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Posts Tagged ‘Human rights defender’

India: Human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling kept in prolonged detention for 8 years

April 23, 2026

On 22 April 2026, the

reminds us that Mr Surendra Gadling is a lawyer specialising in the defence of human rights and marginalised communities, particularly Dalits and indigenous peoples in India. He has been held in detention for nearly eight years in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. He is now the only defendant still in prison – the other fifteen people prosecuted in this case have been released on bail.

Gadling was arrested in 2018 and is one of a group of human rights defenders prosecuted for their alleged involvement in violence that occurred in Bhima Koregaon. Several organisations believe that these prosecutions are in fact targeting committed activists and denounce the charges as baseless. [see also: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/surendra-gadling-arrested]

Mr Gadling is also being prosecuted in another case linked to a fire at a mining site in Surajgarh. According to several lawyers, inconsistencies have been identified in the complaint (including the absence of evidence linking him directly to the incident).

In both cases, the key evidence used against him is the purported discovery of incriminating documents found on his PC. Independent Cyber forensic analysts have observed that these documents were planted using a Remote Access Trojan unknown to Mr. Gadling. Several lawyers’ organisations have called for his immediate release and condemned the use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which is considered particularly repressive. The prolonged detention of Mr Surendra Gadling raises serious concerns regarding respect for the right to liberty and a fair trial. It also raises questions about the protection of lawyers and human rights defenders, particularly when they are involved in sensitive cases.

The Observatory calls on the Indian authorities to ensure that Surendra Gadling’s fundamental rights are respected, in particular his right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.

Surendra Gadling

Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: detentiion, history, Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, India, International observatory of lawyers, Law, politics, Surendra Gadling, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), writing

France reverses decision and grants visa to Palestinian human rights defender Shawan Jabarin

April 21, 2026

France has reversed its earlier decision and granted a national visa to Palestinian human rights activist Shawan Jabarin, following criticism from European lawmakers, a French MP said on Monday. Jabarin, director of the West Bank-based rights group Al-Haq, had previously been denied entry by French authorities despite being invited to attend a session of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee in Strasbourg.

“I take note that France has finally reversed its decision by granting a national visa to Shawan Jabarin,” French Green MEP Mounir Satouri said on the US social media company X Satouri called for full transparency over the initial refusal, urging authorities to clarify the reasons behind the blockage and to lift all remaining obstacles to issuing a Schengen visa.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawan_Jabarin and also https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/dc85d276-1bd7-4914-92f0-2d98f14fb05b

The initial refusal drew strong criticism from seven international NGOs, including Amnesty International, HRW and the International Federation for Human Rights, which described the move as “a clear attack” on human rights and a “worrying setback.” https://www.amnesty.org.au/france-decision-to-deny-entry-to-veteran-palestinian-human-rights-defender-a-blatant-assault-on-human-rights/

In a joint statement, the groups said the last-minute visa denial prevented Jabarin from attending meetings with the French Parliament, civil society organizations, and the Foreign Ministry, restricting his work as a human rights defender.

Al-Haq had earlier said the rejection undermined efforts to advocate for Palestinian rights and accountability, particularly amid ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza, warning that restricting access for rights defenders contributes to impunity.

https://aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-reverses-decision-grants-visa-to-palestinian-activist-after-criticism-says-french-mp/3912391

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/17/france-denial-of-entry-to-palestinian-activist-blocks-advocacy

Posted in HRW, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, Council of Europe, FIDH, France, HRW, Human rights defender, Mounir Satouri, Palestinian, Shawan Jabarin, visa denial

Interview with Zaira Navas – a Salvadoran Woman Human Rights Defender in Exile

April 20, 2026

Zaira Navas, woman human rights defender from El Salvador.

In recent years, civic space has significantly reduced in El Salvador, under a state of exception, a state of emergency that suspended several constitutional rights. Human rights defenders have faced increasing threats and criminalisation, forcing many into silence or exile. Zaira Navas is a lawyer and human rights defender at Cristosal, partner of OMCT and the SOS-Torture Network. She is also a member of OMCT’s Latin America litigators’ group, part of four regional litigators’ groups that bring together lawyers and human rights defenders working at the front lines of the fight against torture and ill-treatment. Last year, Zaira Navas was pushed to flee El Salvador, after her colleague, Ruth López, prominent Salvadoran activist, was arrested. In Geneva to attend the Human Rights Council, she tells us about her experience being a woman human rights defender in exile, and where she still finds hope in her work.

What was it like to make the decision to leave El Salvador?

I am currently in exile due to repression under the state of exception in El Salvador imposed by President Nayib Bukele, which intensified in 2025. In May, my colleague Ruth López was detained on absurd corruption charges. That same week, I learned I could also be arrested. Our organisation, Cristosal, asked us to protect ourselves. There was no time to think about it. We left the country believing we would return in 15 days, but I have now been outside El Salvador for nine months.

How has exile affected you, as a woman and as a human rights defender?

The first months were filled with uncertainty. Violence and aggression against defenders increased, and our organisation was forced to close its operations in the country. There was no turning back.

There was a period when I felt depressed. Not only for being away from my country, but because I thought I could not continue my work. I am now separated from my family, but I am working, and that is a very important source of encouragement….

What actions should the international community take to ensure a safe environment for defending human rights in El Salvador?

The international community must closely monitor human rights violations in El Salvador and must pay close attention to what is happening in our country, questioning the anti-democratic methods and internal policies. International cooperation allows us to keep working. It is important that organisations that support human rights groups look for new ways to cooperate so that the work can continue from outside the country.

https://www.omct.org/en/resources/blog/it-is-my-way-of-life-and-my-legacy-interview-with-a-salvadoran-woman-human-rights-defender-in-exile

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cristosal, El Salvador, exile, Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, OMCT, profile, video clip, woman human rights defender, Zaira Navas

UN experts condemn murder of human rights defender Zweli ‘’Khabazela’’ Mkhize’ in South Africa

April 16, 2026

On 15 April 2026 UN experts deplored the killing of Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize and urged South Africa to ensure accountability.

“Mkhize’s murder forms part of a sustained pattern of violence and killings targeting human rights defenders within the Abahlali baseMjondolo movement,” the experts said. “Such heinous acts of violence constitute a direct assault on the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms.”

On 20 January 2026, Mkhize was shot and killed by two men in the eNkanini occupation. Prior to his murder, he had been subjected to death threats as a result of his opposition to the illegal sale of local land. “Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize, a leading member of the Abahlali baseMjondolo movement, was renowned for his dedication to the protection of housing and land rights in South Africa,” the experts said.

They warned that land rights defenders face heightened vulnerability to attacks and threats to their lives in retaliation for their human rights work, stressing that robust measures must be put in place to ensure their effective protection in line with the State’s obligation under international law.

“We urge South Africa to ensure a prompt, effective, impartial and thorough investigation into the killing and to take all necessary measures to hold those responsible accountable,” the experts said.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/south-africa-un-experts-condemn-human-rights-defender-zweli-khabazela

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Housing rights, Human rights defender, impunity, killing, land rights defender, South Africa, UN Special Rapporteurs, Zweli ‘’Khabazela’’ Mkhize’

Kyrgyzstan Court releases Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy ahead of retrial

March 28, 2026

Front line Defenders on 27 March 2026 shared an update on human rights defender Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy:

On 23 March 2026, the Leninskii District Court of the City of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, ordered the release of a woman human rights defender Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy from prison. At the preliminary session of the retrial in her case, the Court changed the measure of restraint and granted her release from the penal colony where she had been detained. Her release is conditional upon an order not to leave the country. The retrial is scheduled to begin on 7 April 2026.

Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy is a woman human rights defender and journalist. She is the director of Temirov Live and Ayt Ayt Dece. Temirov Live is a YouTube-based media outlet that investigates and reports on corruption by state and non-state actors in Kyrgyzstan, founded in 2020 by Bolot Temirov, a prominent Kyrgyzstani human rights defender and journalist. Ayt Ayt Dese is a YouTube-based project aimed at popularising human rights issues through the performance and publication of folk songs on human rights topics. Among other topics, Ayt Ayt Dese has covered investigations by Temirov Live.

On 23 March 2026, Leninskii District Court of the city of Bishkek commenced the retrial of the case of Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy with a preliminary session. The retrial was set following a decision of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan on 10 March 2026. Based on Opinion No. 52/2025 by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial and overturned the previous rulings that sentenced the woman human rights defender to six years in prison.

At the preliminary session, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy’s lawyers filed three motions. First, the defence attorneys requested the Court to declare the expert witness evidence from previous trials as inadmissible, arguing that authorities had pressured the expert witnesses into giving false testimonies. The issue of evidence tampering by the authorities was previously highlighted in the case of human rights defender and whistleblower Zhoomart Karabaiev, who was on trial for reporting that authorities pressured expert witnesses to provide statements supporting the prosecution. The second motion requested that the Court immediately and unconditionally ceases all judicial proceedings against Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy. The third motion sought a change in her measure of restraint, from detention in the penal colony to release under the condition that she remains in the country. While the Court denied the first two motions, it agreed to change the measure of restraint for Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, leading to her release later that day.

Upon her release, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy expressed gratitude for the support she has received since the beginning of the prosecution against her in 2024. However, she also shared that she was subjected to psychological pressure and violence from the authorities in the penal colony, which aimed at exacerbating her isolation from the community supporting and defending her rights.

Front Line Defenders welcomes the Court’s decision to release Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, who has been targeted solely for her peaceful and legitimate human rights work. The organisation continues to call upon the authorities in Kyrgyzstan to immediately and unconditionally cease all types of persecution targeting the woman human rights defender and drop all charges against her.

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/court-releases-makhabat-tazhibek-kyzy-ahead-retrial

Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: free, history, human rights, Human rights defender, Journalist, Kyrgyzstan, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, news, politics, Temirov Live, woman human rights defender, writing

Human rights lawyer Xie Yang sentenced to five years in prison in China

March 25, 2026

A court in China sentenced the prominent human rights lawyer Xie Yang to five years in prison on March 23, 2026, on politically motivated charges of “inciting subversion of state power,” Human Rights Watch said on 24 March 2026. The Chinese government should immediately quash the conviction, which followed serious procedural violations and years of persecution, and free Xie unconditionally

The Changsha Intermediate People’s Court cited several of Xie’s WeChat posts as the basis for the verdict, Xie’s former wife, Chen Guiqiu, posted on social media. The court also ordered the confiscation of 100,000 yuan (US$14,500).

“The Chinese authorities’ prosecution of Xie Yang and the court’s harsh sentence reflects Beijing’s utter contempt for the rule of law,” said Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This case not only aimed to persecute a brave human rights lawyer like Xie, but to intimidate all lawyers seeking to protect Chinese people’s rights.”

The legal proceedings against Xie were marred by serious violations of due process protections, Chen said. The authorities extended his pretrial detention 13 times for a total of over four years and barred his lawyers from participating in his hearings. Xie’s October 2025 trial was held in secret, police only told his family afterward. [see also https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/02/11/joint-civil-society-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-xiamen-gathering-crackdown/]

Xie’s trial violated the right to a fair trial by an independent and impartial court as provided under international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said. In addition, the proceedings violated China’s Criminal Procedural Law, which guarantees a right to a defense (articles 33-35), public trial hearings (article 188), and time limits for a criminal investigation. With time served, Xie’s sentence is expected to go to January 2027.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has recognized Xie’s detention as arbitrary and called for his immediate release.

Xie, 54, from Changsha, Hunan province, began practicing law in 2011. He has defended activists and victims of rights abuses in politically sensitive cases, including cases of religious persecution and land rights disputes.

Xie has faced repeated retaliation for his work. In July 2015, during the nationwide arrests of human rights lawyers known as the “709 crackdown,” Xie was tortured and subjected to enforced disappearance, convicted of “inciting subversion,” and imprisoned until 2017.

The authorities detained him again in January 2022 after he pressed for the release of a young teacher who had been forcibly committed to a psychiatric facility for criticizing censorship in education. Police raided Xie’s home, tortured him in custody, and held him on charges of “inciting subversion” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” said the US-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

“Foreign governments should continue to speak out for human rights lawyers like Xie Yang because this kind of support is most important when the circumstances are so dire,” Wang said. “Vocal international support could improve Xie’s treatment, and crucially, help give him and others in China the strength to persevere.”

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2637445/world

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/23/china-prominent-rights-lawyer-sentenced-to-5-years

https://safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/5-years-tortured-chinese-rights-lawyer

Posted in HRW, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: China, fair trial, HRW, Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, Maya Wang, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Xie Yang

The Human Rights Foundation welcomes UN opinion condemning Cambodia’s detention of Koet Saray

March 24, 2026

HRF welcomes UN opinion condemning Cambodia’s detention of Koet Saray

On 23 March 2026 the Human Rights Foundation welcomed the opinion issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) finding that Cambodia’s detention of activist Koet Saray violates international human rights law, following an HRF submission.

Mr. Koet Saray is a human rights defender and former president of the Khmer Student Intellectual League Association (KSILA), a group dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, development, and environmental protection that has now ceased operations after the regime targeted more of its members. He was arrested on April 5, 2024, after posting photos on social media from a meeting with Preah Vihear Province villagers who had been forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for a rubber plantation. Mr. Koet Saray advocated for the villagers on social media and through interviews given to media outlets about the evictions.

Cambodia charged Mr. Koet Saray with “incitement” under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code, controversial provisions that the WGAD described as so vague and overbroad as to invite abuse and misuse and as incompatible with international legal principles. He was also charged under Article 88, Cambodia’s recidivism provision, due to prior fabricated incitement charges for participating in a peaceful protest in 2020. He was held in pretrial detention for six months before being tried in a one‑day, closed‑court proceeding, and he was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison on Nov. 6, 2024.

“The Working Group’s opinion confirms that Cambodia weaponized vague criminal statutes to silence a peaceful human rights defender,” said HRF International Legal Associate Kaitie Holland. “Cambodia clearly violated Mr. Koet Saray’s rights to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. We commend the Working Group for its thorough legal analysis recognizing the pattern of abuse against Mr. Koet Saray and calling out his illegal pre‑trial detention, the use of overbroad incitement provisions against him, and the denial of a fair trial.”

HRF joins the WGAD’s call for the immediate release of Mr. Koet Saray and for a full, independent investigation into the circumstances of his arrest, trial, and imprisonment. HRF urges the international community to hold Cambodia accountable for the detention of Mr. Koet Saray and other activists who are arbitrarily imprisoned under the country’s abusive incitement laws.

https://hrf.org/latest/hrf-welcomes-un-opinion-condemning-cambodias-detention-of-koet-saray/?mc_cid=5612a9f9ae&mc_eid=f80cec329e

Posted in Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Foundation, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cambodia, freedom of expression, Human rights defender, Human Rights Foundation, Koet Saray, right to housing, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD)

Interview with Mary Lawlor the departing Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

March 15, 2026

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22592839/

Drivetime on RTE Radio of 13 March 2026 carries an interview with Mary Lawlor the departing UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders about her work as a human rights activists.

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22592839/

Andrea Bolaños Vargas next Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders?

Posted in Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, interview, Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, woman human rights defender

Where is Nicaraguan Indigenous Leader Brooklyn Rivera?

March 14, 2026

On 13 March 2026 the Havana Times follows up on Amnesty International’s international campaign for Indigenous Leader Brooklyn Rivera of Nicaragua.

Brooklyn Rivera, former deputy of the indigenous YATAMA political party. File photo: Confidencial

The Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners is demanding that the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo provide “proof of life” in the case of Brooklyn Rivera, the Miskito indigenous leader. Rivera was abducted by police on September 29, 2023, and has been in a state of “forced disappearance” ever since.

Sources linked to the Nicaraguan Army told CONFIDENCIAL that the indigenous leader, who until his arrest served as National Assembly representative for the indigenous YATAMA party, is in “dangerously poor health.” According to these sources, Rivera is currently “in police custody at a state-run hospital in Managua.”

On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Mechanism reported that since his detention, his family members “haven’t heard anything from him. They have not been able to see him or obtain information on his whereabouts.” To date, his family has gone “895 days without knowing where he is,” and, according to that organization, concern is “even greater due to his delicate state of health.”

The 73-year-old indigenous leader was arrested at his home in Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas), on Nicaragua’s North Caribbean Coast. Since then, there has been no official information regarding his whereabouts, and his family has been unable to see him or communicate with him. “Rivera reportedly suffers from high blood pressure and, following his arrest, was reportedly transported by ambulance due to his medical condition,” the Mechanism noted.

The lack of official information has left his condition unclear. Since his arrest, his family has been subjected to threats, harassment, and persecution by the National Police and prison authorities.

For decades, Rivera was one of the most prominent voices in the defense of the territorial, political, and cultural rights of the Miskito people and other indigenous communities in the region. In July 2025, Tininiska Rivera, daughter of the Miskito indigenous leader, denounced the repression against indigenous leaders to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “As a daughter, I have been forced into exile after receiving threats and living under a constant atmosphere of persecution,” she reported.

The human rights organization Amnesty International included Rivera in an international campaign calling for the release of three prisoners of conscience worldwide, including lawyer Sonia Dahamani of Tunisia and photojournalist Sai Azael Thaike of Myanmar.

https://havanatimes.org/features/where-is-nicaraguan-indigenous-leader-brooklyn-rivera/

https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/nicaragua-authorities-must-provide-proof-of-life-for-brooklyn-rivera/

Posted in Amnesty international, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, Brooklyn Rivera, disappearance, Havana Times, Human rights defender, indigenous groups, Miskito, Nicaragua, Tininiska Rivera, YATAMA party

Acid Attack Against Human Rights Defender Andrie Yunus in Indonesia

March 14, 2026

Front Line, Amnesty International, Forum Asia and several newspapers reported on this shocking event: On the evening of 12 March 2026, human rights defender Andrie Yunus became the victim of a targeted acid attack by two unidentified perpetrators in Central Jakarta. The human rights defender sustained severe chemical burns, including on his hands, face, chest, and eyes. The attack occurred immediately after Andrie Yunus participated in a podcast on ‘Remilitarism and Judicial Review in Indonesia’, a central topic of his human rights work. The human rights defender fell from his motorcycle, experiencing severe pain. He was immediately brought to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment. Medical examination confirmed burns on approximately 24% of his body.

Andrie Yunus is a human rights defender and the Deputy Coordinator for External Affairs of KontraS, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan). Founded in 1998, it is one of Indonesia’s leading human rights organisations. KontraS monitors human rights situation in Indonesia and documents cases of enforced disappearances and state violence. Andrie Yunus was among the human rights defenders and activists who participated in the Fairmont Protest in March 2025. Since then, he has repeatedly been targeted with intimidation and harassment in connection with his human rights work. At the Fairmont Protest, Andrie Yunus was part of the efforts to oppose the revision of Indonesia’s Military Law (RUU TNI), which allows active-duty military officers to hold positions in 14 state institutions without needing to resign. The ratification of this law in March 2025 led to a significant expansion of the military into civilian and political affairs.

According to KontraS, none of Andrie Yunus’s belongings were stolen during or after the attack, indicating that robbery was not the motive. The organisation affirms that the attack was premeditated as the perpetrators selected the specific time and location immediately after Andrie Yunus’s public engagement on militarism in Indonesia. This attack has been the most severe incident in the series of intimidation attempts and violations against KontraS and its staff members. Since March 2025, KontraS’s office in Jakarta has been surveiled by unidentified persons and on multiple occasions in March and April 2025, army vehicles were observed stopping outside the office and photographing the premises.

Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the acid attack against human rights defender Andrie Yunus and asserts that it was a reprisal for his legitimate and peaceful work in the promotion and protection of human rights in Indonesia. Front Line Defenders is gravely concerned that this attack forms part of a broader and escalating pattern of intimidation targeting KontraS and other human rights defenders in the country.

Moreover: Unidentified assailants ambushed Veronika Lumban Tobing in Jakarta, beating her and warning her to halt activism on corruption and indigenous land rights. This violence directly ties to her exposés on elite-driven encroachments in North Sumatra, mirroring patterns where Human Rights advocates face retaliation for public interest work.

https://impactpolicies.org/news/840/indonesias-hrd-assault-signals-free-speech-crisis-under-eit-law

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/acid-attack-against-human-rights-defender-andrie-yunus