Posts Tagged ‘Human Rights Defenders’

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Transnational Repression against Journalists in Exile

January 9, 2026

Transnational repression (TNR), the cross-border targeting, intimidation, and harassment of journalists and human rights defenders, is increasingly undermining press freedom and human rights in Europe and beyond. Journalists in exile often remain subjects of sustained threats, surveillance, cyber-attacks, psychological pressure, and harassment long after reaching presumed safety. These tactics are used by authoritarian states to silence dissent, extend their reach beyond borders, and weaken the role of independent media globally. This is demonstrrated in the 18 December 2025 Position Paper written by Katrin Schatz, Journalists-in-Exile Programme Manager,

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) stands firmly against any form of repression that endangers journalists in exile and undermines fundamental freedoms. As a Europe-focused organisation, our mandate centres on strengthening press freedom across the continent. Much of our documented experience with transnational repression comes from our support work in Germany, particularly through the Journalists in Exile (JiE) programme, which gives us direct insight into how these threats continue even after relocation. Our analysis, monitoring and advocacy consistently show that current policy frameworks are insufficiently equipped to address the reality of transnational repression.

Transnational Repression targets journalists in exile

Many Journalists in exile remain at risk. ECPMF’s research on transnational repression in Germany from 2025 finds that journalists who fled authoritarian contexts continue to experience threats, intimidation, surveillance and psychological pressure in their host countries. These tactics are part of a broader strategy by autocratising states to control dissent.

One of the most known examples is the case of Egyptian investigative journalist Basma Mostafa, whose reporting exposed torture and extrajudicial killings. { see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/11/30/human-rights-defenders-story-basma-mostafa-from-egypt/] . 

Her case was picked up in a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and echoed in statements by civil society organisations. Despite these actions, German authorities have not yet persecuted anyone. Such inaction by authorities often push journalists in exile to stop reporting or not report attacks against them whatsoever. Her case shows that exile does not guarantee safety for journalists targeted by states seeking to silence them across borders. 

ECPMF’s Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) platform shows exactly this – through the recently initiated category documenting threats against journalists in exile, ongoing surveillance, digital harassment and family members being targeted are reported. However, cases of transnational repression are rarely documented, not because they don’t exist, but because of the extreme sensitivity of the issue: publicity can endanger journalists’ families at home, expose those in exile to additional targeting, and many affected journalists choose or are advised to remain discreet for safety reasons. 

Transnational repression threatens press freedom and democratic space

Transnational repression is not only an attack on individual journalists, it is a direct assault on press freedom and democratic spaces globally. However, acknowledging the personal strains of those affected is essential: many journalists in exile face isolation, trauma, financial precarity, and the constant fear that reprisals could reach them or their families, friends, and colleagues. 

TNR tactics take place across multiple contexts: through digital harassment, spyware, coordinated smear campaigns, threats to family members, diplomatic pressure, misuse of international legal instruments, or using diaspora networks to intimidate critics abroad. Together, they form a pattern: a systematic effort by authoritarian and autocratising states to suppress independent journalism far beyond their borders. Coupled with the EU’s lack of reaction, this perpetuates cycles of violence and silencing. 

By creating a climate of fear among critical voices and disrupting professional and personal safety TNR systematically undermines freedom of expression, independent journalism and the safety of journalists. Journalists in exile play an indispensable role in informing the public through international reporting, providing independent coverage from authoritarian contexts where local journalism is heavily restricted or impossible.

Gaps in policy and protection in the EU

Increasingly restrictive migration and return policies

The EU’s use of “safe country of origin/ third country” frameworks and streamlined return mechanisms risk exposing journalists to environments where they continue facing repression. Recent decisions by the European Council, endorsed by 39 MEPs , including the designation of countries with documented human rights violations, including press freedom violations as “safe” contradicts the very essence of protection that asylum and refugee policies are meant to provide. 

The EU-wide list of safe countries will include: Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia. ECPMF is highly concerned about the dangerous implications of this policy for journalists and human rights defenders. 

Lack of comprehensive frameworks

Current EU instruments still do not provide a systemic approach to TNR. There is no binding definition, no integrated action plan, and no framework that aligns migration policies, human rights obligations, digital safety, and cross-border policing responses to transnational repression. Existing mechanisms remain fragmented, leaving journalists without coherent pathways to protection. 

Fragmented national responses

At the EU member state level, responses to TNR are inconsistent. Few governments started to formally acknowledge the threat and explore legal or policy measures, while others lack official recognition and structured responses. Even when awareness exists, protection mechanisms remain fragmented, under-resourced, or inaccessible. Journalists, just as any other person seeking refuge, also face racial discrimination within domestic systems, which can influence how their cases are treated. 

Civil society has often stepped in where states have not taken responsibility. In Germany, the Coalition Against Transnational Repression has emerged as a key actor, bringing together human rights and diaspora organisations to push for stronger national policies. At the same time, many institutions and law enforcement bodies lack sufficient knowledge or training to identify transnational repression patterns, assess cross-border threats, or understand the jurisdictional complexities involved. Limited cooperation between migration authorities, police, prosecutors, and security services further weakens effective responses. As a result,  national responses remain predominantly reactive rather than preventive, leaving journalists in exile exposed to ongoing risks. 

ECPMF’s position and demands

Transnational repression is pervasive and increasingly dangerous. Journalists who have fled oppression continue to face coordinated pressure, digital harassment, legal threats, and physical intimidation across borders. As seen through the experiences of fellows in ECPMF’s Journalists-in-Exile programme, exile does not guarantee safety. Threats often follow them into Europe, leaving them vulnerable even in countries that are supposed to offer protection.

Current human rights and migration policies fall short of addressing the lived realities of journalists in exile and, in some cases, may even increase the risks they face. EU migration policies could force journalists back into the very environments from which they fled, thereby further jeopardizing their safety. This reflects the wider gap in the protection of journalists, where national and EU responses to transnational repression remain inconsistent, under-resourced, and fragmented.

ECPMF calls on the European Union, its member states and international bodies to take the following actions to better protect journalists in exile and combat transnational repression:

  • Develop and implement comprehensive legal frameworks that recognise the specific cross-border threats faced by journalists in exile, including digital harassment, surveillance, physical attacks, and threats to family members.
  • Ensure the protection of journalists within migration systems, with clear safeguards against forced returns to countries where they face repression, in line with the international principles of non-refoulement.
  • Develop and support national and EU-level mechanisms to monitor and respond to transnational repression, including dedicated hotlines, coordinated support services, and legal aid for affected journalists.
  • Include transnational repression in the EU’s strategic documents and policies for safeguarding democracies and combating disinformation and malicious interference, including the European Democracy Shield and similar documents, to ensure that the protection of those fighting repression is part of a comprehensive approach to preserving our democracies.
  • Incorporate transnational repression explicitly into EU foreign policy, ensuring that the EU’s human rights policies hold countries accountable for using repressive tactics against journalists in exile, as well as creating a system of sanctions and diplomatic pressure to address perpetrators.
  • Strengthen cooperation between member states, creating a coherent and coordinated EU response to transnational repression, with particular attention to the intersectional risks faced by journalists, including race, gender, and migration status.
  • Engage civil society and human rights organisations in the design and implementation of policies related to journalists in exile, ensuring that those who are most affected have a direct role in shaping the response.
This position paper was written by Katrin Schatz, Journalists-in-Exile Programme Manager, with contributions by Basma Mostafa, Journalists-in-Exile Fellow, Edith Bohl, Journalists-in-Exile Programme Officer, and Ena Bavčić, Senior Advocacy and Policy Advisor.
Position Paper: Transnational Repression against Journalists in Exile

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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 4th 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 4th 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 4th 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

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Call for applications for the 2026 Global South Fellowship programme

January 8, 2026

This opportunity allows human rights defenders to develop their projects and take part in an academic and cultural exchange in a safe space. Apply before January 21. Are you a human rights defender from a country in the Global South who must carry out your work in an emergency or high-risk context? Our fellowship program could offer you a calm and safe space to work; provide you with the opportunity to build bonds of solidarity and companionship; and exchange knowledge with our researchers on tools and strategies for action-oriented research.

We have six thematic lines and areas at Dejusticia to which you can apply.

If you believe your profile and needs are a good fit with our fellowship program, please check our terms and apply before January 21, 2026 (11:59 P.M., UTC-05:00).

We are looking for people with different profiles:

  1. Those who come from an emergency or high-risk context. An emergency or high-risk context may include any of the following:
    • The country/city where the fellow works is experiencing armed conflict, civil unrest, or is under an authoritarian government with an imminent threat to the individual security of the candidate.
    • The fellow and/or their organization has been the target of threats, intimidation, or populist propaganda that poses a risk to their human rights defense work or to their family’s safety.
    • The fellow or their organization has been excluded from funding due to government or private sector influence, or has been subjected to pressure aimed at obstructing the work of the individual/organization.
  2. Those who are at risk of burnout and are seeking a quiet place to continue working on human rights issues, but in a different context.
  3. Those who belong to human rights organizations in the Global South and wish to engage in exchanges and joint research or advocacy work with Dejusticia.
  4. Those who intend to build long-term relationships with other fellows and with Dejusticia. This ensures that our fellowships function as accelerating nodes for connections that will make the human rights movement more coordinated and generate greater impact.

What will fellows receive from Dejusticia?

Dejusticia will cover travel expenses (visa, airfare) and provide a monthly stipend based on the fellow’s profile and experience. While Dejusticia will provide initial support at the beginning of the process—including, during the first two weeks of work, a training space on amphibious research and on Dejusticia’s work—it is important to note that selected fellows will be responsible for managing their stipend to cover their housing, transportation, and food needs.

What will be the commitments of fellows from the Global South?

The fellow will allocate their time at Dejusticia as follows:

  • 65% to develop and implement work associated with a broader project of the host area/line.
  • 25% to continue supporting the work of their home organization remotely.
  • 10% to develop at least one blog post reflecting on their experience or work, to be published on Dejusticia’s Global Blog.

How to apply to the fellowship program

The call will be open until January 21, 2026

Dejusticia will cover travel expenses (visa, airfare) and provide a monthly stipend based on the fellow’s profile and experience. While Dejusticia will provide initial support at the beginning of the process, it is important to note that selected fellows will be responsible for managing their stipend to cover housing, transportation, and food needs. The program also includes one week of in-person training at Dejusticia on action-oriented research tools, writing, among others, as well as an organizational induction.

DOWNLOAD ALL THE INFORMATION TO APPLY HERE
FIND THE APPLICATION FORM HERE

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Apply for ISHR’s 2026 training for defenders

January 7, 2026

Are you a human rights defender working on democratic backsliding and/or racial justice, keen to use the UN to push for change at home? If so, apply for the 2026 edition of ISHR’s flagship training, the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP)!

After a successful edition in 2025, ISHR is pleased to launch the new call for applications for the 2026 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP26), which will take place both remotely and in Geneva and will be focused on thematic and context area! Below are some important dates to consider before applying:

  • Mandatory distance learning course: 13 April – 8 June 2026 (part time)
  • In-person course in Geneva: 10- 20 June 2026 (full time)
  • Deadline to apply: 15 January 2026, midnight CET (Geneva Time)
  • Programme description with all related information can be downloaded here.
  • Application form can be found here.

What’s new for HRDAP 2026?

For the last 10 years, this flagship training has equipped human rights defenders with the knowledge and skills to integrate the UN human rights system into their existing work at the national level in a strategic manner. 

Following an external review of the programme in 2024, as well as to maximise impact and enhance follow-up, for 2026 the HRDAP selection criteria are evolving: they are based on 2 themes focused on context area and thematic advocacy, according to ISHR’ strategic priorities and opportunities at the UN: democratic backsliding and racial justice. The HRDAP themes will change annually (see the criteria below and the programme description for more details).[see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/11/27/ishrs-training-for-human-rights-defenders-2025/]

12 participants will be selected for the 2026 edition of HRDAP.

What are HRDAP objectives?

By participating in the programme, defenders will:

  1. gain knowledge and tools, which they can use to ensure their voice is central in international human rights decision-making
  2. explore and compare the benefits of engagement with the Human Rights Council, the Special Procedures, the OHCHR, the Universal Periodic Review and the Treaty Bodies, and examine how they can use them to bolster their work at the national level
  3. develop networks, strategies and advocacy techniques to increase the potential of their national and regional advocacy work.

How is HRDAP organised?

HRDAP topics

Defenders will complete a 10-week hybrid learning programme through a participatory approach, which will include:

  • accessing the HRDAP Platform, where they can complete e-learning courses on each key UN human rights mechanism and on advocacy strategies, and access interactive learning materials and case studies on the ISHR Academy
  • taking part in live Q&A sessions with human rights experts
  • receiving continuous advocacy support and personalised coaching in order to develop concrete advocacy objectives to make strategic use of the international human rights system
  • building networks around the world, and learning from peers from a range of regions working on a range of human rights issues
  • applying their knowledge to case-studies scenarios and enhancing their advocacy toolbox according to their specific needs
  • receiving support and advocacy accompaniment to conduct activities during the 62nd and 63rd Human Rights Council sessions and other relevant opportunities.

Participants will have the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills while being in Geneva as well as to meet and share with their peers and experts. The blended format of the course allows defenders to continue their vital work on the ground, while diving into the inner workings of each key UN human rights mechanism and gaining first-hand experience from advocates and UN staff on how civil society can strategically engage in the international human rights space.  

What are the criteria and themes for selection?

This programme is directed at experienced human rights defenders working in non-governmental organisations, with existing advocacy experience at the national level and some prior knowledge of the international human rights system. In 2026, we will select human rights defenders working on democratic backsliding and racial justice.

Defenders working in contexts of democratic backsliding 

This theme is for human rights defenders working in democratic countries where authoritarian practices are gaining ground. 

We particularly welcome applications from defenders who are: 

  • pushing back against repressive laws, attacks on free expression, or restrictions on the freedom of peaceful assembly and association 
  • documenting abuses linked to police and military violence, arbitrary arrests, surveillance, or harassment 
  • fighting for justice, transparency, and the rule of law, and refusing to let democratic institutions be dismantled without accountability. 

Defenders working on racial justice 

This thematic is for defenders working to dismantle systemic racism and build societies rooted in equality and dignity. We will select applications from defenders focusing on anti-racism, exclusion and police violence, including anti-Black racism as experienced through legacies of colonialism and the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans, Indigenous (including Afro-Indigenous) communities working on historical injustice and reparations, as well as defenders of migrants and asylum seekers. We also welcome applications from mothers working for accountability for their children, victims of police violence. 

Please read the programme description for more information on the criteria.

https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/hrdap-2026-apply-for-ishrs-training-for-defenders-working-on-democratic-backsliding-and-racial-justice

https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/hrdap-2026-apply-for-ishrs-training-for-defenders-working-on-democratic-backsliding-and-racial-justice

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Transnational Repression: A Year in Review

December 29, 2025

The Human Rights Foundation published on 22 December 2025 four blog posts covering the increasing phenomenon of transnational repression [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/03/19/transnational-repression-human-rights-watch-and-other-reports/]

Transnational Repression: A Year in Review

Blog PostDec 22, 2025Transnational Repression: A Year in Review At home, autocrats, having consolidated their power, enjoy near-total impunity, crushing dissent through brutality, prisons, torture, and censorship.

The lasting impacts of transnational repression

Blog PostDec 22, 2025The Lasting Impacts of Transnational Repression Transnational repression is a growing threat to global human rights. In 2025, authoritarian regimes continued to surveil and silence dissidents abroad, relying on physical, legal, and digital tactics to reach beyond their borders and clamp down on the fundamental freedoms of these courageous individuals.

Weaponizing the International System

Blog PostDec 22, 2025Weaponizing the International System Authoritarian regimes have more tools than ever at their disposal to target dissidents and activists abroad.

Transnational Repression: Violence beyond borders

Blog PostDec 22, 2025Violence Beyond Borders Transnational repression has become a common tactic for authoritarian regimes seeking suppression of dissent beyond their borders. With the rapid spread of technology, globalization, and unprecedented ease of global mobility, it is easier than ever for regimes to reach their opponents, even from thousands of miles away.

see also: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/10/azerbaijan-expands-crackdown-on-activists-in-exile

and

https://www.newarab.com/news/egypt-targets-critics-abroad-punishes-families-home-report?amp

https://www.wola.org/2026/04/six-months-of-impunity-the-attempted-murder-of-yendri-velasquez-and-luis-peche-demands-an-urgent-response/

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/04/22/no-safe-harbor-en

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Belarus marks Lawyers’ Day with 18 human rights defenders in prison

December 22, 2025
img
The image of Themis. Photo: SB. Belarus Segodnya

The first Sunday in December is Lawyers’ Day in Belarus. It is celebrated against the backdrop of the fact that at least 18 lawyers, human rights activists, and legal professionals remain in prison. Since 2020, according to the Right to Defence project, 146 lawyers have had their licenses revoked, and dozens have been charged with administrative and criminal offences. Among those currently imprisoned for political reasons are Aliaksei Barodka, Vital Brahinets, Aliaksandr Danilevich, Maksim Znak, Anastasia Lazarenka, Siarhei Khlystou, and Yuliya Yurhilevich.

On November 29, the Homyel Regional Court convicted 41-year-old preacher Aliaksei Yahiela, charged with “assisting extremist activity” under two parts of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code. Yahiela, who has a medical background but also worked as an evangelical preacher and healthy-lifestyle activist, had attracted attention, even from state media, for his anti-smoking initiative. Initially, it was unknown what sentence Aliaksei would receive.

However, it later emerged that he had been sentenced to imprisonment and is currently being held at Homiel’s Pretrial Detention Center No. 3.

Marharyta Yasevich, 29, a BSU history graduate from Lida, was convicted of “assisting extremist activity” under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code. Yasevich, who, after graduating, ran a business in Smolensk and lived in Samakhvalavichy for the last few years, was sentenced, according to preliminary information, to imprisonment under house arrest.

https://en.belsat.eu/90442202/belarus-marks-lawyers-day-with-18-lawyers-and-rights-defenders-in-prison

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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

https://spring96.org/en/news/119966

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New study shows that on-line attacks against women human rights defenders doubled

December 16, 2025
Stressed businesswoman working on laptop at home, tired freelancer

On 15 December 2025 Emma Woollacott, in Forbes, referred to a new study that shows that 7 in 10 women human rights defenders, activists and journalists have experienced online violence in the course of their work. Produced through the UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women program and supported by the European Commission, “Tipping point: The chilling escalation of violence against women in the public sphere” draws on a global survey of women from 119 countries.

Along with online threats and harassment, more than 4 in 10 have experienced offline harm linked to online abuse — more than twice as many as in 2020, the researchers found. This can range from verbal harassment right up to physical assault, stalking and swatting.

“These figures confirm that digital violence is not virtual — it’s real violence with real-world consequences,” said Sarah Hendricks, director of policy, programme and intergovernmental division at UN Women.

“Women who speak up for our human rights, report the news or lead social movements are being targeted with abuse designed to shame, silence and push them out of public debate. Increasingly, those attacks do not stop at the screen — they end at women’s front doors. We cannot allow online spaces to become platforms for intimidation that silence women and undermine democracy.”

And AI is only making things worse, with almost 1 in 4 women human rights defenders, activists and journalists having experienced AI-assisted online violence, such as deepfake imagery and manipulated content. This is most often the case for writers and public communicators who focus on human rights issues, such as social media content creators and influencers, for whom the figure reaches 30%.

“Gender-based online violence is not a new phenomenon, but its scale certainly is,” said report co-author Lea Hellmueller, associate professor in journalism at City St George’s and associate dean for research in the School of Communication and Creativity.

“AI tools enable the production of cheaper and faster abusive content, which is detrimental to women in public life — and beyond,” Hellmueller added.

Tech firms are partly responsible, the researchers said, with the report calling for better tools to identify, monitor, report and fend off AI-assisted online violence. The researchers also want to see more legal and regulatory mechanisms to force tech firms to prevent their technologies being deployed against women in the public sphere.

“Our next steps include publishing data from the survey about the opportunities for, and barriers to, law enforcement and legal redress for survivors of online violence,” said Julie Posetti, chair of the Centre for Journalism and Democracy at City St George’s, University of London, one of the authors of the report. “We will also focus on creative efforts to counter gender-based online violence and policy recommendations to help hold the Big Tech facilitators of this dangerous phenomenon accountable.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2025/12/15/online-attacks-against-women-human-rights-workers-double-in-five-years/

https://www.globalissues.org/news/2025/12/15/41907

https://theconversation.com/ai-tools-are-being-used-to-subject-women-in-public-life-to-online-violence-271703

https://www.globalissues.org/amp/news/2026/01/07/42053

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European Parliament pledges to tackle transnational repression against human rights defenders

November 15, 2025

On 14 November 2025, Scilla Alecci of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ) wrote about a parliamentary report which identified China and other authoritarian regimes as harassing and attacking dissidents abroad, echoing findings from ICIJ’s China Targets.

European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging member states to confront efforts by authoritarian regimes to coerce, control or silence political opponents and dissidents living in Europe. “Human rights defenders are a key pillar of democracy and the rule of law, and they are insufficiently protected,” a statement from the parliament said.

The resolution, adopted with a majority of 512 votes (to 76 against and 52 abstentions), called for targeted sanctions against perpetrators, market surveillance of spyware and better coordination among European authorities to counter what lawmakers labeled “transnational repression.”

“For the first time, the European Union will call this phenomenon by its name,” rapporteur Chloe told reporters ahead of the Nov. 13 vote. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/03/19/transnational-repression-human-rights-watch-and-other-reports/]

The resolution is not legally binding but signals that European lawmakers want to take a clear position on the issue and draw attention to it, Elodie Laborie, a spokesperson for the Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in an email.

The parliamentary report identifies China, Egypt and Russia among 10 countries whose governments are responsible for nearly 80% of known cases, which include targeted killings, abductions, harassment and the misuse of international policing tools such as Interpol’s red notice system.

It confirms findings by ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, which revealed how Beijing continues to use surveillance, hacking and threats against Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents, Uyghur and Tibetan advocates and their families to quash any criticism of the regime abroad.

See also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/04/28/chinas-tactics-to-block-voices-of-human-rights-defenders-at-the-un-major-report/

https://www.icij.org/investigations/china-targets/european-parliament-pledges-to-tackle-transnational-repression-against-human-rights-defenders

https://www.icij.org/investigations/china-targets/new-eu-report-urges-more-aggressive-action-against-transnational-repression

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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

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/eight-years-prison-sentence-against-woman-human-rights-defender-saadia-mosbah

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