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Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 66h
- Paragraph text
- The work of human rights defenders and the much-needed space for civil society, including for non-governmental organizations and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups and persons, calls for effective safeguards against incursions and reprisals from various protagonists (whether State or non-State actors) who do not comply with human rights. Cooperation with a multiplicity of actors, including community leaders (such as political and religious leaders) and those in the medical and scientific professions, the business sector and the media (e.g. social networks) should be fostered in order to protect against violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, with that protection underscored by international human rights law. This is interlinked with the call for broad-based education, awareness-raising and action responsive to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 25d
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert underlines the key role of civil society and human rights defenders and the need for more effective action to counter threats and reprisals against them. Of note is a submission to the Human Rights Council by a number of non-governmental organizations earlier this year, in which they called upon States, inter alia:] To ensure that organizations working on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics can seek, receive and use funding and other resources from individuals, associations, foundations or other civil society organizations, foreign Governments and aid agencies, the private sector, the United Nations and other entities.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 25a
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert underlines the key role of civil society and human rights defenders and the need for more effective action to counter threats and reprisals against them. Of note is a submission to the Human Rights Council by a number of non-governmental organizations earlier this year, in which they called upon States, inter alia:] To review and repeal all laws and policies which, directly or indirectly, criminalize, stigmatize or discriminate against LGBTI defenders;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 25b
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert underlines the key role of civil society and human rights defenders and the need for more effective action to counter threats and reprisals against them. Of note is a submission to the Human Rights Council by a number of non-governmental organizations earlier this year, in which they called upon States, inter alia:] To ensure the protection of human rights defenders working on issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, against any violence, threat, retaliation, de facto or de jure discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action perpetrated by the State or non-State actors, in response to their human rights activities;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 25c
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert underlines the key role of civil society and human rights defenders and the need for more effective action to counter threats and reprisals against them. Of note is a submission to the Human Rights Council by a number of non-governmental organizations earlier this year, in which they called upon States, inter alia:] To remove barriers to the full recognition, registration and/or accreditation of organizations that promote and protect the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics at the national, regional and international levels;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 59e
- Paragraph text
- The work of human rights defenders and the much needed space for civil society, including non-governmental organizations and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups and persons, calls for more effective safeguards from States against incursions and reprisals from those protagonists, whether State or non-State actors, which act inconsistently with international human rights standards. Cooperation with a multiplicity of actors, including the business sector, the medical/scientific sector, religious and faith groups and the media, including social networks, should be fostered on the basis of international human rights law;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- The Independent Expert took part in a lecture at a seminar for human rights defenders in Manila, highlighting in particular the channels for activating communications through the United Nations special procedures to seek protection and redress. He attended various European activities in relation to the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in Brussels, calling for strategic action to overcome violence and discrimination, including the need for human rights-sensitive laws, policies, programmes, case enforcement in the courts, accessible mechanisms and personnel, resources, education and monitoring, data generation, accountability provisions, and networking and mobilization for national reforms to comply with international standards. During the regular session of the Human Rights Council in March 2017, he contributed to a panel on transgender persons, mental health and human rights and advocated the need to engage more strongly with the health sector, particularly on such issues as conversion therapy, forced sterilization, medical diagnosis and counselling, all of which might be interlinked with violence and discrimination, as well as the need for comprehensive health care for all. Concurrently, he helped to train human rights defenders from several parts of the world on the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity in a session organized by a non-governmental organization.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Rituals involving the use of body parts of persons with albinism have been reportedly used by football teams, wrestlers and musicians. Similar practices were reported for the purpose of winning an election, obtaining a job or promotion, or for business success.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- Given the specific risks to which human rights defenders working in the areas of housing, land, eviction or gentrification are exposed, the Rapporteur aims to support the call for enhanced guarantees for the essential work that they carry out.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- On 26 March 2014, Special Rapporteurs issued a press statement when the local government of Da Nang, Viet Nam, decided to expropriate the land used by Con Dau village for housing and agriculture, which appeared to be a clear case of land grabbing for the benefit of private entrepreneurs. Con Dau was built by many generations of residents who had shaped their culture through the cultivation of rice and church activities. The parish cemetery, a national cultural heritage site, has been demolished and removed to a remote area.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In the Central African Republic, armed clashes escalated in 2014, with Christians and Muslims launching reprisal attacks against each other in a country that had rarely before experienced such sectarian violence. In March 2014, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide described the abuses as crimes against humanity and stated that Muslims were being deliberately and systematically targeted by the anti-balaka militias and by mobs of civilians in Bangui and in the countryside. He had warned in November 2013 of the risk of genocide.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Some attacks may be opportunistic and take place in the context of wider political or social unrest where the normal functioning of law and order has broken down. Following her visit to Ukraine in April 2014, the Special Rapporteur highlighted an escalation of attacks against Roma in the context of ongoing unrest in the eastern and southern regions. In one incident, over 20 men in Slavyansk had entered Roma houses and beaten Roma, demanding money and valuables. Some Roma had been injured and others had reportedly left the region in fear of attack.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- To date, the present Special Rapporteur and the previous mandate holder together sent a total of 26 communications to Member States jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, addressing situations whereby minority rights defenders were targeted because of their work. Some of them suffered reprisals, arrest and detention, as well as expulsion, in connection with their human rights activities. The Special Rapporteur raises her deep concerns about cases of reprisals against minority rights defenders, and urges minority activists to inform her Office whenever any intimidation or reprisal occurs in connection with their work, so that appropriate action can be taken.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Social media platforms have also been used to disseminate hate speech content against groups, which has fuelled intercommunal tensions and led, in some cases, to violent clashes among communities. Following a country visit in July 2014, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar expressed her concern over the spread of misinformation, hate speech and incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility in the media and Internet, particularly targeted against Muslim communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- In April 2014, the International Federation of Journalists adopted the "Brussels Declaration" to combat incitement to hate and violence through media. The Declaration made recommendations to journalists and their unions aimed at upholding the principles and ethics of responsible journalism, including denouncing incitement to hatred whenever identified, ensuring knowledge of codes and guidelines by media workers, promoting education and training of journalists as well as encouraging diversity in media outlets.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- The Panzagar Movement ("flower speech campaign") in Myanmar was initiated in April 2014 by a Burmese blogger and human rights activist concerned by hate speech against Muslim citizens in social media. The Movement was launched under the slogan "Let's moderate our speech to prevent hatred among human beings" and is actively engaged in social networks.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- Norikoe Net is a Japan-based group working to overcome hate speech and racism, often targeted against Koreans, in Japan. The group joined forces with others to collectively counter racism and hate speech by organizing anti-hate speech events and protests and pushing for the enactment of anti-discrimination legislation in Japan.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Media can also contribute to understanding and reconciliation. For example, the Panzagar (flower speech) campaign was launched by activists in 2014 to counter hate speech against Muslims which had become common in the Myanmar media.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The communications reports also reveal acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and sexual abuse, including: threats against activists and lawyers who represent religious minorities; attempts at forcible conversion or recantation under threat of death; threats, interrogation, abduction and kidnapping; deportation, expulsion, disappearances and death threats; forced labour and torture in order to obtain false confessions; searches and raids of homes, and confiscation of property; hate-motivated attacks on property; and mob violence, suicide bombings and execution.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector 2016, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Some projects may evoke broader human rights concerns, such as the protection of the right of individuals to freedom of expression and those of human rights defenders. For example, there have been an unfortunate number of reports of the lives of civil society stakeholders being threatened when they voiced concerns for human rights in relation to multilateral development cooperation activities. Within the human rights framework, partner States are required to create an enabling environment for active and informed participation and the protection of human rights defenders. It is also important to recall that a funding State is responsible in the context of its assistance to a beneficiary State when an internationally wrongful act has been carried out by the beneficiary State if the funding State provides such cooperation with knowledge of the circumstances and if the act would have been deemed wrongful if committed by the funding State.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Emergency or national security laws are also often used to justify restrictions on citizen journalists' expression of views or dissemination of information through the Internet, often on the basis of protecting vaguely defined national interests or public order. For example, on 27 February 2004, the Special Rapporteur, together with the Chairperson of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, sent an urgent appeal to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic regarding the arrest of a person in relation to articles which he distributed by e-mail, mainly from the Akhbar al-Sharq Internet site (www.thisissyria.net). The Syrian authorities were quoted as saying that material on the site is "detrimental to the reputation and security of the nation" and "full of ideas and views opposed to the system of Government in Syria".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- In other cases, laws or decrees that explicitly regulate online expression have been adopted and used to restrict the peaceful expression of opinion and ideas. For example, on 17 May 2010, at the conclusion of his fact-finding mission to the Republic of Korea, the Special Rapporteur issued a press statement in which he expressed concerns regarding Internet-specific legislation, in particular the Framework Act on Telecommunications and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. The Special Rapporteur noted that the former was used as the basis for arresting a blogger for posting online articles which were critical of the Government's economic policy in the context of the financial crisis, while the latter has been used to delete online posts and to sentence or fine individuals who initiated online campaigns for a consumer boycott.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is alarmed and concerned that the number of journalists and media personnel killed in 2009 was the highest since 1992, and that 81 per cent of those killings were deliberate and targeted. While the risk of armed conflict increases the risk to the lives of journalists and other media professionals, more journalists were killed in non-conflict situations, mostly for reporting on organized crime or drug trafficking, environmental matters or human rights violations and corruption, or for voicing criticism of Government or the powerful.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- It is also worrying that the number of journalists forced into exile as a result of attacks, threats and possible imprisonment doubled between 2009 and 2010 compared with the previous year. While the host Government has the obligation to respect and to ensure the rights of all individuals within its territory, regardless of nationality or other grounds, the Special Rapporteur reiterates the obligation of all States to guarantee the protection of journalists and others who exercise their right to freedom of expression in their own countries in the first place.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Citizen journalists have come to play an increasingly important role in gathering and disseminating news, in particular in countries where press freedom is restricted, or in a disaster or conflict zone where professional journalists may not be present. While they cannot replace professionally trained journalists, they contribute to the public's access to a richer diversity of views, opinions and information. Like professional journalists, and for the same reasons, citizen journalists are subjected to acts of harassment and intimidation, including death threats, arbitrarily arrested and detained, prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment and/or to harsh fines, and even assassinated. However, they enjoy less protection than professional journalists, as they do not have the support of media organizations and networks, and lack recognition as professional journalists.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur also encourages all States to establish an early-warning and urgent response mechanism for the protection of journalists; such a mechanism should also exist for the protection of human rights defenders. It should be an official State commission with high-level recognition and an appropriate budget, composed of high-level representatives of State institutions related to security, territorial administration and human rights, as well as representatives of journalists' associations, media associations and non-governmental organizations working on issues related to the right to freedom of expression. The Commission's plan of work and urgent response procedures should be determined through a common agreement among its members, according to the circumstances of the country or a region within the country.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- Bearing in mind that standards exist in international human rights law for the protection of professional journalists outside of armed conflict situations, the Special Rapporteur urges States, with whom the primary responsibility for the protection of journalists lies, to implement those standards at the national level. This includes ensuring that no legislation is passed to unduly limit the freedom of expression of journalists, ensuring the physical and psychological integrity of journalists, and taking steps to tackle impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations against journalists.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur recommends that civil society organizations work to raise awareness of the risks faced by journalists, the international standards which exist to protect them, and how these might be implemented through campaigns and training initiatives; that civil society organizations, including journalists, make efforts to ensure that global standards of professional conduct are met in order to enhance the credibility and protection of journalists; and that they coordinate with one another and with the United Nations in order to ensure that their work is complementary.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The implications of States’ surveillance of communications on the exercise of the human rights to privacy and to freedom of opinion and expression 2013, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Inadequate legal standards increase the risk of individuals being exposed to violation of their human rights, including the right to privacy and the right to freedom of expression. They also have an adverse impact on certain groups of individuals - for example, members of certain political parties, trade unionists or national, ethnic and linguistic minorities - who may be more vulnerable to State communications surveillance. Without strong legal protections in place, journalists, human rights defenders and political activists risk being subjected to arbitrary surveillance activities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to freedom of expression 2014, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In the Republic of Korea, high school students have promoted a major social mobilization against authoritarian practices within the education system. As a result of the public debate generated by the students, in January 2012, the Seoul Metropolitan Council adopted a students' rights ordinance ensuring, inter alia, the right of students to protest, a ban on corporal punishment, the elimination of mandatory participation in religious activities and the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and pregnant students against discrimination. Action for Youth Rights of Korea, an association established by Korean students in the context of this mobilization, continues to promote student activism.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph