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Title | Date added | Template | Original document | Paragraph text | Body | Document type | Thematics | Topic(s) | Person(s) affected | Year |
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Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 79 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 81 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 82 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 89 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 95 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In addition, the Special Rapporteur encourages journalists and citizen journalists to be aware of the dangers involved before entering a conflict or disaster zone and to receive appropriate training, including knowledge of first aid and munitions. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur notes that a number of media organizations have formulated guidelines for journalists so that they can be better prepared for assignments in a war zone. Such guidelines include the International News Safety Institute safety code, the Charter for the Safety of Journalists Working in War Zones or Dangerous Areas, developed by Reporters without Borders, and the Journalist Safety Guide of CPJ. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 96 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The emergence of "online journalists" - both professionals and untrained so-called "citizen journalists" - play an increasingly important role in documenting and disseminating news in real time as they unfold on the ground. Journalists who publish their work online should be afforded the same protection under articles 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Any restriction applied to online content must also be in conformity with the three-part test set out in article 19, paragraph 3, of the Covenant. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 97 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Laws that criminalize expression continue to be used by States to imprison journalists who disseminate "inconvenient" information. Journalists may be arrested and detained, particularly in the run-up to elections, often on the basis of vague anti-terrorist or national security laws. The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned that the current number of journalists in prison is the highest since 1996. Criminal prosecution of journalists creates a "chilling effect" that stifles reporting on issues of public interest. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 99 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The protection of journalists and combating impunity requires context-specific measures that address the specific risks in each situation and effectively addresses the root causes of attacks. While there are many organizations committed to ensuring the protection of journalists at all levels, there has not been much collaboration and joint strategies adopted at the international level. The Special Rapporteur thus welcomes the initiative to draft a United Nations joint Plan of Action on the Protection of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity and looks forward to its effective implementation. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 100 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 111 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | 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. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 116 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In keeping with the United Nations Action 2 programme, the Special Rapporteur encourages other United Nations agencies to support the protection of journalists by ensuring that United Nations actions at the country level are grounded in human rights principles and guided by international norms and standards. Training and toolkits, such as those provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in relation to journalists working on HIV/AIDS and corruption, for example, could be tailored to the protection of journalists. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 93 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | While armed conflict situations may place journalists at risk, the Special Rapporteur notes that the majority of attacks against journalists take place outside of armed conflict situations. Individuals who cover public demonstrations, report on issues such as corruption, human rights violations, environmental issues, organized crime, drug trafficking, public crises or emergencies are placed at particular risk of violence. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur also reiterates the importance of the following concerns. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Protection of journalists and media freedom 2012, para. 94 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Central challenges in relation to human rights violations committed against journalists include various forms of intimidation, physical attacks - including abductions and killings -, arbitrary detention, as well as impunity and the use of criminal laws to imprison and intimidate journalists. Female journalists face additional risks, such as sexual assault, mob-related sexual violence at public events or sexual abuse in detention or captivity. Due to social, cultural and professional stigmas, many of these attacks are not reported. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
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. 79 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | States cannot ensure that individuals are able to freely seek and receive information or express themselves without respecting, protecting and promoting their right to privacy. Privacy and freedom of expression are interlinked and mutually dependent; an infringement upon one can be both the cause and consequence of an infringement upon the other. Without adequate legislation and legal standards to ensure the privacy, security and anonymity of communications, journalists, human rights defenders and whistleblowers, for example, cannot be assured that their communications will not be subject to States' scrutiny. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
The right to freedom of opinion and expression in electoral contexts 2014, para. 83b | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [Accountability mechanisms are a crucial means of ensuring that regulatory frameworks are enforced and abuses of power are rectified. Impunity is a root cause of the lack of safety faced by journalists. In the context of promoting free expression during electoral processes, States should:] Guarantee the safety of journalists and media workers; legislative and policy measures must be adopted to prevent attacks against journalists and to eradicate impunity in relation to episodes of violence and intimidation; | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
The protection of sources and whistle-blowers 2015, para. 61 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | National legal frameworks must protect the confidentiality of sources of journalists and of others who may engage in the dissemination of information of public interest. Laws guaranteeing confidentiality must reach beyond professional journalists, including those who may be performing a vital role in providing wide access to information of public interest such as bloggers, "citizen journalists", members of non-governmental organizations, authors and academics, all of whom may conduct research and disclose information in the public interest. Protection should be based on function, not on a formal title. | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Violations committed against defenders by non-State actors 2010, para. 51 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur hopes that the present report will contribute to raising awareness of the responsibility of non-State actors to comply with the provisions of the Declaration on human rights defenders. It is paramount that non-State actors acknowledge the important role of defenders in ensuring the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone. Non-State actors, including private companies, could play a key role in the promotion and protection of the rights and activities of human rights defenders. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Security and protection of human rights defenders 2010, para. 113d | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [The Special Rapporteur would like to recommend to States the following minimum guidelines regarding protection programmes for human rights defenders:] Protection programmes should include an early warning system in order to anticipate and trigger the launch of protective measures. Such a system should be managed centrally and risk assessment should involve different groups of human rights defenders. The seasonal changes and examples of insecure situations mentioned above should be taken into account when designing such systems; | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
On the Declaration on human rights defenders 2011, para. 78 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur remains concerned that more than a decade after the adoption of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, although some progress has been made, many countries continue to pass laws and regulations that restrict the space for human rights activities and that are incompatible with international standards and with the Declaration in particular. Even where efforts are made to adopt laws that are in line with international standards, their ineffective implementation often remains a problem. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
On the Declaration on human rights defenders 2011, para. 97d | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [Regarding registration laws and procedures, the Special Rapporteur recommends that:] In the event of the adoption of a new law concerning civil society organizations, all previously registered non-governmental organizations be considered as continuing to operate legally and be provided with fast track procedures to update their registration. Unless a new law is adopted, existing laws governing the registration of civil society organizations should not require that organizations re-register periodically; | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
On the Declaration on human rights defenders 2011, para. 102 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | States should ensure that security legislation is not applied against human rights defenders as a means to prevent their human rights work. States must guarantee the possibility for human rights defenders to effectively monitor the application of security legislation. In the context of the arrest and detention of a person under security legislation, defenders should, at a minimum, have regular access to the detainee and to basic information on the substance of the charges on which the detainee is held. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 105 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Based mostly of the review of the communications sent by the mandate during the period between 2004 and 2009, women defenders and those working on women's rights or gender issues seem to be more at risk of being threatened, including death threats, and being killed in the Americas region than in other parts of the world. Arrest and further judicial harassment and criminalization of the work of have been more commonly reported in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Moreover, these defenders also risk being exposed to the reported torture, mistreatment and widespread use of excessive force by State agents in the context of arrests and detention. Furthermore, women defenders face a greater risk of being subject to sexual harassment, sexual violence and rape. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
Use of legislation to regulate activities of human rights defenders 2012, para. 102 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | States should ensure that civil society, national human rights institutions and other stakeholders are involved in a broad consultative process to ensure that the drafting of new legislation is in compliance with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and other applicable international human rights instruments. States should provide adequate time for such stakeholders to analyse the implications of the draft law in question and ensure that feedback is easy to provide and taken into account in the preparation of the law. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Selected groups of defenders at risk: journalists and media workers, defenders working on land and environment issues; and youth and student defenders 2012, para. 117 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur is very concerned at the extraordinary risks that these groups of defenders face due to their work in defence of human rights. Most of these risks not only directly affect their physical integrity and that of their family members, but also include the abusive use of legal frameworks against them and the criminalization of their work. The Special Rapporteur is also extremely concerned at reports received indicating that State actors, including Government officials, State security forces and the judiciary, are the perpetrators of many of the violations committed against these defenders. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 77 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Communities and those defending their rights play a crucial role in shaping development policies and projects that are people-centred and non-discriminatory by impeding economic and political elites to monopolize the development of such policies and projects. Human rights defenders are key for ensuring the effective implementation of a human rights-based approach to development, as outlined above, which is why they should be able to carry out their activities without fear of intimidation or harassment of any sort. This is particularly relevant in the context of the discussion on the post-2015 development agenda. Civil society is calling for meaningful participation, higher levels of accountability from Governments and international institutions and the protection of human rights under the rule of law. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 78 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Human rights defenders are at the heart of the development process and can be key actors in ensuring that development is inclusive, fair and beneficial for all and that dialogue is used to reinforce social cohesion and pre-empt conflict and the radicalization of positions. Defenders can play a crucial role as members of teams conducting human rights impact assessments, formal multi-stakeholders oversight mechanisms and mediation and grievance mechanisms and as independent watchdogs monitoring the implementation of large-scale development projects. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 79 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In order for defenders to play such a role, State and non-State actors responsible for large-scale development projects need to engage with stakeholders, including affected communities and those defending their human rights, in good faith. A human rights-based approach to development requires this; if stakeholders are not engaged in good faith, the process remains a formality and an opportunity will be lost in terms of improving relations and defusing tensions among stakeholders and ensuring sustainable and people-centred development, as well as in terms of the sustainability of the project itself. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 84b | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Donors and investors should:] In the same vein, make human rights impact assessments a requirement for obtaining funding, and ensure the inclusion of proper mitigation strategies (including for setting up project- or company-level accountability and grievance mechanisms) and realistic assessments of whether a project can be implemented without causing an adverse impact on the human rights of those affected, recognizing that such an impact is unacceptable and should not be funded; | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Role of national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights and as protectors of human rights defenders 2013, para. 116 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | As established by the Paris Principles, national human rights institutions should have broad and solid mandates and be properly equipped to be able to operate independently. Credible national institutions are autonomous from the influence of Government and ensure pluralism in their composition and activities, particularly through effective interaction with civil society organizations working on human rights issues. Members and staff of these institutions can be considered as human rights defenders and, as such, should be supported by public authorities and protected if needed. | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Role of national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights and as protectors of human rights defenders 2013, para. 120g | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [To national human rights institutions:] Should establish a focal point or an entity dedicated to human rights defenders with specific attention to groups of defenders at particular risk such as women defenders and those working for women's rights and gender issues; those working on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities; defenders working on environmental and land issues; journalists; and lawyers. This entity must be adequately resourced in order to respond promptly to reported violations and to offer necessary protection; | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 |