A/66/203
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders
Summary
The present report maps out the rights provided for in the Declaration on the
Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote
and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and
analyses what the different rights entail, as well as the various aspects necessary to
ensure their implementation. The report also addresses the most common restrictions
and violations faced by human rights defenders and provides recommendations to
facilitate implementation by States of each right.
The aim of the report is twofold: to increase the awareness of States of the
rights provided for in the Declaration and to serve as a practical tool to defenders
working to ensure respect for the rights to which they are entitled under this
instrument.
Despite efforts to implement the Declaration, human rights defenders continue
to face numerous violations of their rights. It is hoped that the present report will
contribute to the development of a safer and more conducive environment for
defenders to be able to carry out their work. A more comprehensive commentary
concerning the Declaration is available in the section on the work of the Special
Rapporteur of the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights.
Contents
Page
2
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
II.
Right to be protected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
III.
Right to freedom of assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
IV.
Right to freedom of association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
V.
Right to access and communicate with international bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
VI.
Right to freedom of opinion and expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
VII.
Right to protest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
VIII.
Right to develop and discuss new human rights ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
IX.
Right to an effective remedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
X.
Right to access funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16
XI.
Permissible derogations and the right to defend human rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17
XII.
Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18
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