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Online roundtable discussion about the next Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders

January 29, 2026

The mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders plays a critical role in promoting the protection of individuals and groups who peacefully work to advance human rights worldwide. As the current mandate-holder, Mary Lawlor, approaches the end of her tenure (March 2026), the UN Human Rights Council is in the process of appointing a successor.

Together with partner organisations, ISHR is campaigning for the appointment of a mandate holder who is independent, impartial, highly competent, and whose backgrounds reflect the diversity of our world. Such appointments are essential to ensuring a strong and effective system of Special Procedures, which is fundamental to the proper functioning of the Human Rights Council.

As the appointment process for the next Special Rapporteur reaches its final stages, the ISHR would like to create a space for meaningful exchange between shortlisted candidates and civil society organisations and human rights defenders.

In this context, there will be an online roundtable with the shortlisted candidates:

Ms Andrea BOLANOS VARGAS (Colombia)

Mr Onesmo OLE NGURUMWA (Tanzania)

Ms Sarah Leah WHITSON (United States of America) [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/sarah-leah-whitson/]

The discussion aims to provide shortlisted candidates with an opportunity to present their background, experience, and vision for the mandate Facilitate a safe and inclusive space for dialogue between candidates, civil society organisations, and human rights defenders Enable human rights defenders to share priorities, concerns, and expectations regarding the future direction of the mandate

The roundtable will take place on 10 February, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM (CET). Interpretation will be available in English and Spanish.

Confirm your participation by 9 February EOD using this form. A link to the meeting will be shared later. Important: At the end of the form, there is a section where you can write any questions you would like the candidates to answer. The organisers will review these questions and choose some of them in advance, and those selected questions will be asked during the meeting. Because many people are expected to attend, participants will not be able to ask their own questions directly to the candidates during the meeting. We very much look forward to your participation., ISHR Team

https://crm.ishr.ch/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=1826&cid=8618&cs=2c4fdf46b52700ac6a784a965887754d_1769705423_168

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Andrea BOLANOS VARGAS, human rights, ISHR, Mary Lawlor, news, on line conversation, Onesmo OLE NGURUMWA, Sarah Leah Whitson, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, United Nations

UN experts call on Egypt to lift restrictions on released human rights defenders

January 18, 2026

Independent human rights experts on 14 January 2026 expressed concern over restrictions faced by human rights defenders in Egypt following their release from detention.

“We recently raised concerns about the continued detention of human rights defenders on renewed and similar charges,” the experts said. “Even those who have been released continue to face restrictions that severely limit their ability to return to normal life.”

Many human rights defenders charged under Egypt’s counterterrorism law have faced a travel ban, had their assets frozen, or ended up back on the country’s terrorism watchlist after being released.

“Such restrictions have severe consequences for the affected individuals and their families and their ability to enjoy economic and social rights,” the experts said.

Gasser Abdel Razek, Karim Ennarah and Mohamed Bashir, three members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), were arrested in November 2020. They were released following an international outcry, but were immediately placed under an asset freeze and a travel ban. [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/12/04/pressure-works-egypt-releases-human-rights-defenders/]

“This is deeply concerning, particularly given that Egyptian law guarantees the right to appeal asset freeze decisions, which the three individuals have done, but to no avail,” the experts said.

Human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer was detained in connection with several cases involving similar charges. During his incarceration in late 2020, his name was added to Egypt’s terrorism watchlist for a period of five years, leading to a travel ban, withdrawal of his passport, and freezing of his bank account and other assets. El-Baqer received a presidential pardon in 2023, but he has remained on the terrorism watchlist.

“What makes it all the more shocking is that, just one day before the end of the five-year period, El-Baqer was added to the terrorist list for another five years, despite no evidence being provided,” the experts said.

Human rights defender Ahmed Samir Abdel-Hai’ was arrested in early 2021 after returning from university in Vienna where his studies focused on Egypt’s anti-abortion laws. He was sentenced to three years in prison but was freed by a presidential pardon in summer 2022.

Since then, Abdel-Hai has been banned from travelling, with the official reason given being that he was a “threat to national security.”

The experts asked how Abdel-Hai could still be regarded as a threat to the country after he received a presidential pardon.

“These human rights defenders were criminalised under vague counterterrorism laws. They have either served their sentences or been granted presidential pardons. They should not continue to face restrictions,” they said.

The experts urged authorities in Egypt to put an end to these restrictions in line with international human rights standards.

*The experts:

Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/un-experts-egypt-must-lift-restrictions-released-human-rights-defenders

https://www.miragenews.com/un-calls-on-egypt-to-lift-curbs-on-freed-rights-1601914/

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ahmed Samir Abdel-Hai, anti terrorism legislation, Egypt, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Gasser Abdel Razek, Human Rights Defenders, Karim Ennarah, Mohamed Bashir, Mohamed El-Baqer, restrictions, travel bans

UN experts demand truth 3 years after disappearance of human rights defenders Ricardo Lagunes and Antonio in Mexico

January 16, 2026

On 15 January 2026 – the third anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Ricardo Lagunes and Antonio Díaz – UN experts demanded immediate answers about the fate and whereabouts of the two Mexican human rights defenders. “Mexican authorities must comply with the State’s international obligations, including by investigating the enforced disappearance, proactively searching for them, determining their fate and whereabouts, and holding perpetrators criminally responsible,” the experts said.

On 15 January 2023, Ricardo Lagunes, a human rights lawyer, and Antonio Díaz, an Indigenous leader, were forcibly disappeared in the state of Colima, Mexico. Their enforced disappearance occurred amid an ongoing dispute over natural resources between the Indigenous community of San Miguel de Aquila, Michoacán, and the Luxembourg-based mining company Ternium (part of the Argentine-Italian Techint Group). They were last seen after attending a community meeting to discuss collective action in response to the human rights impacts of the mining company’s operations.

“Refusing to succumb to despair after their enforced disappearance, the families of Mr Lagunes and Mr Díaz have undertaken a tireless quest for truth and justice over the past three years,” the experts said, noting that the authorities have so far not provided an effective response and that the company concerned has reportedly failed to fully cooperate with ongoing investigations and search activities.

The cases have been registered under the Committee on Enforced Disappearances’ Urgent Actions procedure and benefit from precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, acknowledging the serious, urgent and irreparable risk faced by the two human rights defenders.

“Enforced disappearances have a chilling effect on human rights defenders, including those advocating for land, natural resources and environment issues, as well as Indigenous leaders, and serve to silence critical voices,” the experts said, urging the Government to ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their work in a safe environment, including by strengthening the protection mechanism for human rights defenders.

In the context of resource-extraction projects, business enterprises have often reportedly sown and exacerbated community divisions, inciting violence among locals with opposing views on the projects and the use of land and natural resources. “The Government must ensure that businesses respect human rights across all their activities pursuant to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including when engaging with human rights defenders and affected communities,” they said.

The experts are in touch with the Government of Mexico and the business concerned in this regard.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/mexico-un-experts-demand-truth-and-justice-three-years-after-enforced

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Antonio Díaz Valencia, disappearances, environmental defenders, history, human rights, indigenous groups, Mexico, politics, resource extraction, Ricardo Lagunes, UN Special Rapporteurs

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

ART and HUMAN RIGHTS 2025- minority artists

January 9, 2026

“Art was my existence, my life. Without it, maybe I wouldn’t have survived,” said Kheder Abdulkarim, a Kurdish-Syrian artist based in Germany and former political prisoner, whose work is inspired by his experience of persecution and erasure. He received an honourable mention at the 4^th edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists.

The Contest is an initiative organized jointly by UN Human Rights, Freemuse, Minority Rights Group and the City of Geneva. Since 2024, the contest is also supported by the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva, the Loterie Romande, as well as by other donors who prefer to remain anonymous.

Each year, the Contest celebrates minority artists whose work bears witness to struggles for dignity, justice and visibility, forming a cornerstone of UN Human Rights’ efforts to uplift artists as human rights defenders.

The 2025 theme — Belonging, Place and Loss — resonated profoundly with artists around the world whose identities have been shaped by displacement, environmental devastation, structural racism, and generational trauma, generating more than 240 submissions this year.

At the award ceremony, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, reminded the audience of what minority artists reveal to societies.

“Tonight, we celebrate eight minority artists honoured in this edition, the power of art and the vital contribution that minority artists make as they shine a light on human rights struggles across the globe, stories and images that unite and anchor us in a shared humanity,” she said.

Art can be a human rights language, and a catalyst for positive change in societies which may seek to silence minority voices. Claude Cahn, human rights officer at UN Human Rights’ Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section

For many laureates, art is the only archive that survives war, the only place where memory can remain intact.

Alia Al-Saadi is a Palestinian Syrian dancer and choreographer born a third-generation refugee in Yarmouk Camp, and one of the laureates of the contest’s 4^th edition.

Her performances turn the body into an “archive of destruction,” she said, and “a state of psychological numbness, where prolonged exposure to violence renders shock ineffective.”

A woman performs a dance pose on a rooftop, lifting one leg high while leaning sideways. She wears a light top and green shirt. Behind her are beige stone buildings, satellite dishes and metal structures under bright sunlight.

Alia Al-Saadi, a Palestinian-Syrian dancer exploring exile, memory and the body as archive. ©Alia Al-Saadi

Abubakar Moaz, a Sudanese visual artist based in Kenya, won honourable mention and said his visual language emerged from conflict in the Blue Nile and exile in Nairobi.

A large painting shows a figure in red against turquoise and beige tones. Painted sandal shapes hang from strings in front of the canvas, with several placed on the floor. A potted plant stands to the right in a bright gallery space.

Abdulkarim, imprisoned for nearly six years in the infamous Saydnaya Prison in Damascus, began sculpting there with scraps of vegetable crates. “I lost seven years of my life,” he said. “But I try to produce something from those years, to rebuild them and more.”

An abstract painting features a textured brown figure with outstretched arms surrounded by white, ghostlike silhouettes. Black, white and gray fields with a pale circular form create a distressed, expressive atmosphere.

Emanoel Saravá, an Afro-Indigenous Brazilian visual and photo-performance artist, winner of an honourable mention, treats water as an archive of Black and peripheral suffering through their project Águas Marginais.

A person stands in front of the camera, extending his arms and clasping his hands together. Their wet skin glistens, and they wear a necklace and patterned shorts. A weathered wall with graffiti appears behind them.

“The waters carry the memory of Black and peripheral communities, but they also bear the scars of environmental racism, climate change and neglect,” Saravá said.

Sead Kazanxhiu, a Roma political artist from Albania and laureate of the 4^th edition, rejects narratives that reduce Roma communities to victimhood.

A large mosaic on a public building façade depicts figures marching forward with tools, instruments and a red flag. The golden-toned mural spans the top of a stone structure under a clear blue sky.

“The Nest”, installation, wood, metallic wire, polyurethane foam and paint by Sead Kazanxhiu, a Roma visual artist whose public installations confront exclusion and reclaim Roma presence. ©Sead Kazanxhiu

“We have been always treated as victims; with my work, I want somehow to change this narrative toward active citizenship with equal rights,” he said.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/12/minority-artists-transform-loss-resistance-and-belonging

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OHCHR, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdulkarim, Abubakar Moaz, Alia Al-Saadi, artists, City of Geneva, Emanoel Saravá, exile, Human Rights Defenders, International Contest for Minority Artists, minority rights, Nada Al-Nashif, Sead Kazanxhiu

Ugandan human rights lawyer Sarah Bireete detained ahead of elections

January 8, 2026

Sarah Bireete was arrested on December 30, 2025, after police and military personnel surrounded her home in Kampala. Shortly before her arrest, she posted on X, “My house is under siege by police and army”. As reported by East and Horn of Africa Election Observation Network (E-HORN) on 2 January 2026

The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG) Kenya has called for the immediate release of Uganda’s human rights lawyer and civil society leader, Dr Sarah Bireete, warning that her detention ahead of the January elections threatens civic space and undermines democratic processes.

The Uganda Police confirmed her arrest in a brief social media post, stating she would be produced in court “in due course”. Police spokesperson Rachel Kawaala described the detention as part of “ongoing operations” but offered no further details.

“Dr Bireete is widely recognised for her unwavering passion for the protection of civil liberties, her lifelong quest for justice, and her steadfast commitment to democracy, a clarion call that has consistently advanced accountable governance across the region,” the Group said.

Bireete currently serves as Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), Chairperson of the East Africa Civil Society Forum (EACSOF), and Chairperson of the Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN).

PRWG Kenya described these roles as reflective of her integrity, credibility and long-standing contributions to human rights, electoral integrity and democratic governance.

The group urged Ugandan authorities to respect civil liberties, the rule of law and democratic processes.

“Respect for civil liberties, rule of law and democratic processes is fundamental to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections,” PRWG Kenya said.

The statement also highlighted that Uganda’s constitution, under Article 23, guarantees that anyone arrested must be promptly informed of the reasons for their detention, a step that has not been followed in Dr Bireete’s case.

Bireete’s arrest follows her recent advocacy for Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, as a safeguard against potential internet shutdowns during the elections.

In a post dated December 23, 2025, she wrote, “Dear Ugandans, are you thinking of ways to navigate internet shutdown during elections? Starlink got you covered.”

https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/uganda/263965/rights-group-demands-release-of-ugandan-human-rights-lawyer-sarah-bireete?amp=1

As the country approaches general elections on 15 January 2026, UN experts* today warned that the pervasive climate of fear in Uganda, marked by allegations of enforced disappearance, the use of disproportionate force against political opposition supporters, and the intensified suppression of civil society and independent media, is not conducive to peaceful elections.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/uganda-un-experts-urge-stronger-human-rights-safeguards-ahead-2026-elections

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/01/08/arrest-of-ugandan-activist-ahead-of-elections-spells-trouble

https://english.news.cn/20260118/c21ddafd3d1c4ca6964cd2d5270eddd8/c.html

https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/news/273392/un-rapporteur-publishes-letter-faulting-uganda-over-oyoo-njagi-abductions?amp=1

and

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/activist-bireete-granted-bail-not-to-leave-uganda-without-court-s-permission-5340756

https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/uganda-arbitrary-arrest-and-pre-trial-detention-of-eight-environmental-rights-defenders

Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: arrest, East and Horn of Africa Election Observation Network (E-HORN, elections, human rights, Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, Human Rights Watch, Mary Lawlor, news, politics, President Museveni, Sarah Bireete, starlink, Uganda, UN Special Rapporteurs, woman human rights defender

UN expert urges Togo to release human rights defender Abdoul Aziz Goma

December 29, 2025

On 23 December 2025, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, renewed her call on authorities in Togo to release Togolese-Irish citizen and human rights defender Abdoul Aziz Goma from prison on the seventh anniversary of his arrest.

“Abdoul has now been arbitrarily detained for seven years and has been on hunger strike since 8 November 2025, protesting against the injustices he has faced. As he marks his 44^th day without food, I am seriously concerned for his life,” Lawlor said.

Abdoul Aziz Goma was arrested in Lomé in 2018 after providing shelter to a group of young people who had travelled to the capital to demonstrate. Although he did not participate in any protests himself, Aziz Goma offered help to the youths when approached by an acquaintance.

Aziz Goma was initially held in secret for a number of years before being transferred to Togo’s formal prison system in 2022. He has been reportedly subjected to ill-treatment and denial of adequate medical care in prison, which have left him with a debilitating health condition.

In February 2025, when he was finally tried, Aziz Goma was convicted on multiple charges, including undermining national security, in a single day procedure and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Aziz Goma is reportedly very weak from hunger and reduced to spending much of the day lying down.

In September 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Aziz Goma’s ongoing detention was arbitrary.

The Special Rapporteur has also raised her concerns about Aziz Goma’s treatment and ongoing detention with Togolese authorities in 2021 and 2024.

Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;
Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/un-expert-urges-togo-release-human-rights-defender-abdoul-aziz-goma

https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/12/un-expert-urges-togo-to-release-human-rights-defender-from-prison/

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdoul Aziz Goma, detention, human rights, Human rights defender, Ireland, Mary Lawlor, news, politics, Togo, UN Special Rapporteurs, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

UN experts concerned by Interpol red notices against human rights defenders from El Salvador

November 20, 2025

The issuance of Interpol red notices against two Salvadoran human rights defenders currently in exile in Spain constitutes a grave misuse of the law enforcement mechanism, UN experts warned on 19 November 2025

“This move amounts to an act of transnational repression, as it extends the harassment of human rights defenders beyond borders, targeting them in a country where they are seeking safety,” the experts said.

Ivania Cruz and Rudy Joya have applied for asylum in Spain, fleeing legal harassment in El Salvador stemming from their legitimate human rights work. Both human rights defenders work for the non-governmental organisation UNIDEHC, which has been targeted by the Salvadoran authorities since February 2025 for its support to the La Floresta community, who have been facing attempts of forced eviction since 2024.

“The charges brought against Ivania Cruz and Rudy Joya in El Salvador and related arrest warrants issued by the authorities appear to be without basis and in direct connection with their legitimate human rights work for UNIDEHC to support communities under threat and denounce the actions of the Government under the state of emergency declared in 2022,” the experts said.

In May 2025, the court presiding over their case in El Salvador ordered the Interpol National Central Bureau to submit a request for the issuance of a red notice to the Interpol General Secretariat. Interpol confirmed the issuance in July 2025.

The experts pointed to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Interpol, which state that the organisation is “strictly forbidden” from undertaking “any intervention or activities of a political nature”, and that the organisation’s activities will be conducted “in the spirit of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.”

In September 2025, Rudy Joya was summoned by police under the pretext of his asylum application in Spain. Upon presenting himself to the authorities, he was detained and presented before a Spanish specialised court. Ivania Cruz was also summoned and appeared before the same court, which ordered that both defenders sign-in at a local court every 15 days, not leave the country, surrender their passports and report any change of address.

“We call on Interpol to immediately revoke the red notices and judicial sanctions against Ivania Cruz and Rudy Joya, and on Spain to refuse to accede to the red notice and to ensure their safety by rejecting their forcible return to El Salvador,” the experts said.

The experts are in contact with Interpol and the governments of Spain and El Salvador on these concerns.

The experts are:

Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Ganna Yudkivska (Chair-Rapporteur), Matthew Gillett (Vice-Chair on Communications), Miriam Estrada Castillo (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Mumba Malila, and Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Working Group on Arbitrary Detent

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/11/un-experts-concerned-weaponisation-interpol-red-notices-against-human-rights

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: asylum seeker, El Salvador, Interpol, Ivania Cruz, news, politics, red notice, Rudy Joya, Spain, transnational represion, UN Special Rapporteurs, UNIDEHC

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemn Tunisia’s ‘assault on the rule of law’

November 15, 2025

On 14 November 2025, Al Jazeera (Mariamne Everett) and other media reported that international NGOs, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have decried a sharp decline in civil liberties and a pervading “injustice” in Tunisia since President Kais Saied came to power in 2019, as authorities escalate their crackdown on the opposition, activists and foreign nongovernmental organisations.

“Tunisian authorities have increasingly escalated their crackdown on human rights defenders and independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through arbitrary arrests, detention, asset freezes, bank restrictions and court-ordered suspensions, all under the pretext of fighting ‘suspicious’ foreign funding and shielding ‘national interests’,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday.

Tunisia’s crackdown on civil society has reached an unprecedented level, according to Amnesty, as six NGO workers and human rights defenders from the Tunisian Council for Refugees are “being criminally prosecuted on charges solely related to their legitimate work supporting refugees and asylum seekers”. The trial’s opening session, initially scheduled for October 16, has been adjourned to November 24.

Within the past four months, Tunisia has temporarily suspended the activities of at least 14 Tunisian and international NGOs, said Amnesty, including the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women and the World Organisation against Torture.

UN experts call for justice for Tunisian human rights defender Sihem Bensedrine

Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Friday that Tunis’s Court of Appeal will hear on November 17 the appeal of more than 30 people “unjustly sentenced to heavy prison terms in a politically motivated ‘Conspiracy Case’” mass trial in April.

“Four of those detained are on hunger strike, including one who, according to his lawyers, was subjected to physical violence in prison on November 11.”

The defendants were charged with plotting to destabilise the country under various articles of Tunisia’s Penal Code and the 2015 Counterterrorism Law. Human Rights Watch, which reviewed the judicial documents, said the charges are unfounded and lack credible evidence. The NGO has called on the court to immediately overturn the convictions and ensure the release of all those detained.

The 37 people detained include opponents of Saied, lawyers, activists and researchers. Their prison terms range from four to 66 years for “conspiracy against state security” and terrorism offences. Jawhar Ben Mbarek – cofounder of Tunisia’s main opposition alliance, the National Salvation Front – began a hunger strike on October 29 to protest his arbitrary detention. Ben Mbarek was sentenced to 18 years behind bars on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”.

Note that on 10 November the Martin Ennals Award announced that Saadia Mosbah, a leading Tunisian human rights activist and co-founder of Mnemty (‘My Dream’), was selected as a runner up. [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/11/10/breaking-news-women-human-rights-defenders-recognised-with-the-2025-martin-ennals-award/]

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/11/14/rights-groups-decry-tunisias-injustice-crackdown-on-activists

https://www.ft.com/content/15a04a32-f975-4f5e-9748-874f8e26cbe5

Tunisia: Escalating crackdown on human rights organizations reaches critical levels

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20251130-prominent-tunisian-activist-chaima-issa-arrested-as-hundreds-protest-clampdown-on-dissent

https://thearabweekly.com/tunisia-calls-eu-parliament-rights-resolution-blatant-interference-releases-high-profile-lawyer

Posted in Amnesty international, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, chaima issa, counter-terrorism, crackdown, EU, history, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, news, politics, Saadia Mosbah, Tunisia, woman human rights defender

COP30: Protecting human rights defenders is crucial for climate justice

November 7, 2025

Defending Environmental Human Rights Defenders: Legal Frameworks

On 5 November, 2025 Camilla Pollera, Human Rights and Climate Change Program Associate at the Center for International Environmental Law published a blog post about the upcoming COP30 and the role of human rights defenders:

There is no climate justice in a climate of fear. As governments prepare to meet in Belém, Brazil for, COP30, attention turns to a country where defending nature still comes at a high cost. Deep-rooted and intertwined impunity and violence against environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) — including Indigenous defenders, Afro-descendent communities, women, and defenders from LGBTQIA+ —persist in Brazil.

COP30 decisions must recognize the efforts of those protecting the planet, in Brazil and beyond, and ensure that they can do so safely, freely, and without fear.

Around the world, EHRDs are on the frontlines of the climate crisis — protecting land, water, communities, and their rights, often at great personal risk. Faced with an escalating climate crisis and the inaction of governments, a growing number of people are stepping up to defend their rights, the rights of future generations and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, exercising their fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, guaranteed under international human rights law.

…The violence and repression faced by defenders are intensified by intersecting forms of marginalization, especially affecting women defending the environment, who often suffer gender-based violence that rarely appears in the data, including sexual violence, harassment, and rejection within their families and communities. They are targeted not only as defenders of rights and natural resources but also as women, in all their diversity, challenging discriminatory societal norms, a combination that makes their work particularly dangerous and invisible. …The persistent violence and lack of effective guarantees for human rights protection are a stark reminder of what is at stake as COP30 comes to Belém.

The Advisory Opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the climate emergency and human rights made it clear: States must take proactive steps to ensure the effective protection of environmental defenders — including for those such as Indigenous and women EHRDs who are most at risk of retaliation. The Court recognized EHRDs are “allies of democracy”, whose work takes on even greater importance amid the urgency and complexity of the climate emergency. It reaffirmed the right to defend human rights as an autonomous right and declared that States have a special duty of protection toward those who exercise it, and recognized the double layer of risk faced by women environmental defenders, requiring an even higher duty of care. The Court also formulated very concrete recommendations on what this means at the national level.

The Escazú Agreement and the Aarhus Convention both enshrine explicit provisions on the protection of EHRDs, setting legal and institutional frameworks to operationalize these duties. Recent work under these instruments has provided concrete guidance for States and businesses to uphold their obligations, safeguard civic space, and ensure defenders are protected and not penalized. The recent Action Plan under Escazú and the ad hoc rapid response mechanism under Aarhus are just a few examples marking concrete advances in protecting those facing threats.

At COP30, Parties can no longer ignore their human rights obligations. They have a duty to ensure that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—the central forum for global cooperation on climate action—and its outcomes align with legal standards. Rightsholders have been obstructed from participating and silenced the climate talks, a process that is deciding on their future. Restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, lack of transparency in the host country agreements, persistent visa barriers and financial burdens, continue to limit access. In recent COPs, civic space has continued to shrink, with obstruction often led by the very States hosting the negotiations.

Brazil has a chance to do things differently, by making civic space at COP30 and the protection of environmental defenders a true priority. This includes guaranteeing safe conditions for the meaningful participation before, during, and after COP30 and beyond. And it also means taking steps domestically, starting with the urgent ratification of the Escazú Agreement. Brazil has a key role to play in building upon its legacy of international environmental leadership and steering negotiations at the COP towards rights-based outcomes.

COP30 indeed offers a crucial moment to enhance the protection of defenders through critical decisions expected in Belém: the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) and the Gender Action Plan (GAP).

As highlighted by the recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, a just transition should be grounded in the protection of those who defend rights and call out false climate solutions, from Indigenous Peoples and land defenders opposing harmful mining projects to workers’ advocates demanding fair and equitable transitions. All decisions, measures, and mechanisms designed to enable a just transition from the fossil fuel economy must protect a safe and enabling civic space, and ensure the meaningful participation of EHRDs.

There is no climate justice without human rights and without protecting those on the frontlines. EHRDs step in to protect what governments have neglected, and their courage exposes States’ failure to meet their climate and human rights obligations. Despite the risk, around the world, defenders continue to organize, resist, and demand climate justice, leading the way forward. In their resistance lies the chance of a just and sustainable future.

Since 1989, CIEL has used the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society.

With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, CIEL’s team of attorneys, policy experts, and support staff works to provide legal counsel and advocacy, policy research, and capacity building across our four program areas: Climate & Energy, Environmental Health, Fossil Economy, and People, Land & Resources.

On 5 November 2025 Amnesty international endorsed this kind of view under the title “What is COP and why is this year’s meeting in Brazil so important?”

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/media-centre/ahead-of-cop-resources-for-reporting-on-the-just-energy-transition/

https://pbicanada.org/2025/11/09/can-cop30-stop-climate-change-aggressions-against-land-and-environmental-defenders-who-resist-destructive-megaprojects/

https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/new-global-initiative-aims-to-place-environmental-defenders-at-the-heart-of-climate-decisions/

https://www.oas.org/en/IACHR/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2025/230.asp

COP30: Why Protecting Defenders Is Central to Climate Justice

Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Aarhus Convention, Brasil, Camilla Pollera, Center for International Environmental Law, civil society activists, climate change, COP30, environmental defenders, Escazú Agreement, Gender Action Plan (GAP), Global Witness, Human Rights Defenders, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Leaders Action Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD)

Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards