share information on human rights defenders, with special focus on human rights awards and laureates
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PBI Colombia, which was the Laureate of the MEA in 2001, celebrated 15 years of accompanying human rights defenders with a special edition of its Bulletin and a
documentary about its work with filmmaker Oliver Merchant; the documentary ’15 years of PBI Colombia” is available to view – chapter by chapter – on YouTube.
As someone who has always championed the increased use of film images for Human Rights Defenders (one reason to start True Heroes, films for HRDs, in 2006), the reader will understand my joy to share the following announcement:
On June 14, 2011, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), released a series of video testimonies on the situation of human rights defenders in Belarus, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Observatory is – finally ! – developing audio-visual testimonies as a tool to widen the mobilisation and to increase impact on the media and public opinion. This new tool also aims at increasing the awareness of activists, national authorities, national, regional and international institutions and agencies and their mechanisms.
You can see the first series of such testimonies on the situation of human rights defenders in Belarus, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the DRC by following the links on the website of FIDH and OMCT. For more information please contact:
FIDH: Karine Appy, Arthur Manet: + 33 1 43 55 25 18
OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: + 41 22 809 49 39
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 