There are (fortunately) many conference devoted to human rights defenders, from the mega ones (such as the upcoming HRD Summit in Paris, see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2018/07/24/announcement-of-the-human-rights-defenders-world-summit-in-paris-october-2018/ ] to smaller ons such as the one referred to here in Delhi by the Human Rights Law Network as reported by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) on 19th September 2018. Mr. Venkatesh Nayak , Programme Coordinator, Access to Information, CHRI moderated the inaugural session on “Attacks on RTI activists” at the day-long conference on Defending the Defenders organised by Human Rights Law Network in Delhi today. Panelists who spoke at this session included Anjali Bhardwaj, SNS & NCPRI; A K Parasher, former Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders, NHRC; Abhishek Singh, s/o slain RTI activist Late Ram Vilas Singh, Lakhisarai, Bihar and Sanjay Sahni, MGNREGA Watch, Muzaffarpur. Sanjoy Hazarika, International Director of CHRI made an intervention during the panel on “Attacks on Journalists.”
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is an independent, non-partisan, international non-governmental organisation, headquartered in New Delhi, India, working for the practical realisation of human rights across the Commonwealth. In 1987, several Commonwealth associations founded CHRI as a response to South Africa’s policy of racism. These groups felt that while member countries had a common set of values and legal principles from which to work and a forum within which to promote human rights, there was relatively little focus on human rights issues.
CHRI’s objectives are to promote awareness of and adherence to the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other internationally recognised human rights instruments, as well as domestic instruments supporting human rights in member states.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 