

Participants will be able to speak before the Human Rights Council, and meet with, lobby and inform UN officials, diplomats and Council-mandated independent experts. Several participating defenders will also speak at a public event at the UN headquarters on Thursday 24 September alongside the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

“The UN human rights system must be open to and informed by those who have most to contribute to it: human rights defenders,” said Fabiana Leibl, programme manager for the International Service for Human Rights. “With this training, we seek to make sure the perspectives of women human rights defenders are effectively represented at the Human Rights Council’s and across its key mechanisms.”

This event has been organized by: Amnesty International, Asia Pacific Forum on Women (APWLD), Front Line Defenders Rights, International Service for Human (ISHR), Peace Brigade International (PBI), The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC), WHRD Middle East and North Africa Coalition (WHRD MENA Coalition), Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism (UAF).

https://www.tolerance.ca/ArticleExt.aspx?ID=611397&L=en

https://ishr.ch/events/gender-conflict-and-environmental-justice-the-role-of-women-human-rights-defenders

https://www.oikoumene.org/events/womens-human-rights-advocacy-training-will-help-hone-strategies

Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR | 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

New Global Witness figures: At least 124 land and environmental defenders killed globally in 2025

September 21, 2026
  • New Global Witness figures bring the total killed and disappeared since 2012 to 2,375
  • Just two South American countries – Colombia and Brazil – accounted for 52% of the 2025 killings
  • In Asia, defenders are facing a rising tide of criminalisation and intimidation
  • Globally, more than three quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant peoples. Indigenous Peoples accounted for 44 of the killings documented in 2025.
  • Land disputes triggered more than half of the killings documented in 2025

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, bringing the total documented killings and disappearances since 2012 to 2,375, reveals a new report by Global Witness published on 16 September 2026

Of all killings documented in 2025, 85% took place in Latin America, which has ranked as the world’s deadliest region for environmental defenders every year since Global Witness began publishing its annual report in 2012. Globally, more than three-quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant Peoples. Killings took place across Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Colombia, for the fourth consecutive year, was the world’s deadliest documented country for defenders, with 39 killings, nearly half of whom were Indigenous. The second deadliest was Brazil, where 26 defenders were killed in 2025, more than double the figure from the year before. Other deadly countries included Honduras and the Philippines, which each had 12 documented killings, followed by Mexico with 10 killings and Guatemala with eight.

Land disputes were associated with more than half of the killings documented in 2025. Extractive and commercial interests also continued to feature in attacks against defenders: Mining and extractive industries were linked to 11 killings, logging interests to eight and agribusiness to six. Globally, more than one third of killings were linked to organised crime or hitmen. Actors linked to organised crime were identified as perpetrators in cases across multiple countries.

While documented killings were lower in Asia, the report highlights the widespread criminalisation and intimidation of defenders across the continent. Such criminal allegations, which are often amplified via smear campaigns on social media, aim to discredit environmental defenders, casting them as criminals and instigators rather than a frontline defence.

Communities and collective protection

Across regions, Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers were highly targeted. Global Witness documented the killing of 44 Indigenous people in 2025, including seven Indigenous Guards.

The report documents how communities across multiple countries use collective protection mechanisms as part of their long-standing defence of their territories, rights and livelihoods. This includes territorial patrols, early warning systems, community monitoring networks and community capacity building, which are supported by rich cultural and often spiritual practices.

Collective protection recognises that land and environmental defenders are rarely targeted as isolated individuals, and challenges the limitations of an individual and reactive protection approach, as collective protection is mostly preventive and life-affirming.

A harsh global climate

The global policy environment for the protection of human rights and those who defend them was seriously weakened in 2025, as the world saw an increase in authoritarian practices, violent conflict and unregulated corporate power, alongside a crisis in funding for human rights.

The report states that the unprecedented fall in foreign aid seen in 2025 – driven by budget cuts by the governments of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other traditional donors – impacted thousands of human rights organisations, drastically reducing the global pool of support to communities acting in the depths of rainforests and other secluded ecosystems.”

CF https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/09/18/global-witness-2023-2024-annual-report-violent-erasure-of-land-and-environmental-defenders/

https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/at-least-124-land-and-environmental-defenders-killed-globally-in-2025

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/16/nature-land-defenders-self-defence-murder-organised-crime

At Least 124 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed in 2025, Mostly in Latin America: Report

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/09/16/latam-environmental-defensers-killed-worldwide/8411789575699

https://www.globalissues.org/news/2026/09/16/44059

https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/latin-america-deadliest-region-for-defenders-in-2025

Posted in books, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NGOs call on China to ensure Sophia Huang Xueqin’s release

September 17, 2026

Credit: Women’s Media Centre

On 15 September 2026 several NGOs issued a joint Statement on this case:

Journalist and #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin is due to be released on 18 September after serving an unjust five-year prison sentence. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, together with other organisations, call on the Chinese authorities to ensure her immediate release and guarantee that, once released, she can carry out her journalism and human rights work without surveillance, harassment, retaliation or other restrictions.

Sophia Huang Xueqin is widely recognised for her work on human rights and commitment to press freedom. She is a journalist and one of the most prominent figures associated with China’s #MeToo movement. For years, she reported on and advocated for gender equality and supported survivors of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

In September 2021, Sophia was preparing to start graduate studies in the UK. However, she and a friend, human and labour rights activist Wang Jianbing, were arrested in Guangzhou, China on 19 September, and detained incommunicado for more than five months. While in detention, both Sophia and Jianbing were reportedly subjected to ill-treatment, with negative impacts on their health.

During their trial in September 2023, the prosecution focused on their role in co-organising weekly gatherings with fellow activists, as well as their participation in an online course on non-violence and online posts they had published or shared on issues deemed “sensitive” by the Chinese government.

Their convictions in June 2024 for “inciting subversion of state power” were based solely on the permissible exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of the press and expression as well as association. Their case is emblematic of the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on journalists, human rights defenders, feminist activists and civil society voices calling for social justice and respect for human rights.

Wang, who was sentenced to three and a half years, was released in March 2025.

While Sophia Huang Xueqin is expected to be released on 18 September, we are concerned that she will face restrictions after leaving prison. She was subject to a “supplemental sentence” of four years’ deprivation of political rights, a punishment that is routinely imposed on human rights defenders and journalists to restrict their ability to speak, publish and organise long after their prison terms end. The legal provisions permitting this punishment are incompatible with international human rights standards, not to mention the fact that no one should be punished simply for exercising their human rights.

We call on the Chinese authorities to:

 Ensure Sophia Huang Xueqin is released immediately and is not subjected to any further arbitrary detention and allowed to move freely;
 Guarantee her rights to freedom of expression, press, association and peaceful assembly, alongside her right to participate in public life, including her ability to communicate freely with family, friends, supporters and civil society groups;
 Ensure she is not subjected to surveillance, harassment, intimidation, retaliation or restrictions on her movement and communications; and
 Amend domestic laws, notably the Criminal Law, to ensure their compliance with international law and standards, and prevent the misuse of legal provisions to restrict the rights of human rights defenders and others.

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/china/china-ensure-sophia-huang-xueqin-s-release-and-guarantee-her-freedom

https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/china-ngos-call-for-sophia-huang-xueqins-release-and-full-freedom

Posted in FIDH, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR, Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ibrahim, Egyptian Human Rights Defender, on the ‘Faces of Hope Campaign’ of OMCT

September 12, 2026
Screenshot 2026 09 09 at 10 42 11

The Faces of Hope campaign, launched by OMCT, aims to shine a light on the stories of human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained around the world. Faces of Hope has helped secure the release of several defenders, including Ibrahim, an Egyptian human rights defender who shares his story with us and continues to inspire hope and resilience among those who fight for human rights every day despite repression and isolation. In this interview, Ibrahim reflects on his experience in detention, the crucial role of public campaigns, and the importance of continuing to speak out, even when everything seems designed to enforce silence.

What does the Faces of Hope campaign mean to you?

Faces of Hope represents hope, sharing, and remembrance. Hope, because it gave me strength again after prison. Sharing, because it allows us to tell the stories of our hardships and our victories. And remembrance, because it reminds us that no one is forgotten. It is something deeply human.

Why are public campaigns like this so important?

When I was in prison, I often wondered whether my case had been forgotten. Knowing that people outside are speaking about you is vital. Campaigns like Faces of Hope tell prisoners, “You are not alone.” They break the silence and remind you that someone is working for your freedom.

What does the OMCT and partners’ SOS-Defenders platform contribute?

A voice. That is what prisoners need most. SOS-Defenders makes it possible to tell the stories that dictatorships want to hide. Like Faces of Hope, it keeps hope alive and ensures that people continue to speak out.

How did your detention change your commitment?

Torture broke me physically, but it strengthened my determination. I knew that once I was released, I had to keep going. The government wants us to be afraid; I chose instead to speak out even more loudly, especially on behalf of those who are still behind bars.

Why are there so many arbitrary arrests in Egypt?

The laws are at the heart of the problem. They allow anyone to be arrested without legitimate grounds. I myself was the victim of an enforced disappearance for six months, without a single charge ever being brought against me. These laws are used to silence people, not to protect them.

How can this be brought to an end?

By maintaining pressure. We must keep speaking out and exposing these abuses, just as Faces of Hope does. And the international community must put pressure on regimes that violate human rights. Respect for human rights cannot be negotiated.

Your message to the international community?

Do not forget Egypt’s prisoners. Keep speaking about them and refuse to compromise. Every word matters. Thanks to campaigns like Faces of Hope, we keep the light on in the darkest places.

https://www.omct.org/en/resources/blog/to-keep-speaking-is-to-resist-ibrahim-egyptian-human-rights-defender-on-the-faces-of-hope-campaign

Posted in films, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,

« Older posts