share information on human rights defenders, with special focus on human rights awards and laureates
It is extremely rare for a HRD and especially one that has occupied high-level posts in government and the UN as well as NGOs, to be in person the subject of a song and video. This one is really worth seeing. There is some tongue in cheek but overall the tone is respectful and rightly so as Jan Egeland has made major contributions to the human rights world.
From 6 to 8 June 2012, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) national coordinator Jenni Williams attended an international human rights experts meeting is Oslo, hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She presented the story of WOZA and its mandate of peaceful protest and the brutality of the state in responding with violence.
Amongst those attending were the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association, Maina Kai; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and
expression, Frank La Rue; and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya as well as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders of the Africa commission on human and people rights, Reine
Alapini-Gansou.
The African Commission Special Rapporteur Reine Alapini-Gansou and two United Nations Special Rapporteurs have since released statements.
http://wozazimbabwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Oslo-statement-FINAL1.pdf
and http://wozazimbabwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Press-release-PEACEFUL-PROTEST.pdf
Visit WOZA website at http://www.wozazimbabwe.org or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wozazimbabwe.
This information was provided by the International Secretariat of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC)
On 13 July 2011 the State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gry Larsen, commented in very clear terms on the situation in Iran, saying inter alia: “Iran’s groundless persecution of people connected to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi’s Defenders of Human Rights Center give cause for serious concern.”
A number of Iranian lawyers have recently been given, or can expect to be given, severe prison sentences. Two of the founders of the Human Rights Centre set up by Shirin Ebadi, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah and Mohammad Seifzadeh, have been sentenced to nine and two years’ imprisonment respectively. Another prominent lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani is still waiting for his case to be tried more than two years after he was arrested, and Shirin Ebadi’s own lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment earlier this year.
“The legal proceedings against these lawyers seem to have focused solely on their work to promote and defend human rights in Iran. They are in violation of both national and international principles of the rule of law. For example, the defendants were denied proper legal assistance,” said Ms Larsen.
The Iranian authorities have systematically persecuted people connected to the Defenders of Human Rights Center and confiscated property and materials relating to their work over a period of time in an attempt to stop the centre’s activities.
“Norway urges Iran to fulfil its obligations under international human rights conventions. We particularly urge Iran to stop its campaign against the Defenders of Human Rights Center and to safeguard the rights of people who are themselves working diligently to promote the rule of law in the country,” said Ms Larsen.
Groundless prison sentences for human rights defenders in Iran.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 