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FIDH seeks Representative to EU office in Brussels

January 30, 2026

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) office in Brussels represents FIDH before the institutions of the European Union (Council, Commission, European Parliament, and other associated bodies), as well as to the representations of its member states. It ensures the visibility of FIDH’s actions and those of its member organisations to the European Union and develops advocacy strategies to effectively mobilise the EU on human rights issues worldwide, while identifying ways to strengthen its lever.

FIDH is recruiting a : REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION IN BRUSSELS – FULL-TIME PERMANENT CONTRACT

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the responsibility of the Advocacy Director based in Paris, your main responsibilities will be :

A / Define EU advocacy strategies in consultation with internal stakeholders, to support the implementation and strengthening of EU human rights policies, including :

Supporting FIDH member organisations and the FIDH Operations Directorate teams in defining and guiding FIDH recommendations targeting EU institutions;
Developing advocacy directions, the annual activity program, and implementing specific action programs led by FIDH offices, in coordination with the Operations Directorate and member organizations, and monitoring their progress;
Analysing the effectiveness and impact of EU human rights policies and proposing ways to strengthen them;
Developing the delegation’s communication strategy towards the EU, in collaboration with the Communications Directorate.

B / Implement the delegation’s activities:

Coordinate and supervise the participation of FIDH member NGOs or partners in various EU institutions;
Coordinate and supervise the provision of information to EU institutions based on inputs from FIDH, its members, and partners;
Represent FIDH before EU institutions, member state representations, and other stakeholders (funders, NGOs, media), ensuring strong relationships;
Oversee the strategy for promoting FIDH’s activities to the public;
Ensure reporting and evaluation of delegation activities, including advocacy actions and other reporting requirements (internal monthly and annual reports, narrative reports for other funders).

C / Foster and strengthen interaction with internal and external actors, ensuring quality support for FIDH member organisations during interfaces, sharing information on delegation strategies and activities, and developing partnerships with other NGOs.

D / Manage a team (currently one staff member + one intern).

E / Oversee the delegation’s day-to-day logistical and administrative management, with the support of delegation staff.

SKILLS REQUIRED

Education & Experience:

Master’s degree in law, political science, or international relations, with at least 5 years of professional experience in a similar role, including 3 years in human rights advocacy;
Excellent knowledge of EU human rights policies, allowing you to identify and mobilise the most effective levers to achieve concrete results;
Strong understanding of international human rights standards and mechanisms.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT :

Full-time permanent contract – 39 hours/week
Based in Brussels – FIDH recognises the importance of flexible working arrangements for work-life balance and offers remote work options after the probationary period.
Salary: €57,000 gross per year
FIDH contribution to health insurance: €80/month; public transport subscription reimbursement in Brussels; meal vouchers of €8/meal (employee contribution: €1.09)
Leave and RTT: 25 days of paid leave per year, 24 compensatory rest days per year

Position to be filled : As soon as possible

How to apply

Send your CV AND cover letter to recrutement@fidh.org quoting reference DOIG-UE-0126 in the subject line no later than Friday, February 6, 2026.

Interviews will take place as applications are received.

FIDH reserves the right to close the recruitment process before the deadline for applications.

https://reliefweb.int/job/4196203/representative-european-union-brussels-full-time-permanent-contract

Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Brussels, career, EU, european region, FIDH, Human Rights Defenders, job opportunity, vacancy

NGOs such as the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Human Rights Watch declared “undesirable” by the Russia

January 18, 2026

Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

At the end of 2025 the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), one of the world’s oldest human rights movements and Human Rights Watch were declared “undesirable” by the Russian Federation. For FIDH the designation was made by the Prosecutor General of Russia on 13 November, and on 1 December, Russia’s Ministry of Justice included FIDH in its register of “undesirable organizations“, which currently contains 281 entities, including several FIDH members, such as the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC), the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), and Truth Hounds.

“This ignoble move not only further threatens and endangers our Russian members, partners, their staff, and ordinary Russian citizens supporting our human rights work. It also sends a clear message that Russia is no friend of the global human rights movement“, said Alexis Deswaef, FIDH President. “This designation of FIDH as an ‘undesirable organisation’ demonstrates the importance of our commitment to supporting those who defend human rights, whether in Russia or in exile. FIDH will continue to pursue this commitment more than ever.”

Under the “undesirable organisations” law, adopted in 2015 and further tightened in 2021 and 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office has the power to declare as “undesirable” any foreign or international organisation that is deemed “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defense capability of the country or the security of the state“.

Concretely, “undesirable organisations” are banned from engaging in any activities inside Russia, including the publication or dissemination of any information, carrying out financial transactions, and providing financial or other assistance to local organisations and individuals. The “participation in the activities” of an “undesirable organisation” is subject to administrative and criminal liability, including up to four years of imprisonment. Any Russian citizen or organisation cooperating with an “undesirable organisation“, even if residing outside Russia, faces administrative penalties and, in the case of individuals, criminal liability. In practice, the vague wording of the law has led to the punishment of individuals simply for reposting information disseminated by an “undesirable organisation” on social media platforms, even if the original posts predated the organisation’s designation as “undesirable“.

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/europe-central-asia/russia/russia-bans-the-oldest-worldwide-human-rights-movement

“For over three decades, Human Rights Watch’s work on post-Soviet Russia has pressed the government to uphold human rights and freedoms,” said Philippe Bolopion, executive director at Human Rights Watch. “Our work hasn’t changed, but what’s changed, dramatically, is the government’s full-throttled embrace of dictatorial policies, its staggering rise in repression, and the scope of the war crimes its forces are committing in Ukraine.”

The Prosecutor General’s Office made the decision to ban Human Rights Watch on November 10, as follows from the Ministry of Justice’s register of “undesirable” organizations updated today. The official reasons for the designation are not known.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/28/russia-government-designates-human-rights-watch-undesirable

and https://ilga.org/news/russia-ilga-world-undesirable/

Posted in FIDH, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: freedom a, freedom of association, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, ILGA, International Federation for Human Rights, law on undesirable organisations, LGBTI, NGOs, Russia

Many NGOs raise alarm over situation of detained human rights defenders in Iran and urge UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session

January 16, 2026

As mass repression of protests and dissent dramatically intensifies in Iran amidst an almost complete communications shutdown, the Free Narges Coalition and more than 30 undersigned organisations (including FIDH and OMCT in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Humans Rights Defenders) called on 15 January 2026 for urgent and concrete actions to circumvent internet censorship, as well as raising alarm regarding the grave threats to existing and newly-arrested detainees, particularly those jailed for their human rights work, journalism, expression, activism, or peaceful assembly.

Iran is facing one of the most severe periods of repression in its recent history. Protests that began in Tehran’s Grand Bazar on December 28 against the collapse of the national currency grew in size and scope until authorities completely turned off Iran’s internet access to the outside world and began a more severe crackdown on January 8. Shocking images of dead protesters, doctors’ reports of overflowing hospitals and the lethal use of military-grade weapons and live ammunition, and the absence of access for journalists and independent media, have led to desperation of families missing loved ones, as well as grave concerns around the safety of thousands of those injured or detained. Human rights organisations and international media have been able to verify the killing of over 2,500 protesters, including children under the age of 18, and thousands injured, some severely while almost twenty thousand confirmed arrested. With the majority of the killings occurring since 8 January, amid a full-blown digital blackout that has made further verification impossible, current reports estimate the number of killings to be much higher, likely amounting to more than 6,000.

Meanwhile, in official statements, Tehran’s Prosecutor General has described protesters as vandals and threatened they will face moharebe (waging war against God), a charge that is punishable by death under Islamic Penal law. State media have also reported mass arrests of individuals they label as “rioters.”

According to NetBlocks, Iran has now experienced more than 140 hours of near-total internet shutdown since January 8. Such communications blackouts severely restrict access to independent reporting and sharing of essential and life-saving information, and create conditions in which grave human rights violations can be committed with impunity. Prior to the shutdown, human rights defenders and known dissidents both inside and outside of Iran had reported receiving threats, as authorities have attempted to suppress expressions of support for the protests online.

In this context, both recent and long-standing detainees–including human rights defenders, journalists, writers, and artists–face an acute and often overlooked risk. Past patterns in Iran demonstrate that periods of widespread unrest are accompanied by heightened abuses inside detention facilities, where these groups are particularly vulnerable to extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment. Those held in solitary confinement and denied contact with the outside world are at especially high risk.

Among those recently detained are prominent figures from Iran’s civil society, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Javad Alikordi, Hasti Amiri, Pooran Nazemi, and other human rights defenders and journalists. They were violently arrested following the memorial ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi on 12 December in Mashhad, and have been held in solitary confinement, their whereabouts and condition unknown, for more than one month. Narges Mohammadi has been denied access to legal counsel and contact with her family, apart from a brief phone call on 14 December when she reported severe ill-treatment, including beatings to her head and neck with batons, as well as threats of further violence. On January 6, before the total internet shutdown, journalist and human rights defender Alieh Motalebzadeh, who has been diagnosed with cancer, was able to call her family. Her daughter reported in a video message that she did not sound well, stating that the detainees are under severe pressure. She was released on bail following deterioration of her health on 12 January. The health condition of Pouran Nazemi is reported to be dire while she remains detained. Narges Mohammadi has been hospitalized for three days after her violent arrest and arbitrary detention since 12 December. Due to the ongoing communications blackout, the families and lawyers have not been able to be in contact with them, including to inquire if their 30 day arbitrary detention order has been extended or not.

We, the undersigned organisations, express our deep concern over the escalation of the killing of protesters, as well as the serious risk of arbitrary legal charges, punishable by the death penalty, against those detained. We stress that the lives and safety of those more vulnerable under detention in Iran must not be forgotten. Human rights defenders, journalists, writers, artists, and those prosecuted due their exercise of freedom of assembly and expression are at the forefront of the peaceful struggle for fundamental human rights. They must be protected and immediately and unconditionally released, and we call for immediate actions from the international community to halt the escalating violations of human rights and humanity.

As reports of mass arrests, killings, and widespread violence continue to escalate, we stand in full solidarity with the people of Iran in their legitimate struggle for fundamental freedoms and democratic rights. We urge the international community to take urgent and concrete actions to prevent further loss of life and to ensure that Iran uphold its international human rights obligations, including through:

Immediate and unconditional release of all those jailed in Iran for their peaceful activism or expression, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, as well as human rights and women’s rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, lawyers, writers, artists, representatives of religious and ethnic minorities, environmental and labour defenders, students, and all others detained or at risk for exercising their fundamental rights.

Immediate restoration of full and unrestricted access to internet and telecommunications services, and an end to nationwide information blackouts that censor news reporting, facilitate repression, block the transmission of essential and life-saving communications including for medical personnel, and impede documentation of human rights violations.

Independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into killings, torture, lethal use of force by security agents, enforced disappearances, and other serious human rights violations committed in the context of the ongoing protests, with a view to ensuring accountability in line with international law.

As every hour of inaction increases the risk of irreversible loss of human life and gross violations of human rights. The international community must act urgently to protect the detainees, ensure their safety and rights, and prevent further violations under international law.

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/iran/iran-over-30-ngos-raise-alarm-over-dire-situation-for-detained-human

50 civil society organizations, urge the UN Human Rights Council to urgently convene a special session to address an unprecedented escalation in mass unlawful killings of protesters, amidst an ongoing internet shutdown imposed since 8 January to conceal grave human rights violations and crimes under international law by Iranian authorities. see:

https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/iran-calling-the-human-rights-council-to-convene-a-special-session

https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-joint-civil-society-call-for-a-hrc-special-session/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/01/16/joint-statement-to-member-states-of-the-united-nations-human-rights-council

Posted in FIDH, HRW, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR, Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alieh Motalebzadeh, death penalty, demonstrations, history, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Iran, ISHR, joint statement, Narges Mohammadi, news, NGOs, politics, Pouran Nazemi, special session, UN Human Rights Council

Ales Bialiatski free but more human rights defenders must be released in Belarus

December 16, 2025

Belarus: All arbitrarily detained human rights defenders must be released - Civic Space

On 13 December, Belarus dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenko released over 100 political prisoners following an agreement with the United States to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash. Among the released are prominent human rights defenders and Viasna members Ales Bialiatski [Nobel Peace prize and 10 others: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/72682FFF-628F-4A5D-B6B3-52A776FF0E47] and Uladzimir Labkovich, as well as key opposition figures, such as Maryia Kalesnikava [see https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/beff3c8d-0e20-4e88-9efb-cdfcb4c26f40], Viktar Babaryka and lawyer Maksim Znak [https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/cbaf0097-1062-4a82-98ea-f5221f53c3fd]. This positive development, however, constitutes a necessary but insufficient step, as all arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, including former FIDH Vice President and Viasna colleague Valiantsin Stefanovic, Viasna team member Marfa Rabkova [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/12/10/10-december-2024-human-rights-day/], and woman human rights defender Nasta Loika [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/08/12/harsh-detention-conditions-of-nasta-loika-in-belarus/]must be released now.

The undersigned organisations recall that Ales Bialiatski, and Uladzimir Labkovich were arbitrarily detained on 14 July 2021, prosecuted, and sentenced to 10 and 7 years in prison respectively on 3 March 2023 in retaliation for their legitimate and peaceful human rights activities. Their imprisonment constituted a grave violation of Belarus’ international human rights obligations, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and fair trial.

While their release brings long-overdue relief to them, their families, their colleagues and the human rights community around the world, we stress that this step remains insufficient as long as hundreds of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, activists, and political opponents remain arbitrarily detained in Belarus on politically motivated charges solely for exercising their fundamental freedoms, and repressions against Belarusian dissidents continue unabated. In particular, Valiantsin Stefanovic, former Vice President of FIDH arrested along Ales Bialiatski and Uladzimir Labkovic in July 2021, women human rights defender and Viasna member Marfa Rabkova, detained since September 2020, and founder of Human Constanta woman human rights defender Nasta Loika, arbitrarily detained since September 2022, were not among the released political prisoners. Alongside them, numerous human rights journalists, lawyers, and trade union activists remain arbitrarily detained, including Andrzej Poczobut, Katsiaryna Andreyeva, Ihar Ilyash, Danil Palianski, Pavel Dabravolski, Andrei Aliaksandrau, and many others.

The undersigned organisations call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and all those arbitrarily detained, to put an end to judicial harassment and reprisals against civil society, and to repeal repressive legislation used to criminalise peaceful dissent and freedom of expression. The authorities must also ensure full rehabilitation, including the quashing of convictions and restoration of civil and political rights, for all those unlawfully detained for years.

The undersigned organisations further urge the international community to continue to closely monitor the situation in Belarus and to take all available legal, political, and diplomatic measures to ensure accountability for the grave human rights violations and international crimes, including by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court.

Signatories:

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Human Rights Center Viasna

Human Rights Center, Georgia

ILI Foundation, Kazakhstan

Civil Society Institute, Armeniaia

Public Association “Dignity”, Kazakhstan

Promo-LEX Association, Moldova

Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway

Östgruppen (Swedish Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights)

Austausch e.V., Germany

Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC)

Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Hungary

Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan

aditus foundation, Malta

LIBERECO – Partnership for Human Rights, Germany/Switzerland

Redress

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)

ARTICLE 19

People In Need

aditus foundation

Front Line Defenders

Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan

European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE)

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Ukraine

Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine

https://www.article19.org/resources/belarus-all-arbitrarily-detained-human-rights-defenders-must-be-released/

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/freed-nobel-laureate-bialiatski-sees-121508187.html

https://nashaniva.com/en/383735

https://spring96.org/en/news/119315

Posted in awards, FIDH, Human Rights Defenders, Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ales Bialiatski, Belarus, digest of human rights awards and laureates, free, Human Rights Defenders, joint statement, Maksim Znak, Marfa Rabkova, Maria Kalesnikava, Nasta Loika, NGOs, politics, Uladzimir Labkovich, Valiantsin Stefanovic

International Federation for Human Rights keeps growing

November 23, 2025

In 2025 the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) welcomed 14 new organisations, on the occasion of its 42nd Congress, which took place in Bogotá at the end of October. The federation now has 194 members in 120 countries. Of varied origins, cultures, organisations, issues and sizes, yet united by a common struggle: the universal defence of human rights. These 14 memberships demonstrate the vitality of the human rights movement across the world, the relevance of the growth of an international federation dedicated to this universalist cause, and the need to bring together the strengths of civil society worldwide in the face of the challenges it is faced with. Local struggles, global problems, the organisations of FIDH find within the federation a space of solidarity where they can exchange ideas and collectively develop solutions to the shrinking civic space observed throughout the world.

“With these new arrivals, our federation is growing and becoming stronger, particularly on the Asian continent“, says Alexis Deswaef, President of FIDH, elected at the same congress in Bogotá.

https://www.fidh.org/en/about-us/What-is-FIDH/fidh-joined-by-14-new-member-organisations-for-a-stronger-federation

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Tags: Colombia, FIDH, International Federation for Human Rights., international human rights movement, international human rights organizations

Incredible number of NGOs (3700!!) condemn attacks on civil society in USA

October 9, 2025

Human Rights Watch stands with civil society and signed this letter, alongside more than 3700 other organizations, condemning the Trump administration’s attacks. It is a testament to our community’s solidarity.

“We are a coalition of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations formed to champion causes dear to all Americans. We work in communities across the country to protect our air and water, our right to vote, to worship, and to organize; we fight for consumers, workers, and our children; we advocate for civil and human rights at home and abroad; we have made it safer to drive on our roads, easier to start a business, and healthier to live in our cities. We span the full ideological spectrum. And today, we stand together for our democracy and in solidarity with the nonprofit groups unjustly and illegally targeted by the Trump administration, including in a new September 25 presidential memorandum.

We of course unequivocally reject political violence. But we won’t mince words. No president–Democrat or Republican–should have the power to punish nonprofit organizations simply because he disagrees with them. That is not about protecting Americans or defending the public interest. It is about using unchecked power to silence opposition and voices he disagrees with. That is un-American and flies in the face of the Constitution, including the First Amendment bar on targeting organizations for their advocacy.

Charities perform crucial functions in every community across our country, including providing healthcare, housing, education, religious services, food and water, and so much more. Like other nonprofits, the organizations threatened by President Trump have a mission to serve the public good and are composed of everyday people fighting for dignity, safety, and opportunity.

This attack on nonprofits is not happening in a vacuum, but as a part of a wholesale offensive against organizations and individuals that advocate for ideas or serve communities that the president finds objectionable, and that seek to enforce the rule of law against the federal government. Whether the target is a church, an environmental or good government group, a refugee assistance organization, university, a law firm, or a former or current government official, weaponizing the executive branch to punish their speech or their views is illegal and wrong. It is also an attack on the very notion that government power must serve the people, not those in office.

Charitable organizations serve our communities in various ways, playing a central role in public protection, health, accountability, anti-discrimination, and in creating the moral fabric of our nation. That is, of course, precisely why this administration is targeting them. They know that the organizations they are attacking exist to lift up the voices of everyday Americans and shine the spotlight of accountability on those who seek to abuse power.

Political violence is unacceptable. But efforts by the president of the United States to defund, discredit, and dismantle nonprofit groups he simply disagrees with are reprehensible and dangerous—a violation of a fundamental freedom in America. This Administration is trying to bully people into silence but speaking out is, and has always been, our collective mission. We stand with those wrongly targeted and with each other. No exceptions.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/08/an-open-letter-rejecting-presidential-attacks-on-nonprofit-organizations

https://www.commondreams.org/news/letitia-james-indicted

se also: https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/usa/united-states-plunges-into-unlawful-rule-and-extrajudicial-killings

Posted in FIDH, HRW, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Civil and political rights, Civil society, donald-trump, FIDH, freedom of association, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, joint letter, news, NGOs, non-profit, politics, Trump, USA

Seven International NGOs demand unconditional release of Indian HRD Umar Khalid

September 17, 2025

On 12 September, 2025 the seven rights groups described Khalid’s prolonged imprisonment as a “violation of his rights” and an instance of “selective persecution”, asserting that he was arrested on “politically motivated and spurious charges” on 13 September 2020.

Alongside Amnesty International, the signatories include: CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA, Front Line Defenders. International Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

The statement expressed deep concern over the invocation of the anti-terror law UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and the repeated denial of bail to Khalid.

“These repeated bail denials combined with persistent delays, and the continued absence of trial proceedings, amount to a violation of his right to a fair trial, including speedy trial, guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which India is a state party, as well as under the Constitution of India,” the statement read.

The groups further highlighted the unequal application of bail standards, particularly in cases related to the 2020 Delhi riots and anti-CAA protests, saying:

“We are further concerned about the discriminatory application of bail standards in cases arising from the violence surrounding the CAA protests and more broadly in cases involving the UAPA. While similarly situated accused have been granted bail, Khalid continues to be denied relief. Such unequal treatment violates the principle of equality before the law and sets a deeply troubling precedent.”

The rights organizations also drew attention to the role of the Delhi Police and political leaders during the 2020 Delhi riots, where Khalid and other Muslim activists were implicated.

“Independent investigations, including by Amnesty International India, Human Rights Watch and Delhi Minorities Commission, have documented the role of the Delhi Police in human rights violations during the CAA protests and the ensuing violence,” the statement said.
“Police officers were recorded engaging in beatings, torture and other ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests, and in some cases standing by as mobs attacked protesters.”

The statement noted that Indian courts have repeatedly criticized the police investigations, describing them as: “Very poor,” “callous,” and “fraught with multiple flaws,” with documented instances of fabricated cases and manipulated records.

It further condemned the role of senior political leaders, who were seen delivering inflammatory hate speeches, branding protesters as “traitors” or “anti-nationals”, and openly inciting violence.

“Despite the existence of video and documentary evidence, no meaningful accountability measures have been taken against implicated political figures or police officials,” the statement added.

The rights groups emphasized that Khalid’s prolonged detention is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of repression against those exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and association.

“Other students and human rights activists, including Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Shifa-ur-Rehman and Meeran Haider, also remain in detention for their peaceful opposition to the CAA, while police officials and political leaders responsible for incitement or complicity in violence continue to enjoy impunity,” the groups noted.
“This selective prosecution erodes public trust in the justice system, entrenches impunity for state actors, and criminalises free expression.”

The seven international organizations demand:

The immediate and unconditional release of Umar Khalid

The equal application of bail standards

An end to the discriminatory treatment of human rights defenders

Accountability for police officers and political leaders implicated in incitement and violence

The repeal of the UAPA.

https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/india-umar-khalids-five-year-imprisonment-without-trial-exemplifies-derailment-of-justice/

https://thehindustangazette.com/latest-news/selective-persecution-seven-international-rights-groups-demand-unconditional-release-of-umar-khalid-39661

Posted in Amnesty international, FIDH, Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, ICJ, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, Human Rights Defenders, illegal detention, India, joint letter, NGOs, Umar Khalid, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)

Central Asia Leaders Must Deliver on Human Rights Pledges Made at Summit say NGOs

April 26, 2025

On 10 April 2025 Civil Rights Defenders, along with seven other international human rights organizations, commend the commitments made at the EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand. We urge Central Asian leaders to prioritize human rights and uphold the civil and political freedoms enshrined in their national constitutions and international treaties. The commitments to peace, security, democracy, and the elevation of relations to a strategic partnership must be matched by concrete actions to protect human rights.

On Friday, April 4, the Uzbek city of Samarkand hosted the first ever EU – Central Asia Summit where high-level officials – all five regional presidents and European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – discussed economic cooperation and agreed to bring their existing partnership to a new strategic level. At the end of the summit, participants issued a joint declaration that, among others, stated their commitment to freedom of expression and association, creating an enabling environment for civil society and independent media, protection of human rights defenders, as well as to respecting the rights of women and children. According to an official press release, the European Commission promised to invest €12 billion in the region to strengthen transport links and deepen cooperation on critical raw materials, digital connectivity, water, and energy.

Paragraph 3 of the joint declaration says: “We are committed to cooperate for peace, security, and democracy, to fully respect international law, including the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, within their internationally recognised borders. We emphasised the importance of achieving as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We emphasized the need to uphold the principles of the OSCE by the participating States. We reconfirmed the obligation of all States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force, to respect international humanitarian law and underlined the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts.”

In paragraph 16, the “EU and Central Asian leaders reiterated that the promotion and protection of rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms is a common fundamental value. Ensuring freedom of expression and association, an enabling environment for civil society and independent media, protection of human rights defenders as well as the respect for the rights of women, the rights of the child, and labor rights remain at the core of EU–Central Asia relations. The EU reiterated its readiness to support efforts in this regard at regional as well as at national level.”

Furthermore, in paragraph 15 the “Participants affirmed the need for their continued commitment to enhanced cooperation and the development of new approaches in the joint fight against organised crime, violent extremism, radicalisation, terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling, cyber threats, including cybercrime and disinformationas well as addressing Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risks whilst safeguarding human rights and media freedom [emphasis added].”

Civil Rights Defenders, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Araminta, Freedom Now, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, People in Need, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcome these declared commitments and urge the leaders of each Central Asian nation to take immediate steps to fulfill their promises. They should start by releasing from prison all journalists, bloggers, lawyers, human rights defenders, civil society activists, and political opponents who have been prosecuted and convicted on retaliatory and unsubstantiated charges. They should also repeal legislation containing provisions that directly contradict their declared commitment to human rights standards.

The Central Asian governments should also end–and establish safeguards to prevent–the misuse of anti-extremism and anti-disinformation policies and security tools to restrict, persecute, and/or criminalize legitimate civil society activity. While enhanced cooperation in the joint fight against organized crime, violent extremism and terrorism, and disinformation are a welcome development, these types of laws and cooperation initiatives have been instrumentalized by the Central Asian governments against legitimate civil society actors, media and political opposition activists, including for imprisonment on lengthy sentences and transnational repression extending to the territory of the European Union.

In particular:

In Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev should order the release from custody of activist Aigerim Tleuzhanova, political opposition party leader Marat Zhylanbayev, satirist blogger Temirlan Ensebek, and labor rights activist Erzhan Elshibayev among others prosecuted on politically motivated charges, We believe that these individuals were targeted in direct retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights, and authorities have failed to provide any credible evidence to support the allegations levelled against them. Kazakh authorities should repeal or thoroughly revise broadly worded criminal code provisions penalising the involvement in ‘’extremist’’ activities, ‘’incitement’’ to discord and the spread of ‘’false’’ information, which are frequently misused to target critics, including in some of the cases mentioned above. Kazakh authorities should also drop their declared plans to adopt a so-called “foreign agents’” law, cease the public attacks on the LGBTIQ community, and end reprisals against NGOs-recipients of foreign grants.
In Kyrgyzstan, it is welcome that President Sadyr Japarov pardoned Temirov Live associated journalist Azamat Ishenbekov this week, although he should not have been imprisoned in the first place. Authorities should also quash the charges against his colleagues convicted on similar charges, releasing Makhabat Tajibek Kyzy and lifting the probational sentences imposed on Aike Beishekeyeva and Aktilek Kaparov. We believe all four journalists were targeted in retaliation for their critical opinions and independent journalism. Authorities should also release independent journalist Kanyshay Mamyrkulova and drop the criminal charges initiated against her and others in apparent retaliation for social media posts critical of the government. In addition, they should reverse the court ruling that ordered the liquidation of independent news organization Kloop Media and stop pressuring other independent media. They should repeal the law on so-called “foreign representatives” and revoke vaguely worded provisions that prohibit the dissemination of “false’’, defamatory or insulting information, as well as content that ‘’promotes non-traditional sexual relations’’. This legislation severely violates the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.
In Tajikistan, President Emomali Rakhmon should take immediate steps to release from prison the eight independent journalists Rukhshona Hakimova, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, Ahmad Ibrohim, Abdullo Ghurbati, Daler Imomali, Khurshed Fozilov, Khushom Gulyam, and Zavqibek Saidamini. Human rights activists and lawyers Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, Buzurgmehr Yorov, Manuchehr Kholiknazarov, and Faromuz Irgashov should also be freed without delay. By imprisoning these individuals the Tajik authorities have cemented a climate of fear among civil society actors – a record that must be reversed. Tajik authorities should also cease its continued crackdown in the Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Region and its systematic use of transnational repression to target government opponents abroad, including in EU countries. Several individuals who were forcibly returned to Tajikistan in 2024 were tortured, arrested and handed lengthy prison sentences after closed trials.
In Turkmenistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov should take concrete steps to rectify his government’s extremely poor human rights record, free political prisoners, and allow space for an independent civil society to develop. The government should publicly declare tolerance towards criticism in the media and end wide ranging internet censorship. Authorities should immediately end attacks and harassment of critics of the regime both inside the country and abroad, including veteran human rights defender and journalist Soltan Achilova, who has repeatedly been barred from leaving the country. They should also decriminalize homosexuality while adopting legislation to criminalize domestic violence.
In Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev should order to quash wrongful convictions and free from prison and retaliatory psychiatric ward lawyer Dauletmurat Tadzhimuratov, activists Nargiz Keldiyorova and Dildora Khakimova and blogger Valijon Kalonov. All these human rights defenders have been targeted with retaliatory prosecution and convicted on unsubstantiated charges for publicly expressing their opinions about the state of affairs in the country. The Uzbek government should also repeal the law on so-called “undesirable foreign persons,” decriminalize male homosexuality, and remove all legal provisions and bureaucratic obstructions that prevent independent civil society groups from engaging in legitimate human rights work.

We urge the leaders of each Central Asian nation to demonstrate that they have the political will to deliver on their declared commitments made at the Samarkand summit and to respect human rights and civil and political freedoms protected by their national constitutions and international treaties ratified by them. We call on the EU to ensure that the commitments expressed in the joint declaration are followed through and that Central Asian governments are held accountable for violations of their human rights obligations under EU cooperation instruments, including bilateral partnership and cooperation agreements and preferential trade schemes. In line with the EU’s value-based partnership with the Central Asian countries, advancing connectivity, trade, and investment should go hand in hand with efforts to promote concrete progress in human rights and rule of law in these countries. The steps listed above are merely a suggested choice of actions that we urge the Central Asia governments to implement without delay. Much more needs to be done for addressing past and ongoing abuses that respect and protect citizens’ rights and freedoms.

Signtures

Civil Rights Defenders

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)

Araminta,

Freedom Now

Norwegian Helsinki Committee

People in Need

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

Central Asia Leaders Must Deliver on Human Rights Pledges Made at Summit

Posted in Civil Rights Defenders (NGO), EU, FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Central Asia, Civil Rights Defenders, EU – Central Asia Summit, Human Rights Defenders, joint statement, Kanyshay Mamyrkulova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, NGOs, Soltan Achilova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

FIFDH and OMCT Spotlight Syrian Film Director Lina

April 3, 2025

Born in Damascus, Syria, Lina is a filmmaker, journalist, and human rights defender, who in 2011 decided to pick up her camera and start filming, without a plan, but with the knowledge that she has a story to tell. What ensued are five years of conflict, arbitrary arrests, as well as torture and ill-treatment in detention, but also of hope that things would get better, despite a veto. Five Seasons of Revolution was recently screened at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, in an event co-hosted by OMCT, partner of the festival. In this interview, Lina tells us more about her process and the challenges she encountered in the making of the film, as well as her hopes for the future of Syria.

What made you decide to start filming?

We started shooting in the summer of 2011, and a lot was already happening in Syria, but it was not clear how things were going to go. I was optimistic, thinking it would be over in six months, maybe a year, with a release within two years. It took 12 years.

It took more than five years of filming, and then many more to edit, because the country hadn’t stabilised, and the characters’ decision to participate in the film shifted with every new development, for their own safety. We had to go back, take characters out, then put them back in, and make amendments to the storyline. But it wasn’t all negative. During this time, deepfake technology improved and gave us a solution for the anonymity issue of some of the characters who chose to stay in Syria in a way that is safe and does not interfere with the visual narrative.

What was the most challenging part about the filming process?

Not knowing where it’s heading. As a filmmaker, you have, even in documentaries, a rough script, or an idea of where you are heading, but we couldn’t. It was like surfing, we just had to keep up with weird twists and turns. At some point, there were so many arrests in the group that I was filming, the characters just kept going in and out of jail, and at any given moment, we would lose one of them. I was arrested several times and the rest of the film crew had to come up with plan Bs for ‘what if we lose the director, who also happens to be the camera person and the sole contact to all the other characters, how do we finish the film?’ There was even one editing session that was held in my absence because I was detained, and they didn’t know when I would be released. It was really challenging.

What was the most challenging part about having to change your identity several times throughout filming?

It was very confusing, but it was also very necessary. In order to make it work, you have to internalise it to a certain extent, which was challenging. This confuses your relationships with the people you’re working with, with the people you’re socialising with, with the people that trust you, despite only knowing your fake name. Very strong bonds are formed under extremely difficult conditions and something always felt wrong about not being able to be fully honest with people. it also created these compartments of who I am because different parts of me had different names in different places… and they didn’t always get along. Walking out of it was also a challenge. Normalising being one person and only using one name, only answering to one name. It was quite a journey. 

Towards the end of the documentary, you talk about your experience with your arrest. Did what you experienced in custody change your approach to the film, or your activism? 

 I did not encounter anything during my arrest that I did not previously know exists and happens. What was detrimental was the repetition of detentions because you know you might get away with it once, maybe twice, if you’re lucky three times. But when I was released for the third time, I realised I did not know anybody that survived a fourth arrest. I felt like a cat with seven lives and I was really running out of them. I think this affected not only my decision-making in the film, but decision-making in my life in general, which obviously had consequences. 

What are three things you hope people remember after watching your film? 

Number one is that simplistic reductionist scenarios of war into black and white, good and bad are never true. Number two is that nobody has a blueprint for what to do in these cases. People improvise, people try to find solutions on the spot under pressure, and these are not always ideal. But also, people can be much braver than they think, because at the end of the day we are survivors, all of us, and there is a lot more to us than we sometimes give ourselves credit for. And number three, friendship is really important. 

You are a filmmaker, but also a human rights defender. What are your hopes now for Syria and its people?

I hope people will be able to recover. I hope people will be given a break, given a chance to process everything they went through, given a bit of time to find a way out of this gigantic mess. It will take generations to rebuild the country. I understand that people have endured so much for so long that they cannot take one more day of it, so there is understandably also a lot of emotions. I just hope that we have the ability to open our hearts a bit more, understand each other a bit more and that people will in return give us the chance to process everything….

https://www.omct.org/en/resources/blog/it-becamefifdh-omct-spotlight-syrian-film-director-lina

Posted in FIDH, films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: arbitrary arrest, film, film makers, Five Seasons of Revolution (film), Human rights defender, International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, interview, Lina, movies, OMCT, Syria

Urgent vacancy at FIDH for Delegate to the United Nations in Geneva

January 15, 2025

Posted on 6 January 2025 – Closing date 15 January 2025

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) composed of nearly 200 national human rights organisations from more than 115 countries. FIDH is a nonpartisan, non-sectarian, apolitical, and not for profit organisation. Since 1922, FIDH has been defending all human rights – civil, political, economic, social, and cultural – as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

https://www.fidh.org/en

FIDH are now recruiting : A Delegate to the United Nations (F∕M) – Indefinite-term contract based in FIDH Geneva office

The FIDH’s Delegation in Geneva

Represents FIDH before Geneva-based international organizations and institutions, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); in particular, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies;
Organizes the participation of FIDH’s member and partner organizations in the work of UN human rights bodies and mechanisms (support and assistance with regard to the submission of “parallel” or “alternative” reports, lobbying and advocacy, communication, etc.): mainly the UN Human Rights Council (including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism), treaty monitoring bodies, and special procedures;
Prepares and implements the interventions of lobbying and advocacy at the Human Rights Council, and defines advocacy strategies;Feeds UN human rights protection bodies and mechanisms, in particular UN special procedures and OHCHR’s sections and branches, based on information from FIDH member and partner organizations and develops the strategic analysis of institutional developments and advocacy opportunities;

Relays and reports on activities and events to FIDH’s International Secretariat based in Paris.

Direct superviser : The representative, Head of the FIDH Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva

Applicants should send their CV and a brief cover letter (in English) by email recrutement@fidh.org quoting reference FIDH DELEGATE in the subject line.

https://reliefweb.int/job/4122938/delegate-united-nations-indefinite-term-contract-based-fidh-geneva-office

Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocates for Human Rights, FIDH, Geneva, human rights, job opportunity, news, politics, recruitment, Switzerland, UN, United Nations, vacancy

Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards