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Environmental human rights defenders 2016, para. 39
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The increased scale of acts of reprisal against environmental human rights defenders protesting against environmental harms caused by projects funded by international financial institutions is disquieting. The submissions received revealed large gaps between professed commitments to participation and accountability and the situation on the ground, pointing to an overwhelming failure by those institutions to assess risks and respond to reprisals effectively. One report documented case studies in Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Uganda and Uzbekistan of reprisals taking a variety of forms. The critics of projects funded by the World Bank Group were reportedly the target of threats, intimidation tactics and baseless criminal charges. Some women faced sexual harassment or gender-based threats, attacks, or insults when they spoke out. Security forces responded violently to peaceful protests, physically assaulting community members and arbitrarily arresting them. In other cases, critics or their family members were threatened with the loss of their jobs or livelihoods. In many countries, such reprisals often occurred within a broader effort to demonize critics as unpatriotic or "anti-development".
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Use of legislation to regulate activities of human rights defenders 2012, para. 28
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In this context, the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that the Human Rights Committee, in paragraph 7 of its general comment No. 29, on states of emergency, found the right to a fair trial to be a non-derogable right to the extent that guarantees of a fair trial may never be made subject to measures of derogation that would circumvent the protection of non-derogable rights. The principles of legality and the rule of law, which, according to the Human Rights Committee in paragraph 6 of its general comment No. 32, on article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, are non-derogable under the Covenant, require procedural safeguards to be respected for persons tried under legislation relating to national security. The Special Rapporteur therefore urges States to abide by those principles and also to ensure that the principles elaborated by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism (A/63/223, paras. 31-42) are respected when trying human rights defenders or their clients under legislation relating to national security.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 77
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- With regard to arrests, detentions and criminalization, the majority of these communications were sent to the Russian Federation (10 communications), Belarus (eight communications), and Uzbekistan (eight communications). In this regard, eleven communications were sent to the Russian Federation, 11 to Uzbekistan, and 10 to Belarus. In this context, those most at risk of arrest appear to include women defenders working on human rights issues related to the conflict in the North Caucasus; pro-democracy advocates, particularly in Belarus; women's rights defenders in Belarus and Uzbekistan, those denouncing violations to the European Court of Human Rights, particularly in the Russian Federation, and women journalists in all three countries. In other European countries, smaller numbers of communications concerning allegations of arrests, and detentions were sent to, inter alia, Turkey, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Spain. Communications regarding other forms of criminalization and judicial harassment were sent to Azerbaijan, France, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, and Turkey.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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. 52
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Surveillance of human rights defenders in many countries has been well documented. On these occasions, human rights defenders and political activists report having their phone calls and e-mails monitored, and their movements tracked. Journalists are also particularly vulnerable to becoming targets of communications surveillance because of their reliance on online communication. In order to receive and pursue information from confidential sources, including whistleblowers, journalists must be able to rely on the privacy, security and anonymity of their communications. An environment where surveillance is widespread, and unlimited by due process or judicial oversight, cannot sustain the presumption of protection of sources. Even a narrow, non-transparent, undocumented, executive use of surveillance may have a chilling effect without careful and public documentation of its use, and known checks and balances to prevent its misuse.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work in progress, challenges and the way forward 2017, para. 54
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with regional mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders was enhanced by increasing the frequency and quality of interaction with the mechanisms, including by holding inter-mechanism meetings. Between June 2014 and November 2016, four inter-mechanism meetings were held between Paris, Geneva, Strasbourg and Brussels. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur is pleased with the many initiatives carried out jointly with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and with the Rapporteur on human rights defenders of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, including joint public communications and events held in the field. In addition, he attended meetings held by the International Organization of la Francophonie, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European External Action Service. If the Special Rapporteur's mandate is renewed, he will seek to strengthen collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and to develop initiatives during the sessions of the African Commission, which he plans to attend in 2017.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 107
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- A key area of concern to the Working Group is the profound level of backlash against women’s human rights gains, which is on the rise both within States and in international spheres. In a climate of rising populism, xenophobia and fundamentalisms, long-established women’s human rights norms are being undermined, heightening the fragility of good practices in this context. In addition, a concurrent attack on women’s organizations, women’s human rights defenders and civil society movements — including feminist, environmental and human rights movements — creates an atmosphere in which these key actors are criminalized, de-funded and even killed, making the question of good practices moot. The Working Group emphasizes the importance of maintaining the autonomy of local and national movements and other civil society actors — including national human rights institutions, public interest lawyers and scholars — as an essential means of protecting and sustaining good practices. Backlashes within intergovernmental forums, as well as at the national level, must be challenged head-on by the international community.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Working Group on discrimination against women and girls
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of digital access providers 2017, para. 22
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Direct access to Internet and telecommunications networks enables authorities to intercept and monitor communications with limited legal scrutiny or accountability. Technological advances have enhanced the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to obtain a direct connection to networks without the involvement or knowledge of the network operator. During the 2014 general election in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, intelligence authorities allegedly obtained direct access to the country’s major telecommunications networks to intercept the communications of over 20,000 people, including politicians, activists, government officials and journalists. Many targets were also sent a transcript of their phone calls. In India, it appears that authorities are developing a Central Monitoring System programme that would enable “electronic provisioning of target numbers by government agency without any manual intervention from telecommunications service providers on a secure network.” These activities do not appear to be provided by law, lacking both judicial authorization and external oversight. Furthermore, the risks they pose to the security and integrity of network infrastructure raise proportionality concerns.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 36
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In 2011 in Egypt, 20 female prisoners were arrested in a peaceful public protest and 17 were subjected to forced virginity testing in a military prison. It is alleged that the purpose was to humiliate them and deter other women from protesting.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Environmental human rights defenders 2016, para. 53
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Environmental human rights defenders are one of the most heterogeneous groups of defenders. The category includes a diverse range of people, profiles and trajectories, from small-scale farmers with no land deeds to environmental lawyers and journalists, from well-organized non-governmental organizations to isolated indigenous communities. In many cases, some of these groups already experience marginalization. In many situations, they do not always have the capacity to challenge decisions in courts or they do not have access to mass media. Their marginalization is also due to the nature of their struggles as human rights defenders. Many become environmental human rights defenders by "accident" or "necessity", taking a stand against injustice or harm to their environment. This may amplify their vulnerabilities, as they may not self-identify as environmental human rights defenders and therefore they may be unaware of their rights or existing protection measures, mechanisms or organizations that could support them. The very specific nature of rural communities can also aggravate their vulnerability, as these communities can be located in isolated areas without access to communication and support networks.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Workplan and Future Activities of the Special Rapporteur 2015, para. 53
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In addition to consultations with human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur will, with a view to making a more detailed analysis, continue to schedule meetings with State representatives when they are in Geneva or in other countries to participate in discussions, round tables or lectures. The aim of such meetings is, first, to hear their comments and points of view on how trends are developing, the effectiveness of protection mechanisms and the impact of national laws on the protection of human rights defenders. Such meetings will also make it possible to discuss with State representatives, as indicated by Council resolution 25/18, the fact that in some instances, national security and counter-terrorism legislation and other measures, such as laws regulating civil society organizations, have been misused to target human rights defenders or have hindered their work and endangered their safety in a manner contrary to international law. There will also be room to discuss the use of legislation to hinder or limit unduly the ability of human rights defenders to conduct their work. This is one of the themes on which the Special Rapporteur will be working in the near future.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 90
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The few observations presented in the present report show that we are dealing with attacks designed to weaken the women and men who are combating injustice and putting themselves in harm's way in order to defend the rights of those who cannot defend themselves. When these defenders are attacked, it is not just them but human rights that are threatened. The defenders we met at these seven consultations run countless risks that leave them distraught and often on their own. The Special Rapporteur is extremely worried about the trends alluded to in this report, especially with regard to the most exposed groups of defenders. He intends to continue exchanging views on certain points that emerged during these consultations in order to exhaust every possible opportunity to provide them with better protection. Positive developments were, nevertheless, reported in the course of these consultations, be it the enactment of domestic laws to protect defenders, certain projects such as the "shelter cities" or the preparation of defenders' kits. The Special Rapporteur will address such initiatives and sound practices in upcoming reports.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 64
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Finally, women defenders complained about women being depicted first as victims, and not as fully fledged actors bringing about change. The role of women defenders is still little known or recognized. They come up against numerous hurdles in their own family, their community and the organizations they work in. Women defenders described national contexts in which they were still perceived as second class players, whose expertise applied only to certain areas and whose contribution to the observance and promotion of human rights remained for the most part invisible. They complained that they were not fully brought into consultation processes, particularly as regards development projects. It should also be pointed out that, in their separate sessions with the Special Rapporteur, women defenders described the situation within non-governmental organizations, where stereotypes favouring men persist. They reported difficulties in being recognized by their male colleagues, in management or decision-making positions. Several women personally invited by the Special Rapporteur to take part in the regional consultations had found themselves replaced by a male colleague.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Elements of a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders 2014, para. 93
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Another group that also faces a high risk of violations are defenders working on land and environmental issues in connection with extractive industries and construction and development projects. Violations in this regard generally occur in the context of land disputes, where the perpetrators are both State and non-State actors. As a response to these trends, the Special Rapporteur argues that a rights-based approach to large-scale development projects could contribute to creating and consolidating a safe and enabling environment for defenders who operate in this context. She has also stressed the need: for transparency and access to information; for protection, which should be provided to affected communities and those defending their rights in this context; and to ensure accountability of duty-bearers and access to appropriate remedy. The Special Rapporteur considers that the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, based on the due diligence framework, are an essential reference and tool for States and other stakeholders involved in the context of business operations and the respect for basic rights and freedoms.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 16
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Rather than demonstrating opposition to development, such actions should be seen as legitimate attempts to defend the rights of those affected directly and indirectly by development projects and policies, as long as they are pursued through peaceful means. Resistance evokes a number of human rights issues, including with regard to the right to freely pursue one's economic, social and cultural development and the right not to be discriminated. Moreover, resistance can be viewed in connection with the rights to participate in the conduct of public affairs and to access information. It can also be framed as a legitimate effort to pursue the highest attainable standard of living and adequate housing and to defend one's privacy. The Special Rapporteur is of the opinion that human rights defenders and the communities whose rights they defend are free to oppose development projects through the exercise of their fundamental rights and that restrictions on those rights have to be applied in accordance with national legislation and the State's international human rights obligations. The Special Rapporteur provided observations on national legislation in her 2012 report to the General Assembly (A/67/292).
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Use of legislation to regulate activities of human rights defenders 2012, para. 80
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In accordance with international standards, prosecutors are prohibited from continuing proceedings when an impartial investigation demonstrates that the charge is unfounded. These standards are violated through the use of unreliable and uncorroborated evidence. In some cases, prosecutors demonstrate further prejudice toward a predetermined outcome by launching an investigation or filing charges in the absence of evidence. The Special Rapporteur notes with concern that preliminary investigations may be used to intimidate, silence or otherwise deter defenders from carrying out their legitimate activities to promote human rights. This contravenes international human rights standards relating to the role of prosecutors, notably articles 13 and 14 of the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors, adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, which state that prosecutors should perform their duties in an impartial and non-discriminatory manner and that they are not to initiate or continue prosecution, or make every effort to stay proceedings, when an impartial investigation shows the charge to be unfounded.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Use of legislation to regulate activities of human rights defenders 2012, para. 21
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- With regard to States practising a regime of authorization for public assemblies, the Special Rapporteur continues to receive reports that such authorizations are denied to human rights defenders intending to raise awareness of human rights or protest against human rights violations. In other cases, assemblies have been permitted to go ahead, but not in the places requested. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the need for States to be notified of assemblies to ensure the safety of participants and surroundings. She shares the position of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association that a regime of notification gives the authorities sufficient notice and that this is the international standard by which States should abide in order to respect the right to assemble peacefully (A/HRC/20/27, para. 28). Nonetheless, the Government should ensure that spontaneous assemblies are permitted to take place and that protesters are able to voice their concerns to their target audience. Referring authorized assemblies to geographic locations other than those designated by the organizers would constitute a limitation on freedom of peaceful assembly.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 68
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The sources of threats, death threats, killings, attempted killings and physical attacks are generally unknown or unidentified, although it has been reported that they are individuals or groups who are in some way affected or linked to those affected by the work carried out by the defenders they target. In this regard, paramilitary and other armed groups, particularly in the Colombian context, are often the source of killings and death threats, which may target large swathes of civil society, often accompanied by the stigmatization of the work defenders do and declaring them to be "military targets". In a few instances in the Americas, law enforcement or military officials were also identified as the perpetrators of killings, threats and death threats. In such cases, the women defenders in question were generally working on issues related to impunity for alleged violations carried out by State agents. Similarly, in Europe, the perpetrators of killings remain unknown; those responsible for threats and attacks were occasionally alleged to be State agents and, in some instances, far-right political extremists and religious groups.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 62
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- During the 2004-2009 period, the mandate sent some 29 communications regarding threats and death threats against this group of defenders in sub-Saharan African countries. Half of these communications concerned those working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this context, those regularly targeted included members of organizations working on women's rights issues, particularly impunity for sexual and other forms of violence against women in the context of the armed conflict, and their family members, along with wives and other female family members of male human rights defenders. The threats delivered included numerous death threats and often accompanied attacks or break-ins at the home of the defender in question. The sources of such threats were often armed individuals and members of the armed groups party to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including State forces and police. A similar pattern of threats against defenders working on women's rights, albeit less frequently reported, was notable in Zimbabwe, primarily women's rights defenders. Other communications were also sent to the Central African Republic, Kenya and Uganda.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of natural resource exploitation projects 2015, para. 48
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- It is worth emphasizing that peaceful protests are typically a measure of last resort, when scope for effective engagement with the authorities or businesses is otherwise limited. In some cases, communities may have gone through consultation processes only to find them, from their perspective, improperly conducted, compromised, corrupt or otherwise unsatisfactory. In other cases, agreements reached between the parties may not be not adhered to. For example in Myanmar, protests against the Monywa Copper Project were allegedly sparked in 2012 when the corporation involved in the mining operations reneged on an agreement with affected villagers to halt operations pending negotiations with them. Police later moved in to disperse the peaceful protest camps using inordinate force (see A/HRC/25/64, para. 28). A failure by a company to abide by a contract signed with the owners of community territory in La Sierrita de Galeana in Mexico also resulted in a peaceful protest that was violently dispersed, allegedly under the instructions of company officials.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 46
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In other cases, inaction by authorities may prevent some groups from exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The Special Rapporteur has received numerous reports from India regarding the disruption of public assemblies of Dalit individuals - members of the country's traditional "untouchable" caste. This includes one case in 2009 in which members of another caste obstructed a funeral procession and beat members of the Dalit community. Police reportedly failed to intervene, despite being present. In Egypt, peaceful female demonstrators were sexually assaulted repeatedly in Tahir Square, largely due to the inaction of law enforcement authorities. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, unidentified individuals violently disrupted LGBTI events in 2008 and 2014. In both cases, the police failed to provide protection to the organizers and participants. In several countries, stigmatization and counter-demonstrations against LGBTI pride parades and marches have also dissuaded organizers from holding such events.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 42
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned about the use of police violence, harassment and judicial intimidation against assemblies held by women in many parts of the world. In Cambodia, for example, female land-rights activists have been targeted for violence, harassment and arrest on numerous occasions. In India, in the State of Orissa, 42 women human rights defenders were arrested and detained for peacefully protesting against the building of a dam. In Sri Lanka, women advocating for investigations into the enforced disappearance of their loved ones face considerable opposition from the Government. In Cuba, women defenders promoting and protecting human rights (Damas de Blanco) have repeatedly been targeted by security forces when peacefully demonstrating for the rights of detainees. Similarly, in Zimbabwe, members of a local women's group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, were beaten and arrested in September 2013 after staging a peaceful demonstration outside Parliament.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral institutions 2014, para. 65
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- There have been repeated instances of reprisals against individuals, or their relatives, participating or seeking to participate in sessions of the Human Rights Council. The most dramatic forms of retaliation involved the loss of lives. For instance, Cao Shunli, a Chinese human rights defender who worked on increasing citizen inputs to the preparations of China's UPR, was arrested in September 2013 before boarding her flight to Geneva to participate in a human rights seminar and observe China's UPR. She was subsequently charged with the crime of "provocation". While in detention, her health dramatically deteriorated as she was allegedly denied medical treatment. She died on 14 March 2014. In December 2008, Edwin Legarda, an indigenous leader and husband of Aida Quilcué Vivas, was killed by security forces on his way to collect his wife at the airport. She was returning from Geneva, where she had participated in the UPR session of Colombia. Six former members of the military were subsequently arrested, tried and sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Families
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 52
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In other cases, civic activists faced arbitrary detention and long prison terms after unfair trials. In Belarus, where multiple home and office raids, arrests, trials and detention of numerous human rights defenders active in civic associations took place as a result of their legitimate human rights activities during the presidential elections in December 2010, including the sentencing of the Chairperson of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" to four and one-half years in detention. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, a prominent lawyer was sentenced in 2011 to 11 years of imprisonment, which was later reduced to a six-year prison term, and a 10-year ban on practising as a lawyer for "propaganda against the State", "collusion and gathering with the aim of acting against national security" and "membership of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre". The accusations brought against the human rights lawyer were allegedly based on interviews she had had with media in relation to her clients, who had been imprisoned after the June 2009 presidential election in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 40
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Since the inception of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has received numerous allegations to the effect that, during electoral periods, political leaders and supporters, particularly from the opposition, face heightened risks. Prior to, during and after an election, those who voice or have voiced dissent are in many countries subject to, inter alia, harassment, intimidation, corruption attempts, reprisals, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment, solely on account of their political opinions or beliefs. In this respect, the Special Rapporteur is disturbed about the case of an opposition leader from Belarus who was subject, in 2011, to a harsh sentencing, after he participated in a rally protesting the outcome of the presidential elections on 19 December 2011. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, concern was expressed in relation to former presidential candidates who staged a rally in solidarity with protesters in Egypt, for which they had sought permission from the authorities, and who have been kept largely "incommunicado" in their homes since February 2011.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 31
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Several States penalize sedition or treason in their laws, targeting critics. Malaysia, for instance, has continued to defend its ongoing prosecution of individuals on the basis of a law that criminalizes seditious words or tendencies, arguing that the law promotes "national harmony". In practice, however, dozens of individuals have been detained or subject to prosecution under the Sedition Act merely for expression critical of the Government. Swaziland detained activists on sedition charges following criticism of the monarchical system of government. India has pursued charges against individuals, including a folk singer accused of writing lyrics critical of local government, on the grounds of section 124 A of its Penal Code, which prohibits expression that may cause "hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection" towards the Government. The Gambia has prosecuted a journalist on the grounds of "sedition" and the "publication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public" under Gambian law. Jordan has detained and prosecuted an academic for allegedly posting anti-Government comments on his Facebook page on the grounds of "undermining the political regime in the Kingdom".
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 27
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Although reporting from situations of armed conflict significantly increases the risks to their lives, more journalists are, in fact, killed in non-conflict situations than are killed during armed conflict. Indeed, the Special Rapporteur would like to underscore the fact that the majority of casualties are not international war correspondents, but local journalists working in their own countries, mostly in peacetime, covering local stories. As highlighted in the joint statement issued by the Special Rapporteur and the three regional rapporteurs on freedom of expression, the Special Rapporteur would like to reiterate that journalists reporting on social problems, including organized crime or drug trafficking, voicing criticism of Government or the powerful, or reporting on human rights violations or corruption are at particular risk. Another factor that often places journalists at risk is reporting on environmental matters, electoral processes, demonstrations or civil disorder. The Special Rapporteur also notes that in at least 4 of every 10 cases in which journalists were murdered, the victims had reported receiving threats before they were killed.
- Body
- Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to work (Art. 6) 2005, para. 51
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Paragraph text
- States parties should respect and protect the work of human rights defenders and other members of civil society, in particular the trade unions, who assist disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups in the realization of their right to work.
- Body
- Treaty bodies: CESCR - Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2005
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women 2017, para. 34
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- 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 Procedures: Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 24
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- 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
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of digital access providers 2017, para. 12
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- 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 Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph