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Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- 20. Calls upon Israel to end all harassment, threats, intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders and civil society actors who peacefully advocate for the rights of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including by cooperating with United Nations human rights bodies, and underscores the need to investigate all such acts, ensure accountability and effective remedies, and to take steps to prevent any further such threats, attacks, reprisals or acts of intimidation;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2018
Paragraph
Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- 7. Denounces all acts of intimidation, threats and delegitimization directed at civil society actors and human rights defenders involved in documenting and countering violations of international law and impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and calls upon all States to ensure their protection;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2018
Paragraph
Technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- 14. Condemns all attacks, intimidation, harassment and violence against journalists, media workers, members of civil society and human rights defenders, especially given their role in documenting protests and human rights violations and abuses, and restrictions on freedom of expression;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2018
Paragraph
Work in progress, challenges and the way forward 2017, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur set up consultations with women defenders during each of his country visits. In total, over 15 meetings and consultations were held between June 2014 and January 2017 with the active support of women's rights organizations such as JASS (Just Associates) and the Association for Women's Rights in Development. While some may have found it difficult to appreciate the relevance of these exchanges, the feedback that the Special Rapporteur has received from participants has convinced him of the need to maintain this practice so that women defenders can express themselves independently of the representations made, often unconsciously, by some of their male counterparts. The Special Rapporteur therefore wishes to continue that process and make it part of all future field trips. According to JASS (Just Associates): In a context in which women defenders see their political participation threatened by a resurgence of violence and discrimination, the work of the Special Rapporteur Michel Forst has been essential in protecting and recognizing the critical contribution made by such women to the struggle for justice, equality and peace. The consultations held in different regions of the world and the communications issued by the mandate holder have helped to give a voice to hundreds of women defenders and women's rights organizations that are at risk. These consultations have also made it possible to identify the specific risks faced by women defenders and have promoted the establishment of protection mechanisms that incorporate a gender perspective.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Accelerating efforts to eliminate violence against women: engaging men and boys in preventing and responding to violence against all women and girls 2017, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Continues to express particular concern at the systemic and structural discrimination and violence faced by women human rights defenders of all ages, and calls upon States to fulfil their obligations to prevent violations and abuses against all human rights defenders, including through practical steps to prevent threats, harassment and violence, and to combat impunity by ensuring that those responsible for violations or abuses, including all types of gender-based violence and threats, committed by State or non-State actors, are promptly brought to justice through impartial investigations;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- 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. 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
Work in progress, challenges and the way forward 2017, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has also initiated a series of regional consultations on the impunity enjoyed by those who attack defenders. All too often, the perpetrators of such attacks are not convicted. The distress of victims and families who seek justice and reparation meets with indifference and even hostility on the part of law enforcement and judicial officers. It is therefore important to have a sharper understanding of the situation and to better identify the factors behind impunity so that specific recommendations can be made to States and other actors involved.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The role of digital access providers 2017, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The failure to explain or acknowledge shutdowns creates the perception that they are designed to suppress reporting, criticism or dissent. Reports of repression and State-sanctioned violence in the wake of network disruptions have led to allegations that some States exploit the darkness to commit and cover up abuses. In Sudan, for example, Internet access was shut down for several hours during a deadly crackdown on demonstrators protesting fuel price hikes in September 2013.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Civil society organizations called for more support for women’s organizations on the ground, underlining that women human rights defenders faced daily threats and harassment, and needed greater protection. At the same time, more regulations addressing violence against particular groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups; migrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons; elderly women; women with disabilities; and widows, were also supported.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Preventing and eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace 2017, para. 2d
- Paragraph text
- [Encourages Member States to:] Cooperate with civil society, including women’s and community-based organizations, feminist groups, women human rights defenders, girls’ and youth-led organizations, and unions, in preventing and eliminating sexual harassment, including in the workplace;
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Violence against workers is both a reason for and a consequence of the global weakening of workers' rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In 2015, unionists were murdered in 11 countries for their activism: Chile, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Turkey. Honduras has seen a plague of violence, with 31 trade unionists, 57 rural workers and 28 journalists murdered between 2009 and early 2014, while 62 trade unionists have been assassinated in Guatemala since 2008. This violence is generally delivered with impunity and serves as a terrifying deterrent to workers' exercise of rights of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- In addition to physical violence and attacks, journalists also face a range of punitive measures that threaten their well-being and livelihood. For example, Kuwait and Bahrain have reportedly sought to strip journalists of their citizenship simply for doing their job. In Ecuador, the Government has filed copyright complaints in an attempt to take down content critical of its activities. In my report to the General Assembly in 2015 (A/70/361), I also identified the ways in which sources for journalists are under threat.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Women may also face particular restrictions targeting their expression. In 2013, the Human Rights Council affirmed the fundamental role that freedom of opinion and expression plays in the ability of women to interact with society at large, in particular in the realms of economic and political participation, and called upon States to promote, respect and ensure women's exercise of freedom of opinion and expression, both online and offline, including as members of NGOs and other associations (see Council resolution 23/2). Unfortunately, this commitment remains largely unfulfilled in many parts of the world. In 2014, in Saudi Arabia, two advocates for the rights of women were detained for driving. Earlier in 2016, I, along with other mandate holders, raised concerns about the systematic attacks and threats of sexual and physical violence made against three women human rights defenders and two women human rights lawyers in the State of Chhattisgarh, India.
- 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
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protecting human rights defenders, whether individuals, groups or organs of society, addressing economic, social and cultural rights 2016, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Continues to express particular concern about systemic and structural discrimination and violence faced by women human rights defenders of all ages, and calls upon all States to give effect to the principles and objectives established by the General Assembly in its resolution 68/181 by protecting the rights of women human rights defenders and by integrating a gender perspective into the efforts to create a safe and enabling environment for the defence of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: Preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, including indigenous women and girls 2016, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Continues to express particular concern at the systemic and structural discrimination and violence faced by women human rights defenders of all ages, including indigenous women and girl human rights defenders, and calls upon States to exercise due diligence in preventing violations and abuses against all human rights defenders, including through practical steps, to prevent threats, harassment and violence, and in combating impunity by ensuring that those responsible for violations and abuses, including gender-based violence and threats, committed by State or non-State actors, including online, are promptly brought to justice through impartial investigations;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In the context of protests, it is common for journalists to be detained and prohibited from reporting. Such has been the case in Egypt, where journalists collecting information about demonstrations have been detained and charged on various grounds, including involvement in terrorism. At least seven journalists and media workers in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were arrested and their equipment confiscated for covering looting and public protests. It may also be the case that local officials carry out their functions without appropriately taking into account the roles journalists play, in particular during protests. For instance, a journalist in Mexico covering protests was allegedly detained and severely mistreated by the local authorities. In the United States, journalists covering the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 were subjected to detention by the local authorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Non-State actors are especially responsible for attacks on individuals for expression of belief. Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), its affiliates and some of its supporters have committed atrocity after atrocity around the world on the basis of religious or ethnic affiliation or individual expression of belief. The attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, for instance, were directed specifically against satirists who criticized all forms of dogma, religious or otherwise, although the killers in this instance were allegedly incensed over depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. Beyond ISIL, the series of murders of bloggers in Bangladesh reflects an effort to silence views that reject religious belief altogether. Such assaults are grave attacks on opinion, expression and belief, designed to silence - in a very direct way - not only the specific targets but also anyone who dares express an alternative viewpoint.
- 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
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Good practices in the protection of human rights defenders 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- As mentioned above, experiences of violence, risk and security are often gender-based. Women human rights defenders report how they suffer more from verbal abuse, sexual violence and rape; how gender stereotypes are used to delegitimize their work; and how other factors, such as ethnicity, age, class and sexual orientation, exacerbate the discrimination they face. They emphasize the need for gender-sensitive protection measures that focus on holistic security.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Perhaps most concerning is that Governments often fail to provide measures of protection and accountability that can deter attacks on journalists. The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presented alarming statistics involving killings, kidnappings and other forms of aggression against journalists in the Americas, with extremely limited accountability despite some efforts to create special mechanisms for the protection of journalists. Messages from the most senior leadership matter, as I have pointed out in the wake of threatening comments made by the leaders of Thailand and the Philippines. The widespread failure to hold perpetrators accountable for attacks on journalists suggests the absence of concern for the role that journalists play in democratic societies. My communications have highlighted reports and allegations of the failure of accountability in, among other places, South Sudan, where journalists have been killed and disappeared; Mexico, where journalists have been murdered and accountability is inconsistent; the Philippines, which after nearly seven years has not concluded its investigations and prosecutions against those responsible for the massacre of journalists in Maguindinao; and the Russian Federation, where there are multiple reports of journalists who have been murdered and the perpetrators not held to account.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protecting human rights defenders, whether individuals, groups or organs of society, addressing economic, social and cultural rights 2016, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Strongly condemns the reprisals and violence against and the targeting, criminalization, intimidation, arbitrary detention, torture, disappearance and killing of any individual, including human rights defenders, for their advocacy of human rights, for reporting and seeking information on human rights violations and abuses or for cooperating with national, regional and international mechanisms, including in relation to economic, social and cultural rights;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protecting human rights defenders, whether individuals, groups or organs of society, addressing economic, social and cultural rights 2016, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon all States to combat impunity by investigating and pursuing accountability for all attacks and threats by State and non-State actors against any individual, group or organ of society that is defending human rights, including against family members, associates and legal representatives, and by condemning publically all cases of violence, discrimination, intimidation and reprisals against them;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Human rights defenders in the context of 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 2015, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Urges States to acknowledge through public statements, policies or laws the important and legitimate role of individuals, groups and organs of society, including human rights defenders, in the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as essential components of ensuring their recognition and protection, including by condemning publicly all cases of violence and discrimination against human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, underlining that such practices can never be justified;
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Human rights defenders in the context of 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 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Continues to express particular concern about systemic and structural discrimination and violence faced by women human rights defenders of all ages, and reiterates its strong call upon States to take appropriate, robust and practical steps to protect them and to integrate a gender perspective into their efforts to create a safe and enabling environment for the defence of human rights, as called for by the General Assembly in its resolution 68/181;
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Being a human rights defender involves personally exposing oneself to multiple dangers, including risking one's life or liberty. With the exception of defenders from a few countries, that is the conclusion reached by numerous defenders when they describe the threats and challenges they face. The defenders first testified straightforwardly, but with considerable feeling, regarding the frequent attacks they are subjected to physical, be it in the form of attempted murder, abduction or even acts of sexual violence, which sometimes force them to go into exile, leaving their next of kin behind and devoid of protection. The Special Reporter was struck by the number or instances cited by the defenders, in which they were remanded in custody for no reason, or suffered torture, clandestine arrests or trials by military tribunals. Often enough, when defenders attempt to alert the media to their situation, seek justice and obtain reparation, they encounter a fair amount of indifference. Generally speaking, attacks on them are not investigated and the perpetrators lose no sleep, all of which clearly encourages a culture of impunity. In addition, defenders face obstacles to their freedom of movement both within their countries and, for example, when they seek authorization to leave them to take part in international meetings. Another very worrisome fact is that those attacks do only directly target the defenders; they are also often accompanied by threats and attack on their family members, increasing the pressure they are under.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Their work is often hampered by the lack of legal provisions for access to information or failure to implement such laws. These defenders reported governments' reluctance to protect them, due to the numerous political and economic interests at stake. Finally, defenders working on matters that involve combating impunity are often the targets of attacks or campaigns to intimidate them, and witnesses often receive threats designed to deter them from appearing in court during certain trials.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Human rights defenders in the context of 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 2015, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Strongly condemns the violence against and the targeting, criminalization, intimidation, torture, disappearance and killing of any individuals, including human rights defenders, for reporting and seeking information on human rights violations and abuses, and stresses the need to combat impunity by ensuring that those responsible for violations and abuses against human rights defenders, including against their legal representatives, associates and family members, are promptly brought to justice through impartial investigations;
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and associated media personnel in armed conflict 2015, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned at the frequency of acts of violence in many parts of the world against journalists, media professionals, and associated personnel in armed conflict, in particular deliberate attacks in violation of international humanitarian law,
- Body
- United Nations Security Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and associated media personnel in armed conflict 2015, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Expressing deep concern at the growing threat to the safety of journalists, media professionals, and associated personnel posed by terrorist groups and strongly condemning incidents of killings, kidnapping and hostage taking committed by terrorist groups for any purpose, including raising funds or gaining political concessions, and expressing its determination to prevent kidnapping and hostage taking committed by terrorist groups and to secure the safe release of hostages without ransom payments or political concessions, in accordance with applicable international law,
- Body
- United Nations Security Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
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