ISHR in the media

Desde marzo de 2024, es uno de los quince defensores de derechos humanos seleccionados en todo el mundo para cursar el programa formativo para Defensores de Derechos Humanos del International Service for Human Rights de la ONU. Read the full article here.

See also the articles on Levante, Valencia Diari, A Punt and Valencia Plaza.

 

Sabit Haber, 10 December 2024

Uygur Hareketi, Uygur Soykırımı Tanıma Günü’nün 3. yılını ve Soykırımı Önleme ve Cezalandırma Sözleşmesi’nin 76. yıldönümünü büyük bir ciddiyetle anıyor. 9 Aralık 2021’de, Londra’da bağımsız bir mahkeme olan Uygur Mahkemesi, uzmanlar, kamp hayatta kalanları, göçmenler, insan hakları aktivistleri ve Urumçi’den bir eski Çinli polis memurunun tanıklık ve sunduğu delillere dayanarak, Çin hükümetinin Uygurlar’a karşı işlediği suçların, insanlığın tanımladığı en ağır suç olan soykırım olduğunu doğruladı. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing has continued its relentless crackdown on human rights lawyers like Yu Wensheng, sending a message to present and future rights defenders that the cost of advocating for justice will be their freedom – and their families’ future. Read the full article here.

 

 

ISHR calls for the Chinese government to ensure timely implementation of the recommendations made by the the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in addition to permitting investigations in the region. It also calls on the UN Human Rights Council to install a ‘monitoring and reporting mechanism on the human rights situation’ to ensure the participation of UN bodies for transparency and the protection of human rights. Read the full story here.

 

 

在习近平的领导下，中国加大了对国内公民社会的打压，并试图切断国内与国际非政府组织的联系。作为更强硬全球态度的一部分，中国在联合国中也开始扮演愈加跋扈的角色，包括在人权理事会（HRC）中发起一系列决议，并参与选择人权专家的工作，这些专家将加入特别程序系统。中国在联合国经济及社会理事会（ECOSOC）下属的非政府组织委员会中的表现，正是这一趋势的集中体现。该委员会有权授予 NGO 联合国咨商地位。Read the full article here.

 

 

Vietnamese activist and blogger Duong Van Thai was tried in a closed trial on Oct. 30, 2024, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of probation. Read the full story here.

 

 

Après des années de conflit, un protocole d’accord a été signé jeudi 24 octobre entre la Centrale électrique de l’Ouest guyanais (CEOG) et l’Association Village Prospérité. Il prévoit le retrait des plaintes déposées de part et d’autre et la création d’un fonds de dotation de 1,5 million d’euros à destination du village sur les 25 ans de vie de la centrale électrique, dont l’emplacement a été vigoureusement contesté. Read the full article here.

 

 

 

 

I en nesten ukonkurrert valgprosess valgte FN-landene å ikke støtte Saudi-Arabias kandidatur til FNs menneskerettighetsråd. Det saudiarabiske regimet, som er kjent for sine grove menneskerettighetsbrudd, får dermed ikke en plass i FNs menneskerettighetsråd etter at landene i FNs generalforsamling stemte imot. Saken ble omtalt av organisasjonen International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

Akit, 13 October 2024

Uluslararası İnsan Hakları Servisi’nin (ISHR- International Service for Human Rights) aktardığına göre, Avrupa Parlamentosu (AP), 10 Ekim 2024 tarihinde Strazburg’da yaptığı toplantıda, Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti’nin (ÇHC) ‘İlham Tohtı ile Gülşen Abbas’ı ve Çin’de keyfi olarak gözaltına alınan ve davaları Avrupa Birliği (AB) tarafından İnsan Hakları Konseyi’nde ele alınan kişileri derhal ve koşulsuz olarak serbest bırakmasını’ talep eden çığır açıcı bir önergeyi kabul etti. Read the full article here.

 

 

 

 

The United Nations Human Rights Council has failed to adequately address the escalating human rights crisis in Afghanistan, according to the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), a prominent watchdog organization. Read the full article here.

 

 

 

CDH renueva mandatos de la misión de la ONU y del alto comisionado sobre Venezuela

Espiga, 12 October 2024

Organizaciones de la sociedad civil venezolana como Provea, Alfavic Venezuela, Cepaz, Amnistía Internacional Venezuela, SOS Orinoco, y la iniciativa Justicia y Verdad, junto con entidades internacionales como el Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos (ISHR) y la Federación Internacional por los Derechos Humanos (FIDH), han hecho un intenso esfuerzo para mantener el foco internacional en la crisis crítica del país. Asimismo, países como Chile y Argentina han desempeñado un papel esencial en apoyar esta iniciativa por la causa venezolana. Read the full article here.

 

 

República Democrática del Congo, Etiopía, Benín y Kenia elegidos para el Consejo de Derechos Humanos

Ahors EG, 11 October 2024

En un evento organizado por el International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) y Amnistía Internacional el pasado día 4 de septiembre de 2024, donde los candidatos presentaron sus prioridades, se reveló la falta de participación de algunos países. Solo 12 de los 19 candidatos asistieron, destacando la ausencia de varios Estados africanos, así como la de Bolivia y Arabia Saudita. Read the full article here.

 

 

EU condemns China for human rights violations against Uyghurs

Voice of America, 11 October 2024

The European Parliament overwhelmingly passed an emergency resolution Thursday condemning the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghurs and urging China to immediately and unconditionally release detainees, including Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas. Read the full article here.

 

據悉，今年9月初，古麗仙．阿巴斯的女兒齊巴．穆拉特（Ziba Murat），和總部位於日內瓦的「國際人權服務社」（International Service for Human Rights, ISHR）發起這項行動，並向歐洲議員進行廣泛的遊說。在這個里程碑式的決議通過後，他們也敦促歐盟領袖在聯合國，加強歐盟對維吾爾族命運關切的行動。 Read the full article here.

 

 

欧洲议会以大比数通过一项紧急决议，谴责中国政府侵犯人权的行为，要求立即无条件释放维吾尔族医生古丽仙和学者伊力哈木，停止针对维吾尔人的“反人类罪行”和种族灭绝，以及立即关闭所有拘留营。“国际人权服务社”中国项目经理戴海彦（Raphaël Viana David）表示，全球行动者必须加大压力，直到古丽仙得以保外就医。他促请欧盟成员国遵守动议，以行动展示支持维吾尔人的承诺。Read the full story here.

 

 

International Service for Human Rights program director Tess McEvoy said that ‘when given a real choice, states voted down the less deserving candidate, refusing to hand powerful actors who violate basic rights an enhanced ability to bend key human rights processes in their favour.’ Read the full story here.

See also the article on Barron’s, The Tribune, 24 News, Jurist News, Jacaranda FM and Free Malaysia Today.

 

See also the articles on HotNews and G4media.

 

 

Arab Saudi memperoleh 117 suara, jumlah suara terendah di antara enam negara Asia-Pasifik yang bersaing untuk memperebutkan lima kursi di daftar regional pada pemungutan suara untuk United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) atau Dewan HAM PBB. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

Le Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU, créé en 2006, a pour mission de promouvoir et protéger les droits humains à travers le monde. Cependant, cet organe n’est pas exempt de controverses, notamment en raison de la présence de pays aux bilans contestés en matière de respect des libertés fondamentales. Read the full article here.

 

 

Tess McEvoy, Programme Director at the International Service for Human Rights, added, ‘States voted down the less deserving candidate, refusing to hand powerful actors who violate basic rights an ability to bend key human rights processes in their favour.’ Read the full story here.

 

 

Arabia Saudí no logró entrar en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, encargado de proteger las libertades fundamentales en todo el mundo, al que accedieron este miércoles 18 nuevos miembros, entre ellos Bolivia, Colombia, México y España. Read the full story here.

See also the article on La República (Peru).

 

 

Thailand won its bid for the UN Human Rights Council with the highest number of votes—177—for a three-year term to promote and protect human rights worldwide. The decision was announced by the UN after a secret ballot on Wednesday. According to the tally, Cyprus and Qatar each received 167 votes, followed by South Korea with 161 votes and the Marshall Islands with 120 votes. Saudi Arabia failed in its bid, receiving only 117 votes, the fewest of the six contenders for five vacant seats. Read the full story here.

 

 

L’Arabie saoudite a échoué mercredi à entrer au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU, un rejet par l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies salué par des défenseurs des droits humains qui avaient aussi dans le collimateur des pays d’Afrique qui, eux, ont été élus. Read the full article here.

 

 

L’Assemblée générale des Nations unies a rejeté, mercredi, la candidature de l’Arabie saoudite pour une place au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU. Cette décision, saluée par plusieurs organisations de défense des droits humains, met en lumière les controverses liées aux droits de l’Homme en Arabie saoudite, notamment sous le règne du prince héritier Mohammed Ben Salman. Read the full story here.

 

 

See also the article on RTBF, 7 sur 7, DHnet, Kolda news, Sud Ouest, La Presse (Canada), TVA Nouvelles and Blick.

 

 

 

 

 

Jurist News, 2 October 2024

A coalition of human rights organizations on Wednesday called on United Nations member states to refrain from voting for Saudi Arabia in the upcoming Human Rights Council election, scheduled for October 9. Read the full story here.

 

 

In 2022, a scathing United Nations report about abuses in Xinjiang triggered a storm of scrutiny on Beijing’s human rights record. Two years on, little has been done to raise the issue again at the UN level. Yet, reports of abuses are ongoing, according to human rights groups, which warn that China has built a legal framework to outlaw Uyghur’s right to express their cultural and religious identity. Read the full story here.

 

EIN Presswire,1 October 2024

Efecto Eco es un movimiento digital para darle voz a venezolanos que viven la violación de Derechos Humanos en de la dictadura venezolana […]. Read the full story here.

 

Бирләшкән дөләтләр тәшкилати (б д т) 2022-йили 31-авғустта уйғур елидики кишилик һоқуқ әһвалини баһалаш доклати елан қилип, “шинҗаңда болуватқан ишлар инсанийәткә қарши җинайәтләрни шәкилләндүрүши мумкин” дәп хуласә чиқарған иди. Хитай һөкүмити буниңға тездин қарши чиқип, “шинҗаңдики кишилик һәқләр әң яхши қоғдиливатиду. Бу доклат пүтүнләй асассиз баянлардин түзүлгән” дегән. Read the full story here.

 

IPS News, 26 September 2024

CIVICUS discusses the upcoming election of new members of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council with Madeleine Sinclair, New York Office Director and Legal Counsel at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full article here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Milhões de venezuelanos participaram nas eleições, apesar das irregularidades cometidas pelo governo e das violações dos direitos humanos que tornaram as condições de concorrência desiguais. As autoridades governamentais prenderam membros da oposição, fizeram discursos estigmatizantes, atacaram o espaço cívico, desqualificaram candidatos e impuseram restrições à votação”, acusam as 29 ONG. Read the full story here.

 

Este lunes 9 de septiembre un grupo de organizaciones no gubernamentales exhortó al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas a “renovar el mandato de la Misión Internacional Independiente de Determinación de los Hechos sobre Venezuela”. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

Una treintena de ONG han instado este lunes a Naciones Unidas a renovar su Misión Internacional Independiente de Determinación de los Hechos sobre Venezuela, un grupo de observación encargado de abordar la situación de los Derechos Humanos en el país caribeño, y han hecho hincapié en la importancia de que exista una “rendición de cuentas” a medida que aumenta la “represión postelectoral”. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Infobae.

 

 

“Interromper o trabalho da missão em um momento tão crucial teria implicações negativas para a proteção das vítimas, dos sobreviventes e da população em geral, e poderia incentivar ainda mais o governo [regime] venezuelano a continuar sua repressão brutal”, disseram as ONGs em comunicado conjunto. Read the full story here.

With little progress being made on resolving conflicts and other humanitarian crises globally, countries are bracing for a packed UN Human Rights Council. But the global body’s liquidity crisis is putting a spanner into its operations. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, an organisation advising human rights defenders and promoting rights and accountability, stressed that states should pay their dues to allow the council to effectively carry out its duties to prevent rights violations and ensure accountability. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

BM’den Çin’e Doğu Türkistan Çağrısı: İnsan hakları ihlalleri yeniden gündemde

QHA, 28 August 2024

Uluslararası İnsan Hakları Hizmetleri (ISHR) Çin Programı Müdürü Raphäel Viana David, Yüksek Komiser’in Doğu Türkistan raporunu memnuniyetle karşıladıklarını ve Çin’in BM önerilerini uygulamasını talep ettiklerini açıkladı. Viana David, “Pekin’in eleştirecek bir noktası yok; BM insan hakları bulguları bölünmez ve genel olarak Çin’in anlamlı bir insan hakları reformu yapması için tek gerçek yolu işaret ediyor” dedi. Read the full article here.

 

 

OHCHR敦促中國全面審查新疆政策

Radio Taiwan International, 28 August 2024

聯合國人權事務高級專員公署(OHCHR)27日表示，中國需要全面審查在新疆地區實施的「有問題的法律和政策」，這些政策引發了國際社會對北京當局在新疆侵犯人權的擔憂。 4天後將迎來該機構關於新疆人權的重要報告發布兩週年紀念日。Read the full artile here.

 

 

聯合國批新疆政策 台網紅遭疑加入中國大外宣

Deutsche Welle (Chinese Service), 28 August 2024

聯合國人權高專辦公室指出，中國在新疆仍存在許多「有問題」的法律和政策，呼籲北京「迅速採取措施，釋放所有被任意剝奪自由的人」。與此同時，台灣網紅也被指前往新疆旅遊進行「大外宣」，引發台灣社群媒體熱議。國際人權協會（ISHR）則指出，北京在與聯合國交流中缺乏誠意，今年1月曾在聯合國人權審議期間，拒絕所有涉及新疆報告和聯合國相關機構的建議，不願意讓聯合國調查員可「不受限制」進入新疆。Read the full article here.

 

 

Pelanggaran HAM di Xinjiang, PBB Desak Tiongkok untuk Bertindak

Metro TV News, 28 August 2024

Raphael Viana David, Manajer Program ISHR Tiongkok, menegaskan bahwa sangat penting bagi Dewan Hak Asasi Manusia untuk memantau kemajuan Tiongkok dengan ketat, terutama menjelang sesi berikutnya yang dimulai pada 9 September. Read the full story here.

 

 

L’ONU souhaite des “progrès tangibles” après une visite à Pékin

L’Orient Le Jour / Agence France Presse, 28 August 2024

Raphaël Viana David, de l’ONG Service international pour les droits de l’homme (ISHR), a salué dans un communiqué la déclaration du Haut-Commissariat. “Il incombe désormais à la Chine de prendre des mesures significatives et au Conseil des droits de l’homme de suivre de près la situation jusqu’à ce qu’elle le fasse”, a-t-il observé. Retrouvez la suite de l’article ici.

A voir également: les articles parus dans La Presse et Médiapart.

 

 

Report by UNHRC highlights severe concerns about Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region

ANI News, 28 August 2024

Responding to the dismissal of the UPR recommendations, in a joint statement on behalf of 29 NGOs delivered at the Human Rights Council after China’s remarks, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) urged China to ‘genuinely engage with the UN to enact meaningful reforms’ in line with the recommendations from the UN’s Xinjiang report, UN Treaty Bodies and UN Special Rapporteurs. Read the full story here.

 

 

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), a human rights advocacy group, also gave a guarded welcome to the High Commission’s statement, but urged concrete actions from the UN agency, including setting up a monitoring and reporting outfit to ‘put an end to China’s exceptionalism.’ Read the full story here.

 

Breaking Belize News, 21 August 2024

Оn Аuguѕt 15, thе Nаtіоnаl Аѕѕеmblу раѕѕеd а соntrоvеrѕіаl NGО lаw thаt сrіtісѕ аrguе іѕ dеѕіgnеd tо ѕtіflе сіvіl ѕосіеtу furthеr. Іntеrnаtіоnаl Ѕеrvісе fоr Нumаn Rіghtѕ Еlеаnоr Ореnѕhаw соndеmnеd thе lаw, еmрhаѕіzіng thе urgеnt nееd fоr роlіtісаl аnd fіnаnсіаl ѕuрроrt fоr Vеnеzuеlаn humаn rіghtѕ dеfеndеrѕ. Read the full story here.

 

 

Ein Schild sorgt bei Besuchern des europäischen Hauptsitzes der Vereinten Nationen in Genf für Erstaunen. ‘Diese Rolltreppe ist außer Betrieb’, ist dort zu lesen. ‘Wir entschuldigen uns für die Unannehmlichkeit.’ Die stillgelegte Rolltreppe frisst in großem Maß Energie – deshalb landete das metallene Relikt aus den 1970er-Jahren auf der Streichliste der finanziell notorisch klammen Vereinten Nationen. Read the full story here.

 

 

Ungläubig schaut die Diplomatin aus einem lateinamerikanischen Land die Rolltreppe hinauf. Die Stufen im Palais des Nations, dem europäischen Hauptsitz der Vereinten Nationen in Genf, stehen still. Read the full article here.

See also the articles on Meine Kirchenzeitung and Evangelische Zeitung.

 

 

An allen Ecken und Enden müssen die UN sparen. Ausgerechnet in einer Zeit der Konflikte und Katastrophen kann die Weltorganisation dringend benötigte Hilfe nicht mehr leisten. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Luxemburger Wort ($) and Kleine Zeitung.

 

 

Die Weltorganisation muss massiv sparen, weil Zahlungen ausbleiben. Ausgerechnet in einer Zeit voller Konflikte kann die UN kaum noch helfen. Säumige Mitglieder nehmen das offenbar in Kauf. Read the full story here.

See also the article on MSN.

 

This article examines the extent and solidity of South Africa’s support for China’s attempt to undermine the international human rights system. It does so by evaluating South Africa’s responses to China’s positions on seventeen issue areas of the UN Human Rights Council’s work. More specifically, the article assesses South Africa’s actions in relation to 132 Chinese-backed attempts to amend council resolutions in an anti-human rights direction. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

A technical body in charge of granting NGOs access to the UN is accused of increasingly abusing its power to block certain organisations for political purposes. Some states are taking steps to reform the system, but the efforts are met with significant resistance. Read the full article here.

Rights groups have called for governments to do more to combat transnational repression as a series of recent reports show growing numbers of exiled journalists, political dissidents and rights defenders are being targeted by autocratic regimes in an attempt to silence them. Read the full story here.

 

On July 5, 2024, the International Service for Human Rights delivered a joint statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council under Item 6: Interactive Dialogue on the adoption of China’s 4th Universal Periodic Review. Read the full story here.

 

China met stinging criticism at the United Nations on Thursday from some countries and organisations over its rights record, even as others showered Beijing with praise. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Barron’s.

 

 

See also the article on the Lokmat Times and MSN.

 

Varios de los 193 Estados miembro y ONG de la ONU reiteraron este jueves sus condenas a China por la sistemática violación de los derechos humanos en su territorio, como quedó nuevamente expuesto en el último Exámen Periódico Universal realizado en el país. Read the full article here.

 

 

« Les efforts déployés par les Chinois montrent combien ils sont extraordinairement soucieux de ce que la communauté internationale dit à leur sujet », a commenté Raphaël Viana David, de l’ONG Service international pour les droits de l’homme (ISHR). Read the full story here.

 

非政府組織國際人權服務社 (ISHR) 代表戴維 (Raphaël Viana David) 表示：“中國的所作所為表明，他們非常在意國際社會對他們(人權狀況）的評價。”他向法新社表示：“中國為了標榜自己是(人權）捍衛者而無所不用其極，令人難以置信“。Read the full story here.

 

 

‘The outreach from China to governments asking them to make friendly recommendations and rebuke every single recommendation by the west started as early as September last year and has been done at every single level, in Geneva and even in country’s capitals. So the pressure definitely has been there,’ Raphael Viana David, programme manager for China and Latin America at the International Service for Human Rights, told Geneva Solutions. Read the full article here.

 

 

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has condemned the imposition of the draconian National Security Law (NSL) by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Hong Kong in 2020, which has played a huge role in suppressing the freedom of expression in the city. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on The Print, Indian Narrative, PressWire18, The Hong Kong Herald and MSN.

 

 

 

 

Le Courrier de l’Atlas, 27 June 2024

Plusieurs organisations de défense des droits de l’homme ont demandé à l’ONU d’intervenir pour mettre fin aux violations des droits des minorités musulmanes dans la région du Xinjiang, en Chine. Read the full article here.

 

La inquietud de una coalición de organizaciones de derechos humanos quedó planteada en una carta abierta dirigida a Julio García Zerpa, ministro de Servicio Penitenciario. Un caso emblemático señalado es el de Emirlendris Benítez, detenida en el INOF, y quien ha enfrentado restricciones arbitrarias a su atención médica. Read the full story here.

 

 

En una carta pública y dirigida al ministro de Servicio Penitenciario, Julio García Zerpa, nueve organizaciones internacionales, entre ellas Amnistía Internacional, denunciaron “condiciones inhumanas y torturas” a reos de las cárceles venezolanas, en particular, en Internado Judicial El Rodeo I, ubicado en el estado Miranda. Read the full story here.

 

 

Nueve organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) internacionales denunciaron las condiciones “inhumanas” en las que viven los presos de la cárcel del Rodeo I, ubicada en el municipio Zamora del estado Miranda. Read the full article here.

 

 

Efecto Cocuyo, 26 June 2024

«Según la información que hemos recibido, las condiciones de reclusión en el ‘Rodeo I’ son crueles, inhumanas y degradantes, y en ciertos casos, podrían llegar a constituir tortura«, dijo esta organización junto al Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional; Fundación para el Debido Proceso; Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect; Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos; Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura; Raza e Igualdad; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights y Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. Read the full story here.

 

TalCual, 25 June 2024

Nueve organizaciones internacionales afirmaron que las condiciones dentro de la cárcel de El Rodeo I son intencionales y con el fin de intimidar o coaccionar a presos políticos, por ser considerados disidentes. A estas, se suman «violaciones sistemáticas al derecho a un juicio justo y garantías de debido proceso». Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Venzuela Visión, El Tiempo (Ve), Diario Versión Final, and La Verdad.

 

Çin hükümetinin, insan hakları krizini sonlandırma yönündeki önerileri reddetmesi, Birleşmiş Milletler’deki uluslararası insan hakları incelemelerine karşı duyduğu küçümsemeyi yansıtıyor. Bu durumu, imzalayan insan hakları sivil toplum kuruluşları, 25 Haziran 2024’te yayımladıkları ortak bildiride dile getirdiler. Read the full story here.

 

 

Jurist News, 24 June 2024

Last Thursday, campaigning groups, including the World Uyghur Congress, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Service for Human Rights, urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to provide a public update on the steps taken by both the Chinese government to improve the situation in Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

 

 

Moncloa, 22 June 2024

Cuatro organizaciones no gubernamentales han instado a la ONU a actuar de manera decisiva ante las violaciones de derechos humanos en la región china de Xinjiang, casi dos años después de un informe que alertaba sobre posibles crímenes contra la humanidad. Read the full story here.

 

 

Reuters, 21 June 2024

Campaign groups called on the United Nations human rights chief to take more action over what they said were documented abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Arab News, MSN, The Independent (Ireland), US News, and Swissinfo.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights and the World Uyghur Congress issued a joint call to action. ‘The ongoing absence of public reporting by the high commissioner to follow-up the atrocity crimes documented by his own office, risks undermining the trust placed in his office by victims and survivors,’ they warned. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on The Citizen and Mizzima.

 

News Central, 21 June 2024

This came a day after leading rights groups urged UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk to take stronger measures following a 2022 report by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, which documented alleged ‘crimes against humanity’ against Muslim minorities, including Uyghurs. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

人權觀察、國際特赦組織、國際人權服務社與世界維吾爾代表大會週四（6月20日）發佈聲明，敦促聯合國人權事務高級專員蒂爾克（Volker Türk）應該發表一份更新的公開報告，說明中國政府和聯合國面對新疆維吾爾人權議題上採取的行動。Read the full story here.

 

 

新疆報告發布近2年無下文 人權團體促聯合國勿縱中國

Liberty  Times Net (LTN), 21 June 2024

聯合國人權高專辦（OHCHR）2022年發表「新疆報告」詳細記錄中國侵犯維吾爾族人權行為，至今已近2週年卻無任何後續行動，國際各大人權組織與世界維吾爾代表大會近日發表聯合聲明，要求聯合國對中國「反人類罪行」採取具體措施。Read the full story here.

Presswire 18, 21 June 2024

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Service for Human Rights and the World Uyghur Congress said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk should publicly report on the steps taken by the Chinese government and his/her office to address the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

See also the article on ANI News.

 

 

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, l’International Service for Human Rights et le Congrès mondial ouïghour ont appelé Volker Türk à fournir une mise à jour publique sur les mesures prises par son bureau pour remédier à la situation des droits de l’homme au Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

 

 

România liberă / Agence France Presse, 20 June 2024

Într-o declarație criticată vehement de China, patru organizații importante pentru drepturile omului au solicitat șefului drepturilor omului din cadrul ONU, Volker Turk, să ‘ofere o actualizare publică a măsurilor luate de guvernul chinez și de biroul său pentru a aborda situația drepturilor omului în Xinjiang’. Read the full story here.

 

 

Organizações de defesa de direitos humanos apelaram hoje às Nações Unidas para que sejam tomadas medidas quanto a violações na região chinesa de Xinjiang, quando passam quase dois anos da publicação de um relatório que descrevia ‘possíveis crimes contra a humanidade’. Read the full story here.

See also the article on MSN.

 

‘The ongoing absence of public reporting by the high commissioner to follow-up the atrocity crimes documented by his own office, risks undermining the trust placed in his office by victims and survivors,’ warned Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights, and the World Uyghur Congress. Read the full story here.

 

 

Le Monde / Agence France Presse, 20 June 2024

Plusieurs organisations de défense des droits de l’homme s’impatientent concernant la situation au Xinjiang (nord-ouest de la Chine). Elles ont appelé, jeudi 20 juin, les Nations unies (ONU) à agir, près de deux ans après la publication d’un rapport explosif détaillant de nombreuses violations dans cette région chinoise. Le haut-commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme, Volker Türk, est nommément interpellé par quatre organisations. Read the full story here.

 

 

Plusieurs organisations de défense des droits de l’homme ont appelé jeudi les Nations unies à agir, près de deux ans après la publication d’un rapport explosif détaillant de nombreuses violations dans la région chinoise du Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Mediapart, La Presse (Canada) and Les Echos.

 

Zactus, 20 June 2024

Plusieurs organisations demandent à l’ONU d’agir pour faire cesser les violations des droits des minorités musulmanes dans la région du Xinjiang, en Chine. Ces demandes interviennent suite à un rapport explosif publié il y a près de deux ans par le précédent haut-commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme, évoquant des possibles « crimes contre l’humanité » contre les Ouïgours et d’autres minorités musulmanes au Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

 

 

Le Haut-Commissariat de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme doit en faire davantage pour le suivi du rapport accablant sur le Xinjiang publié il y a deux ans, selon quatre ONG. Jeudi à Genève, elles ont demandé au haut-commissaire de dévoiler les mesures prises par Pékin. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on La Libre Belgique, La Liberté, Léman Bleu, LFM, Swissinfo, Radio Lac and Blick.

 

La Nación Argentina / Reuters, 20 June 2024

Grupos de activistas pidieron el jueves al jefe de derechos humanos de la ONU que tome más medidas ante lo que consideraban abusos documentados contra uigures y otros musulmanes en la región china de Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

 

 

Barron’s / Agence France Presse, 20 June 2024

UN rights chief ‘Volker Turk should provide a public update of measures taken by the Chinese government and by his office to address the human rights situation in Xinjiang’, four leading rights organisations said in a statement. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on New Arab, The Standard, The Daily Tribune (Philippines) and Malaysia Gazette.

 

 

Cuatro oenegés reclaman a la ONU que actúe frente a los abusos de China en Xinjiang

La Nación (Argentina) / Agence France Presse, 20 June 2024

Cuatro oenegés pidieron el jueves a la ONU que actúe frente a las violaciones de derechos humanos en la región china de Xinjiang, casi dos años después de un informe que advertía de posibles crímenes contra la humanidad. Read the full article here.

See also the article on Barron’s.

 

 

Human rights groups call for UN update, action on China’s Xinjiang

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights and the World Uyghur Congress issued a statement Thursday calling for action by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Read the full story here.

 

China Digital Times, 20 June 2024

Chinese authorities are continuing their efforts to Sinicize religious and ethnic minorities. Religious practices during Ramadan were stifled and censored this year, and many mosques across China have been stripped of their Arabic features. Read the full story here.

 

Radio Free Asia, 14 June 2024

In a June 12 statement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights and the World Uyghur Congress said that the talks allow European officials to raise key issues with their Chinese counterparts. Read the full story here.

 

 

 

 

Bahrain Mirror, 31 May 2024

مرآة البحرين: دعت 32 منظمة مدافعة عن حقوق الإنسان الدول الأعضاء في “مجلس حقوق الإنسان” إلى التواصل مع البحرين لضمان إطلاق سراح جميع السجناء السياسيين والمدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان المتبقين في السجون. Read the full story here.

 

 

Mr Sidoti has been Australian Human Rights Commissioner (1995-2000) and Australian Law Reform Commissioner (1992-1995). He has also worked in non-government organisations, including as director of the International Service for Human Rights, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and for the Human Rights Council of Australia and the Australian Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. Read the full story.

 

 

Malaya Business Insight, 14 May 2024

ALBAY Rep. Edcel Lagman yesterday welcomed President Marcos Jr.’s creation of a special committee to promote and protect human rights under Administrative Order No. 22, but said it must be ‘complemented’ with the proposed Human Rights Defenders Protection Act, which he asked the President to certify as urgent […]. Lagman said the bill is based on the Model Law for the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders developed by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full story here.

 

 

The Manila Times, 14 May 2024

House Assistant Majority Leader Raul Angelo ‘Jil’ Bongalon said in a press conference on Monday the creation [the creation of the human rights super body] ‘a positive development’. The bill, he said, ‘defends human rights defenders from harassment, prosecution, and even death at the hands of state agents and their private cohorts. It is largely based on the Model Law for the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders developed by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).’ Read the full story here.

 

BatInfo / Agence France Presse (AFP), 13 May 2024

Un comité de l’ONU, saisi par des Amérindiens de Guyane, a fait part à la France de sa préoccupation face au projet de construction d’une centrale photovoltaïque dans ce département français d’outre-mer en Amérique du Sud […]. La plainte avait été déposée à la demande du chef coutumier du village, Roland Sjabere, par l’Organisation des Nations autochtones de Guyane française (ONAG) avec le soutien du Service international pour les Droits de l’Homme (ISHR), une ONG basée à Genève. Read the full story here.

 

 

Inquirer.net, 13 May 2024

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s creation of a Special Committee on Human Rights must be paired with immediate ratification of the United Nations (UN) treaty on enforced disappearances and Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Protection Act enactment, a lawmaker said on Sunday. ‘The HRD bill defends human rights defenders from harassment, prosecution, and even death at the hands of State agents and their private cohorts. It is largely based on the Model Law for the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders developed by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR),’ [Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman] added. Read the full story here.

 

In the run-up to the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan in Paris last month, and to mark a year since the outbreak of the conflict, several prominent international human rights organisations, press freedom advocates, and humanitarian organisations, have addressed a joint open letter to the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borell Fontelles, as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU member states, urging ‘urgent, strategic, and concrete steps to respond to the massive cost on civilians of the dramatic human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and prevent further violations’. Read the full story here.

 

 

Criterio (Honduras), 8 May 2024

A 8 años del asesinato de Berta Cáceres, feminista, defensora del territorio y de los derechos del pueblo Lenca, las sentencias condenatorias en contra de los autores materiales y el coautor del crimen siguen sin ser firmes y el proceso de justicia bajo ataque. Read the full story here.

 

 

Saisis le 15 mars dernier par le chef du village Prospérité Roland Sjabère, l’Organisation des nations autochtones de Guyane (Onag) et l’ONG International service for human rights (ISHR), basée à Genève, le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale, une instance onusienne, a appelé la semaine dernière la France à respecter les revendications de la communauté amérindienne Kali’na du village Prospérité. Read the full story here.

 

 

VN Comité roept Frankrijk op eisen inheemse Kali’ña in Frans Guyana te respecteren

Dagblad Suriname, 4 May 2024

Deze oproep, ingediend op 15 maart door de Organization des Nations Autochtones de Guyane française (ONAG) en de International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), informeerde CERD-leden over het ontbreken van toestemming van en overleg met het Kali’na-volk over de precieze locatie van het project, ondanks de ligging in een bos van groot cultureel en economisch belang voor het dorp Prospérité. Read the full story here.

 

 

Conflit en Guyane : Centrale Photovoltaïque et Droits des Amérindiens

EnergyNews, 3 May 2024

Burkina/Droits des défenseurs des droits humains : La loi 039-2017 vulgarisée

LeFaso.net, 3 May 2024

La Coalition burkinabè des défenseurs des droits humains (CBDDH) avec l’appui de son partenaire International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) a organisé un atelier de vulgarisation de la loi 039-2017 portant protection des défenseurs des droits humains au Burkina Faso. La rencontre entre les acteurs des droits de l’homme et la Direction en charge des droits humains a eu lieu ce vendredi 3 mai 2024 à Ouagadougou. Read the full story here.

 

 

Ceog et droits des autochtones: une structure de l’Onu exprime “formellement sa préoccupation”

France Guyane, 2 May 2024

Nouveau rebondissement dans la lutte entre le projet de Centrale électrique de l’ouest guyanais (Ceog) et le village Prospérité, dont la forêt vivrière est déboisée par la construction de la centrale électrique. Read the full story here.

 

 

Guyane : un comité de l’ONU se dit préoccupé par la construction d’une centrale électrique à proximité d’un village amérindien

Le Parisien / Agence France Presse (AFP), 2 May 2024

La plainte a été déposée à la demande du chef coutumier du village, Roland Sjabere, par l’Organisation des Nations autochtones de Guyane française (ONAG) avec le soutien du Service international pour les Droits de l’Homme (ISHR), une ONG basée à Genève. Read the full story here.

See also the article on MSN.

 

 

Guyane : un comité de l’ONU préoccupé par la construction d’une centrale électrique

Outre-mer la 1ère / Agence France Presse (AFP), 2 May 2024

Un comité de l’ONU, saisi par des Amérindiens de Guyane, a fait part à la France de sa préoccupation face au projet de construction d’une centrale photovoltaïque dans ce département français d’outre-mer en Amérique du Sud. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on La Provence, Connaissances des Energies, Outremers 360 and Mémento.

 

 

L’ONU exhorte la France à respecter les droits des peuples autochtones face au projet de la CEOG

Radio Peyi, 2 May 2024

Dans une lettre adressée aux représentants français à l’ONU à Genève, le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale (CERD) des Nations Unies se dit « préoccupé » par le fait « qu’il n’y aurait pas eu de consultation ni de consentement libre, préalable et éclairé du peuple Kali’ña avant l’approbation du projet », ainsi que par les allégations de « recours excessif à la force par les forces de l’ordre, de détention, de poursuites judiciaires et de condamnations pénales à l’encontre de dirigeants et de membres du peuple Kali’ña ». Read the full story here.

 

Guyane : l’ONU demande à la France de respecter les droits des Autochtones

Radio Canada, 2 May 2024

Un comité des Nations unies a envoyé une lettre aux représentants de la France à l’ONU pour leur rappeler que leur gouvernement doit consulter et respecter le consentement libre et éclairé du peuple Kali’na, des Autochtones en Guyane française qui s’opposent vivement à la construction d’une centrale électrique. Read the full story here.

 

Œuvre d’art en commémoration aux victimes de racisme

Tribune de Genève, 25 April 2024

Le conseil d’administration a reçu plusieurs sollicitations concernant des victimes de persécutions liées à leur engagement pour les droits humains. Les cas de la Chinoise Cao Shunli et de l’Iranienne Mahsa Amini en font notamment partie. La Ville a décidé d’édifier un monument commun, qui «pourra commémorer l’existence et l’action de ces personnes dont l’engagement pour les droits humains doit être souligné et salué». Read the full story here.

See also the article on MSN.

 

 

How Business Can Play A Role In Making Peace

Forbes, 23 April 2024

A 2018 report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and International Service for Human Rights entitled ‘Shared Space Under Pressure’ urges companies to act affirmatively to protect what the report calls ‘civil society space’. The report outlines a series of concrete steps companies can take to support and protect these local activists. Read the full story here.

 

 

 Book Business Associations Abroad Slam New Hong Kong Security Law

Publishers Weekly, 22 April 2024

The International Publishers Association (IPA) and European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) have raised concerns about the potential limitations on the freedom to publish in Hong Kong following the adoption of the widely criticized new national security law Article 23, which is officially now called the ‘Safeguarding National Security Ordinance,’ on March 19. Read the full story here.

 

Follow the money: What does Middle East investment mean for cycling?

Cyclsit, 22 April 2024

With huge investment pouring into cycling from the Middle East, Felix Lowe asks what this growing involvement means for the future of the sport […]. ‘Cycling is – or should be – a sport characterised by values such as freedom of movement, freedom of expression, equality, diversity, sustainability and respect for the environment. These are not values strongly associated with the authoritarian regimes that rule the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain,’ [Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights] says. Read the full story here.

 

NGOs call on EU for ‘urgent, strategic, and concrete steps’ to address Sudan’s humanitarian crisis

Dabanga Sudan, 12 April 2024

Several prominent international human rights organisations, press freedom advocates, and humanitarian organisations, have addressed a joint open letter to the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borell Fontelles, as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU member states, urging ‘urgent, strategic, and concrete steps to respond to the massive cost on civilians of the dramatic human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and prevent further violations’. Read the full story here.

 

 

Appel : « Algérie, Il faut libérer les détenus et ouvrir l’espace civique »

Le Club de Médiapart, 6 April 2024

À ce jour, plus de 200 personnes sont emprisonnées pour avoir exprimé leur opinion et exercé leurs droits fondamentaux. Pour rendre visible leur détention arbitraire et exiger leur libération immédiate, des militant.es, des associations, des organisations de droits humains et des médias lancent une campagne de mobilisation. Read the full story here.

 

Ong & Associations : « Les violations des droits des migrants en Tunisie se poursuivent »

Kapitalis, 6 April 2024

Plus d’un an après le communiqué de la présidence de la République tunisienne à l’issue de la réunion du Conseil national de sécurité, qui liait la présence de personnes migrant.e.s « à un complot visant à modifier la composition démographique de la Tunisie », les violations systématiques et les campagnes racistes et xénophobes visant les migrant.e.s subsaharien.ne.s en Tunisie se poursuivent, et restent à ce jour impunies. Read the full story here.

 

 جمعيات حقوقية وانسانية تؤكد في بيان مشترك استمرار الانتهاكات ضد المهاجرين والمهاجرات في تونس

Echaabnews, 5 April 2024

الشعب نيوز/ بلاغات – أصدرت مجموعة هامة من الجمعيات الناشطة في الحقلين الحقوقي والاجتماعي بيانا مشتركا عادت في مقدمته على بلاغ رئاسة الجمهورية الصادر منذ سنة على إثر اجتماع مجلس الأمن القومي والذي ربط تواجد المهاجرات والمهاجرين بـ “ترتيب اجراميّ تمّ إعداده منذ مطلع هذا القرن لتغيير التركيبة الديمغرافيّة لتونس” وقالت “أن الانتهاكات الممنهجة والحملات العنصرية التي تستهدف المهاجرات والمهاجرين من جنوب الصحراء في تونس مازالت مستمرة.” – Read the full story here.

 

 

Inside Geneva: Protecting health care in Gaza and defending human rights

Swissinfo, 2 April 2024

The second part of Inside Geneva this week hears from human rights defenders who are attending the current session of the UN Human Rights Council […]. Their work, said Phil Lynch of the International Service for Human Rights, is fundamental to the freedoms we enjoy. Listen to the full episode here.

 

China tries to block NGO tribute to dead dissident at UN

The Hindu / Agence France Presse, 23 March 2024

‘Cao’s courage inspires defenders globally, so let her legacy and name resonate in this room until there is accountability for all victims of reprisals,’ said a Chinese human rights defender whose identity was not given. Speaking on behalf of 37 non-governmental organisations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Service for Human Rights — she included a short silence, which she said was in honour of Cao. Read the full story here.

See also the links on Barron’s, Channel News Asia, MSN and The Citizen.

 

维权人士在UN人权理事会悼念曹顺利 无视中国阻挠

Radio France International (RFI Chinese) / Agence France Presse, 22 March 2024

中国今天试图阻挠维权人士在联合国人权理事会发表针对已故异议人士曹顺利的声明，但西方各国捍卫发言权，维权人士得以顺利发言悼念曹顺利。 Read the full story here.

See also the article on Swissinfo.

 

 

無視中國阻撓 維權人士在UN人權理事會悼念曹順利

CNA News – Focus Taiwan / Agence France Presse, 22 March 2024

中國今天試圖阻撓維權人士在聯合國人權理事會發表針對已故異議人士曹順利的聲明，但西方各國捍衛發言權，維權人士得以順利發言悼念曹順利。多名聯合國人權專家本月14日共同發表聲明稱，從2008年12月起，一些人權維護者倡議並要求參與編寫中國為2009年和2013年聯合國人權理事會普遍定期審議所提交的國家人權報告，曹順利就是這些人權維護者的一員。Read the full story here.

 

 

Homenaje a disidente china fallecida expone fracturas en organismo de derechos humanos de la onu

La Nación / Reuters, 22 March 2024

China interrumpió el viernes un intento de varios grupos no gubernamentales de rendir homenaje a una difunta activista china de derechos humanos, en un tenso incidente en un organismo de la ONU que puso de manifiesto las divisiones entre los países occidentales y los partidarios de Pekín. Read the full article here.

See also the article on Yahoo News (español).

 

 

中国驻联合国人员在日内瓦打断纪念曹顺利的人权倡导者活动

Voice of America (VOA Chinese) / Reuters, 22 March 2024

在联合国日内瓦办事处打断了几个非政府组织（NGO）纪念已故中国人权活动人士曹顺利的活动。这些组织是在纪念10年前因在中国外交部外静坐而被拘留的曹顺利女士。NGO称她的死因是一种“致命的报复”。联合国的报告印证了这些NGO的说法，称中国当局拒绝向曹顺利提供医疗，导致了她的死亡。Read the full story here.

 

 

悼念人权活动家曹顺利暴露联合国人权机构的裂痕

Radio France International (RFI Chinese) / Reuters, 22 March 2024

据路透社报导，周五，在联合国人权理事会发生的一起紧张事件中，中方外交官打断了多个非政府组织向一位已故中国人权活动家的悼念发言，这暴露了西方国家与北京支持者之间的分歧。Read the full story here.

 

ONG logran homenajear a activista china en la ONU tras el décimo aniversario de su muerte

Infobae / Agencia EFE, 22 March 2024

Varias ONG coordinadas por el Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos (ISHR) lograron rendir un breve homenaje en la sede europea de la ONU a la activista china Cao Chunli, fallecida hace 10 años en prisión, pese a que la delegación del Gobierno chino intentó boicotear este acto conmemorativo. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Swissinfo.

 

 

Tribute to deceased Chinese dissident exposes fractures at UN rights body

Reuters, 22 March 2024

China interrupted an attempt by several non-governmental groups on Friday to pay homage to a late Chinese human rights activist in a tense incident at a U.N. rights body that exposed divisions between Western countries and supporters of Beijing. A Chinese human rights defender speaking on behalf of one of the groups, the International Service for Human Rights, held a brief moment of silence at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva to mark the anniversary of her death. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Saltwire, MSN, US News, Nasdaq and Street Insider.

 

 

Why Did China Object to Tribute for Dead Dissident Cao Shunli at UNHRC ?

News18, 22 March 2024

China on Friday tried to block a statement before the UN Human Rights Council about a dissident who was detained and died after trying to travel to the council in 2014. Beijing used procedural moves to object to a statement presented on behalf of dozens of rights groups paying tribute to Cao Shunli, who was detained as she attempted to travel to Geneva ahead of a UN review of China’s rights record. Read the full story here.

 

Côte d’Ivoire : La CIDDH initie un atelier de vulgarisation de la loi portant protection et promotion des défenseurs à l’endroit des organisations féministes

AfrikSoir.net, 22 March 2024

La Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH), avec le soutien financier et technique de l’International Service For Human Rights (ISHR), ont lancé une initiative ambitieuse visant à renforcer la protection des femmes défenseures des droits humains (FDDH) en Côte d’Ivoire. Read the full story here.

 

UN Rights Chief Speaks Out on Hong Kong, but ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ on China Still Frustrates NGOs

Geneva Observer, 21 March 2024

Campaigners increasingly question the effectiveness of Türk’s so-called ‘quiet diplomacy’ with Beijing. Read the full story here ($).

 

Exclusive: UN human rights branch under stress amid liquidity crunch

Geneva Solutions, 20 March 2024

As the United Nations faces its worst liquidity crisis in recent history, experts, staff and observers worry about the ramifications on human rights work […]. The UN’s recent decision that it would no longer provide online services for meetings has drawn outcry from rights campaigners who argue it curtails the possibility of civil society groups and states with little resources to participate. Read the full story here.

 

 

Projet de centrale électrique en Guyane : des peuples autochtones déposent plainte auprès de l’ONU

Outre-mer la 1ère / Agence France Presse (AFP), 15 March 2024

Des peuples autochtones de Guyane ont déposé vendredi une plainte auprès de l’ONU demandant en urgence l’arrêt des travaux de construction d’une centrale photovoltaïque en raison de son “impact environnemental”. La plainte a été déposée par l’Organisation des Nations autochtones de Guyane française (ONAG) avec le soutien du Service international pour les Droits de l’Homme (ISHR), une ONG basée à Genève, devant le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale, qui ne dispose toutefois d’aucun pouvoir de contrainte. Read the full story here.

 

 

CEOG : les opposants au projet saisissent une instance de l’ONU

Guyaweb, 15 March 2024

A la demande du chef du village Prospérité Roland Sjabère, l’Organisation des nations autochtones de Guyane (Onag) et l’ONG International service for human rights (ISHR), basée à Genève, ont saisi ce vendredi 15 mars le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale des Nations Unies. Ils demandent l’arrêt des travaux de la Centrale électrique de l’Ouest guyanais et le déplacement du projet, jugé trop proche du village. Read the full story here ($).

 

 

Guyane : des Autochtones saisissent l’ONU face à un projet empiétant sur leurs terres

Radio Canada, 15 March 2024

Le peuple autochtone kali’na, installé en Guyane française, s’oppose depuis longtemps à la construction d’une centrale à hydrogène sur ses terres. Face à l’inaction de l’État, ils ont décidé de saisir l’ONU […]. L’Organisation des Nations autochtones de Guyane française et l’International Service for Human Rights sont les dépositaires de cette demande. Read the full story here.

 

 

CEOG : Prospérité adresse une requête à l’ONU pour l’arrêt des travaux

Mo News, 15 March 2024

La communauté amérindienne du village Prospérité a adressé une requête urgente au Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale de l’ONU pour l’arrêt immédiat des travaux de construction d’une centrale électrique sur leurs terres […]. Ce projet, situé à moins de 2 kilomètres de leurs terres, a été dénoncé comme une forme de discrimination à l’encontre du peuple autochtone Kali’na. Le chef coutumier Roland Sjabere a déposé une requête avec le soutien de l’ONAG* et de l’ISHR. Read the full story here.

 

Centrale électrique en Guyane : les Kali’na portent plainte devant l’ONU

Reporterre, 15 March 2024

L’Organisation des nations autochtones de Guyane française (Onag) et l’International Service for Humain Rights (ISHR), à la demande du chef coutumier de Prospérité Roland Sjabere, ont déposé un recours auprès du comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination des Nations unies à Genève. Ils réclament l’arrêt immédiat des travaux et le déplacement du projet hors des terres de la communauté. Le Comité tiendra sa session du 8 au 26 avril. Read the full story here.

 

 

Guyane : Plainte à l’ONU contre la construction de la Centrale de l’Ouest

Outremers 360 / Agence France Presse (AFP), 15 March 2024

Des peuples autochtones de Guyane ont déposé vendredi une plainte auprès de l’ONU demandant en urgence l’arrêt des travaux de construction de la centrale photovoltaïque de l’Ouest guyanais, en raison de son « impact environnemental ». La plainte a été déposée par l’Organisation des Nations autochtones de Guyane française (ONAG) avec le soutien du Service international pour les Droits de l’Homme (ISHR). Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Connaissance des Energies and Europenews.biz.

 

国际人权组织在日内瓦纪念曹顺利逝世十周年 声援中国人权捍卫者

Voice of America (VOA Chinese), 15 March 2024

国际人权服务组织（ISHR）3月14日星期四在日内瓦主办中国人权捍卫者曹顺利逝世十周年纪念活动，呼吁国际社会关注中国当局打压人权捍卫者的行为。Read the full story here.

 

 

联合国人权专家继续呼吁对中国人权维护者曹顺利之死进行问责

UN News, 14 March 2024

人权专家表示，曹顺利在2013年被捕之时正试图飞往日内瓦参加一场非政府组织活动，这场活动在人权理事会召开会议期间举行，旨在探讨非政府组织与联合国人权机制的合作。专家们强调，“曹顺利一案被列入到秘书长此后有关与联合国在人权领域开展合作而遭到报复的报告中，而且这一问题仍然是我们授权任务中的一个优先事项”。Read the full story here.

 

 

Diez años tras su muerte Cao Shunli es homenajeada en Ginebra, ciudad a la que nunca llegó

Infobae / Agencia EFE, 14 March 2024

“El destino de Cao estuvo íntimamente ligado a Ginebra. Falleció en parte porque quería venir aquí y utilizar el sistema de derechos humanos de la ONU que en esta ciudad da voz a todos”, señaló en el homenaje Phil Lynch, director ejecutivo de una de las ONG organizadoras, el Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Diario ABC.

 

 

VIDEO | Diez años tras su muerte Cao Shunli es homenajeada en Ginebra, ciudad a la que nunca llegó.

EFE Noticias, 14 March 2024

Dieciocho ONG de derechos humanos se han dado cita en la Plaza de las Naciones ginebrina, ante la sede europea de la ONU, para recordar su desaparición, uno de los peores ejemplos de la represión del régimen chino contra los defensores de derechos humanos. Watch the full video here.

 

Diez años de la muerte de Cao Shunli en una China que sigue retrocediendo en libertades

Infobae / Agencia EFE, 14 March 2024

Hace este jueves una década que la abogada Cao Shunli murió en un hospital de Pekín tras seis meses en prisión por pedir mayor transparencia y participación de la sociedad civil en China, reflejando las dificultades que afrontan los defensores de las libertades fundamentales en el país asiático […]. Este jueves, Ginebra celebra un acto de homenaje a Cao en el décimo aniversario de su muerte en cautividad.  Read the full story here.

See also the article on Swissinfo.

 

 

国际人权组织在日内瓦纪念曹顺利逝世十周年 声援中国人权捍卫者

Voice of America (VOA Chinese), 14 March 2024

国际人权服务组织的中国区项目经理拉斐尔·大卫（Raphael David）称中国政府系统性地打压那些试图与联合国人权机制合作的个人，不仅威胁到个人的安全和自由，也破坏了国际社会维护人权的努力。Watch the full video here.

 

 

曹顺利去世十周年　联合国专家促中国当局调查并追责

Radio Free Asia (RFA), 14 March 2024

曹顺利于2013年9月14日在北京国际机场被捕。当时，她在联合国人权理事会会议期间，试图飞往日内瓦参加非政府组织与人权机制合作的活动。她在五周内下落不明，之后再次被拘留，并被指控“寻衅滋事”。她的健康状况据称由于酷刑虐待以及当局未能提供及时充分的医疗服务而严重恶化，但她仍被拘押。她于2014年2月19日住院，3月14日去世。Read the full story here.

 

 

L’apartheid c’è ancora: è quello delle donne afgane

Il Sole 24 Ore, 14 March 2024

L’apartheid non è finito nei primi anni Novanta, esiste ancora nel XXI secolo e riguarda la metà della popolazione afgana, venti milioni di persone: le donne. «Gender apartheid» lo chiama un gruppo di leader afgane e iraniane in esilio, che insieme ad avvocati internazionali e altri attivisti chiede che venga finalmente riconosciuto, che la definizione dell’ apartheid nel diritto internazionale venga interpretata in modo tale da includere le gerarchie di genere, e non solo quelle etniche. Read the full story here.

 

Un festival de cine en Ginebra refleja las violaciones de los derechos humanos en todo el mundo

Euronews, 9 March 2024

El cine siempre ha sido uno de los mayores canales de denuncia social. Estos días se celebra en Ginebra un festival que tiene como objetivo poner en el foco las violaciones de los derechos humanos que se cometen en el mundo. El festival FIFDH se lleva a cabo en un momento crucial en el que el recrudecimiento de la invasión de Rusia a Ucrania o la guerra entre Israel y Hamás ha llevado a diferentes organismos internacionales a condenar las posibles violaciones de derechos humanos. Read the full story.

 

Defensora Lourdes Gómez denuncia en la ONU la cooptación del sistema judicial

Prensa Comunitaria, 9 March 2024

El 4 de marzo, en el marco del 144 periodo de sesiones de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) la defensora de derechos humanos, Lourdes Haquelina Gómez Willis, se refirió a la situación de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos en Guatemala donde la cooptación del sistema judicial sigue siendo un motivo de preocupación. Read the full story here.

 

 

Should ‘gender apartheid’ be an international crime?

Context News, 6 March 2024

If gender apartheid is included in a draft U.N. crimes against humanity treaty, countries that adopt it would be obliged to criminalise it and take action against offenders […]. ‘This is a generational opportunity to ensure that gender apartheid is explicitly recognised as a crime against humanity and codified in a treaty,’ said Phil Lynch, executive director of Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

 

NGO Approvals by a UN Committee Could Finally See ‘Long-Overdue’ Reform

Passblue, 5 March 2024

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, a little-known but powerful United Nations body, is crippled by politics and failing to carry out its mandate of enabling NGO participation in the work of the UN. Read the full story here.

 

Repression in Venezuela intensifying ahead of elections, rights groups say

The Guardian, 22 February 2024

 

 

China’s uncertain trail in Latin America

Diálogo Político, 20 February 2024

More than two decades have passed since China’s landing in Latin America. This span provides a field of vision that makes one thing evident: the socio-environmental impact and other pernicious effects have overshadowed the benefits of Chinese presence in the region. Contrary to the elite’s optimistic discourse, Latin America risks falling into economic dependence and political subordination to China. Read the full story here.

 

 

Rights Groups Call on UNHRC for Action Against Taliban’s Gender-Based Persecution

Kabul Now, 14 February 2024

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) have jointly appealed to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), urging urgent attention to the ongoing gender-based persecution by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Read the full story here.

 

 

Documentary filmmaking and human rights: a delicate balance of exposure and protection

Modern Times Review, 9 February 2024

As the FIFDH Human Rights Film Festival in Geneva anticipates its sixth annual Impact Days from 10 to 12 March, discussions began in earnest with a January webinar […]. Panelist Elise Golay of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) explained how her organisation works. ‘We have a collective approach. We are within an axis of work through training. This can also be access to information or providing information to defenders and communities. We also work through the strengthening of national laws for the protection of defenders.’ Read the full story here.

 

 

La incierta huella de China en América Latina

Diálogo Político, 8 February 2024

El desembarco de China en América Latina cumple más de dos décadas. Con esa visión de campo, se hace evidente que los beneficios de su presencia quedan eclipsados por el impacto socioambiental y otros efectos negativos. Frente al discurso optimista de las élites, el riesgo de la región con China es caer en la dependencia económica y en la subordinación política. Read the full article here.

 

 

China, derechos humanos y actividades empresariales en América Latina

El Veedor Digital, 7 February 2024

22 organizaciones latinoamericanas e internacionales, entre ellas el International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) y la coalición CICDHA*, han elaborado un informe, presentado ante el Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (CDESC) de la ONU, que analiza en detalle 14 proyectos en los que actores empresariales y financieros bajo jurisdicción china han incumplido normas internacionales de derechos humanos, laborales y medioambientales. Read the full article here.

 

 

China reprueba en derechos humanos

El Ínterin, 4 February 2024

Raphaël Viana, encargado de China y América Latina en el International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), observa desde Ginebra, donde ser realizó la sesión [del EPU de China]: ‘Se abrió una brecha en la narrativa china por la posición de algunos países del Sur Global’. Read the full story here.

 

 

China largely satisfied with UN review of its rights record despite mixed outcome

Tibetan Review, 30 January 2024

‘A lot of governments issued friendly recommendations to China during last week’s UPR in Geneva, which demonstrated China’s influence, but despite the enormous pressure that many developing countries feel [from Beijing,] there were some bold statements from Latin American countries,’ Raphaël Viana David, China and Latin America Programme Manager at the Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights, has told the voanews.com. Read the full story here.

 

 

Analysts: UN Rights Review Shows Limits of China’s Global Influence Campaign

Voice of America, 29 January 2024

‘A lot of governments issued friendly recommendations to China during last week’s Universal Periodic Review [UPR] in Geneva, which demonstrated China’s influence, but despite the enormous pressure that many developing countries feel [from Beijing,] there were some bold statements from Latin American countries,’ Raphaël Viana David, China and Latin America Program Manager at the International Service for Human Rights [ISHR] told VOA by phone. Read the full article here.

See also the article on China Factor.

 

Cómo la última revisión de la ONU rompió con la narrativa de un apoyo unánime de América Latina a China

Infobae, 27 January 2024

Un grupo significativo de países de la región emitió recomendaciones constructivas y críticas sobre derechos sexuales y reproductivos, regulación empresarial y acceso de expertos de Naciones Unidas a todo el territorio chino […] “El EPU de China es crucial dada la falta de escrutinio internacional en la ONU sobre su situación, especialmente en regiones como Xinjiang, donde la minoría étnica uigur enfrenta abusos graves”, aseguró en diálogo con Infobae Raphaël Viana David, gerente de Programas del Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. Read the full story here.

 

 

At a UN review, China basks in the flattery of friendly countries

The Economist, 25 January 2024

Once every five years or so, each UN member state has to have its human-rights record examined under a so-called Universal Procedural Review (UPR) overseen by the body’s Human Rights Council. Every country in the UN may pose questions and recommendations to the state under review. This week China had its turn […]. Some developing countries also made criticisms, albeit couched in soft language. Thirteen states, including several Latin American democracies, urged China to allow unfettered visits by UN experts. This shows that some countries in the global south do want China to stop flouting UN rules, says Raphael Viana David of the International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

See also the article on the Hindustan Times.

 

 

China enfrenta críticas en la ONU por su historial en derechos humanos en primera revisión desde informe de Bachelet

La Tercera (Chile), 24 January 2024

“En un contexto de alta presión de Beijing sobre países del Sur Global para que hablen en favor de las políticas del gobierno, saludamos que Chile haya emitido recomendaciones arraigadas en una perspectiva de derechos humanos imparcial: las prácticas de contracepciones coercitivas contra mujeres uigures y la represión en contra de activistas en China, documentadas por la ONU, deben cesar”, comentó a La Tercera Raphael Viana David, encargado del programa para China y Latinoamérica del International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full story here.

 

 

Wie China den Uno-Menschenrechtsrat austricksen will

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 January 2024

Alle fünf Jahre findet bei der Uno in Genf ein umfassender Menschenrechtsdialog statt. China macht mit, aber versucht, Mitgliedsstaaten für seine Ziele einzuspannen […]. Auffallend war auch, dass es aus Asien, Afrika und Südamerika handfeste Empfehlungen für China gab, nicht nur aus Europa oder den USA«Es geht nicht um den Westen contra China, auch wenn China versucht, es so darzustellen», sagt Raphael Viana David, der beim International Service for Human Rights für China zuständig ist. Read the full story here ($).

This article is also available in English.

 

 

«La Chine sur le grill à l’ONU»

RTS La 1ère, 23 January 2024

La Chine essaye, « sans cesse, à chaque session, de restreindre l’accès à l’ONU », a dit Raphaël Viana David, responsable du Programme Chine pour ISHR, en réaction aux pressions de Pékin à la veille de son Examen Public Universel. Listen to the full interview here (2:33).

 

 

China’s UN rights review will test alignment of Global South

Swissinfo, 23 January 2024

China’s human rights record is being examined by the international community at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Over the next two weeks, observers will be watching closely to see which states, especially from the Global South, put the spotlight on a damning 2022 UN report on alleged rights violations in China’s western Xinjiang region. ‘It’s important that UN Member States echo the recommendations of the report in the UPR, because this reminds the international community that it is not only important but also legitimate, as is any document issued by a UN body,’ says Raphaël Viana David. Read the full story here.

 

 

Por temor a la revisión de la ONU, China presiona a los países para que elogien su historial en derechos humanos

Infobae, 23 January 2024

El gigante asiático quiere aplastar cualquier tipo de disidencia durante la próxima semana, cuando el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas lleve a cabo su primera revisión en cinco años sobre el historial del país. “El EPU es un control de temperatura muy importante y una oportunidad para que los países expresen su preocupación basándose en la documentación de la ONU”, dijo Raphael Viana David del Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. “No debería ser un esfuerzo conjunto de elogiarse unos a otros y tomarse de la mano”. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Eju.tv.

 

 

聯合國審議｜路透社揭中共游說盟友「說好話」 人權觀察批「洗白」 流亡藏人籲關注西藏文化滅絕

The Chaser News / Reuters, 23 January 2024

報道引述4名外交人員指出，中國常駐聯合國日內瓦代表團持續向各國特使發出備忘錄，為周二舉行的普遍定期審議作準備。他們表示，其他國家有時會嘗試影響其他成員國在聯合國人權理事會上的發言，但中國的游說規模是前所未見的。國際人權服務社成員戴維（Raphael Viana David）稱，普遍定期審議是非常重要的一次「體溫檢查」，也是各國以聯合國文件作基礎去表達關注的機會，而非「互相稱讚」對方。Read the full article here.

See also the article on Yahoo News (Chinese).

 

 

路透社：中國遊說各國在聯合國審查時稱讚其人權紀錄

Photon Media / Reuters, 23 January 2024

聯合國人權理事會今（23日）審議中國及香港的人權狀況，《路透社》獨家報道，中國一直遊說非西方國家在會議期間讚揚其人權紀錄，中方還提供具體發言要點，包括讚揚中國在婦女權利和殘疾權利方面的紀錄，一名匿名的非洲國家外交官向《路透社》表示，已收到要求在會議上支持中國，並將按要求行事。有外交官指，其他國家有時會試圖影響別國在聯合國理事會的發言，但中國遊說的規模卻是非比尋常。有外交官表示，其他國家有時會試圖影響聯合國理事會別國的發言，但中國的遊說規模是非比尋常。國際人權服務社中國和拉丁美洲項目經理Raphael Viana David指，普遍定期審議是一項非常重要的檢查，也是各國根據聯合國文件表達關切的機會，而非共同互相支持和讚賞對方。Read the full story here.

 

 

Exclusive: China lobbies countries to praise its rights record ahead of UN review – diplomats

Reuters, 22 January 2024

China has been lobbying non-Western countries to praise its human rights record ahead of a key U.N. meeting where it will face questions and criticism over its actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, according to diplomats and documents […]. ‘The UPR is a very important temperature check and a chance for countries to signal concern on the basis of U.N. documentation,’ Raphael Viana David from the International Service for Human Rights said. Read the full story here.

See also the articles on Yahoo News, Rappler, Swissinfo, Taiwan News and U.S. News.

 

Beijing Is Pouring Resources into Its UN Human Rights Review—All to Prevent Any Real Review from Taking Place

China Files, 22 January 2024

For the first time since 2018, China will undergo a Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in which UN member states evaluate one another’s human rights records. The credibility of reviews can be affected by the relentless pressure Beijing applies to UN institutions. During its 2018 review, Chinese authorities succeeded in temporarily removing critical submissions from Hong Kong, Tibetan, and Uyghur groups. Read the full story here.

 

 

TQ vận động các nước khen tụng Bắc Kinh tại cuộc kiểm điểm nhân quyền ở LHQ

Voice of America (Vietnamese Service) / Reuters, 22 January 2024

Trung Quốc vận động các nước (ngoại trừ các nước phương Tây) ca ngợi thành tích nhân quyền của Bắc Kinh trước cuộc họp quan trọng của Liên hiệp quốc, nơi Bắc Kinh sẽ đối mặt với những chất vấn và chỉ trích về hành động của họ ở Hong Kong và Tân Cương, theo các nhà ngoại giao và các văn bản tài liệu. Ông Raphael Viana David từ Cơ quan Nhân quyền Quốc tế nói: “UPR là một cuộc kiểm tra rất quan trọng và là cơ hội để các quốc gia báo hiệu mối quan ngại dựa trên tài liệu của Liên hiệp quốc”. “Đây không phải là nỗ lực chung để khen ngợi nhau và nắm tay nhau.” Read the full story here.

 

Menjelang Sidang Dewan HAM PBB, Cina Lobi untuk Kasus Pelanggaran pada Muslim Uyghur

Tempo.co (Indonesia) / Reuters, 22 January 2024

Menurut laporan Reuters, Senin, 22 Januari 2024, empat diplomat mengatakan bahwa misi Cina di PBB Jenewa telah mengirimkan memo kepada utusannya sebagai persiapan peninjauan catatan Beijing oleh Dewan HAM PBB yang dijadwalkan pada hari Selasa, 23 Januari 2024. ‘UPR adalah pemeriksaan suhu yang sangat penting dan kesempatan bagi negara-negara untuk memberikan sinyal kekhawatiran berdasarkan dokumentasi PBB,’ kata Raphael Viana David dari Layanan Internasional untuk Hak Asasi Manusia. ‘Seharusnya tidak menjadi upaya bersama untuk saling memuji dan berpegangan tangan.’ Read the full story here.

 

 

媒體：中國廣泛遊說非西方國家讚揚其人權記錄

United Daily News (聯合報) / Reuters, 22 January 2024

根據相關文件以及知情外交官向路透社透露，中國最近在遊說非西方國家在本周二（1月23日）重要的聯合國會議上讚揚其人權記錄，北京預計將因在香港和新疆等地的所作所為而在該會議上面臨質疑和批評。國際人權服務社的戴維（Raphael Viana David）說：「普遍定期審議是一次非常重要的溫度測試，也是各國根據聯合國文件表達人權關切的機會。這不應是一次互相吹捧、兄弟攜手示好的會議。」

 

 

中国据报在联合国审议前广泛游说非西方国家赞扬其人权记录

Radio France International (RFI, Chinese service) / Reuters, 22 January 2024

据路透社援引外交官和文件报导称，中国一直在游说非西方国家在一次重要的联合国会议之前赞扬其人权记录，因为在这次会议上，北京预计将因其在香港和新疆等地的行动而面临质疑和批评。
国际人权服务社的拉斐尔·维亚纳·戴维（Raphael Viana David）说：“普遍定期审议是一次非常重要的测温，也是各国根据联合国文件表达关切的机会。这不应是一次互相赞扬、手拉手的共同努力”。提出在会议上发言请求的国家数量通常都很高，达到163个。Read the full story here.

See also the article on Deutsche Welle (Chinese service) and Boxun.com.

 

 

Hoe China de vergaderzalen van de wereld overneemt

Het Financieele Dagblad, 18 January 2024

Veel internationale overlegorganen, zoals de Verenigde Naties, zijn ontstaan op initiatief van westerse landen, maar die raken steeds meer invloed kwijt aan China. Peking voelt zich als een vis in het water in multilaterale gremia, waar alle landen hun zegje kunnen doen […]. Dat is vooral zichtbaar in de VN-mensenrechtenraad, vertelt Raphael Viana, China-specialist bij de International Service for Human Rights in Genève. Van oudsher verdedigden landen elkaar altijd wel als ze onder vuur lagen over mensenrechtenschendingen die ook in eigen land speelden. ‘Maar het is nu veel gecoördineerder dan voorheen. Sommige landen verschijnen systematisch in de onderhandelingen over elkaars resoluties.’  Read the full story here.

 

 

ONU : le Maroc va présider le Conseil des droits de l’Homme

Les Echos, 11 January 2024

Le Maroc a décroché mercredi à Genève la présidence du Conseil des droits de l’Homme des Nations unies. Acquise largement, l’élection suscite néanmoins la critique. Tess McEvoy, codirectrice du bureau de New York du groupe de défense du Service international pour les droits de l’Homme prévient : « Le Maroc doit s’abstenir d’intimider ou d’exercer des représailles contre les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme qui collaborent avec les Nations unies. » Read the full story here ($).

 

Morocco wins vote to lead UN human rights body after showdown with S.Africa

Reuters, 10 January 2024

Morocco won a vote on Wednesday to lead the United Nations Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with South Africa, which said Rabat’s human rights record made it unfit to preside over the body […]. Rights groups say Morocco’s new role should prompt it to safeguard human rights at the highest level. “In particular, Morocco must refrain from intimidating or carrying out reprisals against human rights defenders engaging with the U.N.,” said Tess McEvoy, the Co-Director of the New York office of the International Service for Human Rights advocacy group. Read the full story here.

See also the articles in the Strait Times, CNBC Africa, U.S. News, Business Day (South Africa), Netwerk24, Arab News, Sowetan Live, The Star (Malaysia), and Philenews.

 

Morocco Wins Vote to Lead UN Human Rights Body

Voice of America / Reuters, 10 January 2024

‘In particular, Morocco must refrain from intimidating or carrying out reprisals against human rights defenders engaging with the U.N.,’ said Tess McEvoy, the Co-Director of the New York office of the International Service for Human Rights advocacy group. Read the full story here.

 

 

Africa: Moroccan Envoy Pips South African for UN Human Rights Council Post

All Africa, 10 January 2024

The UN Human Rights Council has elected Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco as president of the UN Human Rights Council for 2024 after he beat South African envoy, Mxolisi Nkosi in a vote. According to a scorecard set up by the ISHR, neither South Africa nor Morocco meets all the standards set by the Human Rights Council. South Africa nudges Morocco in the scoring, with neither country having ratified fundamental international human rights treaties and optional protocols relating to them. Read the full story here.

 

 

Marokkó képviselőjét választották meg az ENSZ Emberi Jogi Tanácsának vezetésére

Hirado.hu / Reuters, 10 January 2024

Marokkó irányíthatja az ENSZ Emberi Jogi Tanácsának munkáját idén, miután a Genfben szerdán megtartott szavazáson megkapta a legtöbb szavazatot. „Marokkónak mindenképpen tartózkodnia kell az ENSZ-szel együttműködő emberi jogi aktivisták megfélemlítésétől vagy az ellenük irányuló megtorlástól” – jelentette ki Tess McEvoy, az International Service for Human Rights nevű emberi jogi csoport New York-i irodájának társigazgatója. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Magyar Szó.

 

 

Nations Unies : le Maroc à la tête du Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU

L’Indépendant / Reuters, 10 January 2024

Le Maroc a décroché mercredi 10 janvier à Genève la présidence du Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations unies (Onu), au terme d’un bras de fer houleux l’opposant à l’Afrique du Sud […]. Les groupes de défense estiment que le nouveau rôle du Maroc devrait l’inciter à protéger les droits de l’homme au plus haut niveau. “En particulier, le Maroc doit s’abstenir d’intimider ou d’exercer des représailles contre les défenseurs des droits de l’homme qui collaborent avec les Nations unies”, a déclaré Tess McEvoy, codirectrice du bureau de New York du groupe de défense du Service international pour les droits de l’homme. Read the full story here.

See also the article on Maghreb Émergent.

 

 

Marruecos logra la presidencia del Consejo de DDHH de la ONU en 2024

Swissinfo / Agence France Presse, 10 January 2024

El representante permanente de Marruecos en la ONU en Ginebra fue elegido el miércoles presidente del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, un organismo a cargo de la promoción y la protección de estos derechos en el mundo […]. Oenegés marroquíes e internacionales denuncian reiteradamente la represión de los periodistas, los activistas y de los derechos humanos en Marruecos, sobre todo recurriendo a procesos para crímenes de derecho común o a la vigilancia digital.  Read the full story here.

 

 

Morocco becomes president of Human Rights Council, breaking African deadlock

Geneva Solutions, 10 January 2024

Reacting to the results of the election, the International Service of Human Rights said in a statement: “In this new role, Morocco now has a heightened responsibility to show concrete and meaningful progress towards upholding the highest possible standards for the protection of universal human rights. Read the full story here.

 

 

Moroccan Diplomat Outshines South African Rival for UN Human Rights Council Presidency

Media Talk Africa, 10 January 2024

In a historic election, Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco clinched the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council for 2024, triumphing over South African envoy, Mxolisi Nkosi. Citing an evaluation by ISHR, both South Africa and Morocco fell short of meeting all the standards set by the Human Rights Council, with South Africa edging ahead marginally in the assessment. Neither country had fully ratified fundamental international human rights treaties and their related optional protocols. Read the full story here.

 

 

Morocco and South Africa vie for rights council top role, exposing legitimacy stakes

Geneva Solutions, 8 January 2024

The Human Rights Council will vote on Wednesday to select its next president after African states reached an impasse over which of the two candidates – Morocco or South Africa – to put forward. ‘As we have seen in recent years with the defeat of council candidates such as Russia, competitive elections enable electors to make choices based on human rights considerations, among others, rather than having that choice made for them behind closed doors,’ Phil Lynch director of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), told Geneva Solutions. Read the full article here.

WHO Executive Board calls for action in Gaza

The Lancet, 16 December 2023

The Board, meeting in a special session for only the seventh time ever, has agreed a resolution
calling for humanitarian assistance. Phil Lynch, Executive Director of the International Service for Human Rights, told The Lancet, ‘In contrast to the Security Council, in which the US has shamefully blocked action aimed at protecting civilians, the WHO Executive Board has demonstrated the ongoing relevance and importance of international law bodies to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.’ Read the full story here.

 

#ALas845: CC ordena que todas las autoridades electas deben asumir

Canal Antigua, 15 December 2023

En el espacio de análisis de ALas845 se conversó sobre la resolución de la CC que indica que todas las autoridades electas deberán asumir el 14 de enero. Los invitados fueron, Javier Urízar, uno de los abogados que presentó el amparo; y Arkel Benítez, analista en temas legales. Read the full story and watch the video here.

 

Mauritian Political Group Calls Out Government’s Alleged Neglect of Human Rights

BNN Breaking, 14 December 2023

Political group Resistans ek Alternativ in Mauritius has raised the alarm at the United Nations Human Rights Committee over alleged disregard for human rights conventions by the Mauritian government. Read the full story here.

 

Campaña saharaui contra la candidatura de Marruecos a presidir el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU

El Independiente (España), 9 December 2023

“Permitir que Rabat ocupe la presidencia del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU es como poner al lobo a cuidar de las ovejas”. Así lo creen más de una treintena de organizaciones de derechos saharauis que han emprendido una campaña para bloquear la designación de la dictadura alauí al frente del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU para el próximo año, que cuenta ya con el aval de la Liga Árabe. Read the full story here.

 

Especialistas da ONU criticam ausência de negras no Judiciário brasileiro

UOL, 9 December 2023

Especialistas da ONU pedem que o governo brasileiro coloque fim à violência ‘brutal’ de policiais contra negros e que leve às cortes os autores de crimes. Essa é a principal recomendação da missão internacional que visitou o Brasil nos últimos 12 dias e que, nesta sexta-fera, apresentou suas conclusões preliminares. Read the full story here.

 

Magistrados de la CC escucharon argumentos de los abogados Javier Urizar y Edgar Ortiz

Canal Antigua, 28 November 2023

Los magistrados de la Corte de Constitucionalidad escucharon la argumentación de los abogados Javier Urizar y Edgar Ortiz, quienes han presentado una solicitud de amparo en la cual buscan que se ordene a por lo menos 10 instituciones del estado a respetar la transición y se permita así la toma de posesión de los candidatos electos en las pasadas elecciones. Read the full story here.

 

BBC 100 Mujeres 2023: ¿quién está en la lista este año?

BBC News Mundo, 25 November 2023

La activista de derechos humanos danesa-bareiní Maryam Al-Khawaja es una voz destacada en la lucha por la reforma política en Bahréin y la región del Golfo. Al-Khawaja ha formado parte de varias juntas o consejos, incluidos Civicus y el Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos, y ha estado involucrada en la organización feminista juvenil FRIDA y Médicos por los Derechos Humanos. Read the full article here.

 

Much like Zimbabwe, Arab Spring birthplace Tunisia proposes shutting down civil society

News24, 8 November 2023

Apparently taking a leaf from Zimbabwe, Tunisia intends to effectively ban civil society as President Kais Saied continues with a crackdown on free speech in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Read the full article here.

 

Huit ONG appellent au rejet d’un projet de loi sur les associations en Tunisie

Agence Afrique, 8 November 2023

Huit organisations de défense des droits humains ont appelé, dans un communiqué publié mardi, au rejet du projet de loi sur les associations qui a été soumis par dix députés le 10 octobre 2023 au Parlement tunisien. Read the full article here.

 

Tunisia: Reject Bill Dismantling Civil Society

The Guardian Nigeria, 7 November 2023

The draft law on associations submitted by 10 parliamentarians to the Tunisian Parliament on October 10, 2023, would violate the right to freedom of association and endanger civic space in Tunisia if adopted as currently formulated, 8 rights groups said today. Read the full article here.

 

دیدگاه: چگونه می‌شود جرم «آپارتاید جنسیتی» را وارد نظام حقوق بین‌الملل کرد؟ / / Opinion: How can the crime of ‘gender apartheid’ be included in the international law system?

Afghanistan International TV, 1 November 2023

ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch speaks about efforts to legally enshrine the notion of gender apartheid and how the international community can act to sanction Taliban policies that seek to violently exclude women from public space. Watch the full interview here.

 

China lässt Menschen verschwinden. Frau Luo hat das erlebt: Eines Tages war ihr Mann einfach weg

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 31 October 2023

Luo Shengchun ist 55 Jahre alt, als sie diesen Herbst in Genf vor dem Uno-Menschenrechtsrat die Geschichte ihres Mannes erzählt. Sie hat eineinhalb Minuten, spricht schnell, ruhig, bestimmt. Read the full story here.

 

It’s time for refugee status, TPS for Palestinian refugees

New York Amsterdam News, 23 October 2023

Hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians have now been made homeless as Israel unleashes war on Gaza, a tiny (139-square-mile) country that was home to more than 2 million people. The non-governmental organization International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has condemned all crimes under international law committed by both Israel and Palestinian armed groups, saying targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians can never be justified. Read the full story here.

See also the article on News Americas Now.

 

HEDEP deputy submits bill for protection of human rights advocates

Bianet English, 19 October 2023

The proposal was formulated by adapting the model law prepared by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in 2016 to outline the main responsibilities of the state in protecting human rights defenders. Read the full story here.

 

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back: Supreme Court Verdict on Marriage Equality

The Wire, 18 October 2023

On Tuesday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud pronounced his minority ruling in a 3:2 verdict on 21 pleas seeking the right of queer couples to marry. The decision came nearly five months after the top court heard arduous arguments for and against the plea. When the fundamental guidance offered by globally renowned organisations like the International Commission of Jurists and the International Service for Human Rights appears to have been disregarded in the process, the discrepancy between legal interpretations is especially apparent. Read the full story here.

 

联合国人权理事会第54届会议上各国激烈辩论巴以冲突

Radio France International (RFI, Chinese service), 14 October 2023

加沙和以色列之间的冲突今天进入了第七天。哈马斯的突袭促使以色列对加沙进行了猛烈的空中轰炸和全面封锁，并于当地时间周四晚上下达命令，要求所有居民24小时内撤离加沙北部地区。10月13日，在日内瓦举行的联合国人权理事会第54届会议闭幕会上，一些国家抓住机会讨论了这场冲突。联合国人权理事会由47个成员国组成，每届任期三年，席位按地域公平分配。Read the full story here.

 

 

Joseph Wemakor in Tanzania to build capacity on regional and international human rights systems and mechanisms

Modern Ghana, 14 October 2023

Joseph Kobla Wemakor, a seasoned Ghanaian human rights activist and journalist, has been selected among 30 African renowned human rights activists for an intensive training session on regional and international human rights systems and mechanisms. The beneficiaries, according to the Training and Advocacy Support Manager of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Salomé Boucif, were carefully selected out of a pool of over 2,000 applications received for entries. Read the full story here.

UAPA, financial regulations being misused to target scribes, activists, say international rights groups

The Hindu, 13 October 2023

The 12 human rights groups charged Indian authorities with carrying out an ‘escalating crackdown’ on media and civil society since the Narendra Modi-led government came to power in 2014. Read the full story here.

 

Israel-Gaza crisis dominates close of Human Rights Council session

UN News, 13 October 2023

At the concluding segment of the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday in Geneva, several States seized the opportunity to address the conflict engulfing Gaza and Israel, now in its sixth day. The NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) condemned all crimes under international law committed by both Israel and Palestinian armed groups, saying targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians can never be justified. Read the full story here.

 

A New York, l’ONU refuse à la Russie un siège au Conseil des droits de l’homme

Le Temps, 10 October 2023

L’Assemblée générale des Nations unies a procédé à l’élection des nouveaux membres du CDH pour la période 2024-2026. Pour le groupe Europe de l’Est, la Bulgarie et l’Albanie ont été élues. Une nouvelle gifle pour la Russie, déjà suspendue l’an dernier. Codirectrice du bureau new-yorkais de l’International Service for Human Rights, Madeleine Sinclair est elle aussi catégorique: «Par ce vote, les États membres ont voté en conformité avec la résolution 60/251 de l’Assemblée générale et ont stoppé la tentative éhontée de saper le système international des droits humains.»  Read the full story here.

 

A Rússia falhou na tentativa de retomar o assento no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU

Folha de Pernambuco / Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 October 2023

A Assembleia Geral da ONU votou nesta terça-feira para escolher 15 novos membros do órgão sedeado em Genebra. “Estamos aliviados que os estados que votam estão de acordo que (a Rússia) não podem legitimamente ter um assento” neste Conselho, declarou Madeleine Sinclair, do Serviço Internacional para os Direitos Humanos. Read the full story here.

 

La Russie n’obtient pas un siège au Conseil des droits de l’Homme

Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), 10 October 2023

La Russie a échoué mardi à regagner un siège au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU, dont elle avait été écartée après l’invasion de l’Ukraine. “Nous sommes soulagés que les Etats ayant voté soient d’accord que (la Russie) ne peut légitimement pas avoir un siège” à ce Conseil, a ajouté Madeleine Sinclair, de l’International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

Russia fails bid to rejoin Human Rights Council

Geneva Solutions, 10 October 2023

Russia was defeated at a high-stakes election on Tuesday where it hoped to regain a seat at the Human Rights Council after failing to gather enough votes at a UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The country obtained 83 votes – 14 short of the 97 needed to be elected to the Geneva-based body. Read the full story here.

 

Rechazaron el regreso de Rusia al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU

El Colombiano / Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 October 2023

Rusia recibió solo 83 votos de mínimo 97 (entre 193 naciones miembro) que necesitaba para recuperar su asiento. “Nos alivia que los Estados que votaron estén de acuerdo en que (Rusia) no puede legítimamente tener un asiento” en este Consejo, declaró por su parte Madeleine Sinclair, del Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. Read the full story here.

 

Rússia falha em tentativa de retomar assento no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU

UOL / Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 October 2023

A Rússia falhou, nesta terça-feira (10), em sua tentativa de recuperar um assento no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU. “Estamos aliviados que os estados que votaram estejam de acordo que (a Rússia) não pode legitimamente ter um assento” neste Conselho, declarou Madeleine Sinclair, do Serviço Internacional para os Direitos Humanos. Read the full story here.

 

La Russie n’aura pas de siège au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’Onu

Le Télégramme / Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 October 2023

La Russie n’a pas réussi, ce mardi, à obtenir un siège au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’Onu. « Les États membres de l’Onu ont envoyé un signal fort aux autorités russes », a estimé Louis Charbonneau, de l’ONG Human Rights Watch. « Nous sommes soulagés que les États ayant voté soient d’accord que (la Russie) ne peut légitimement pas avoir un siège » à ce Conseil, a ajouté Madeleine Sinclair, de l’International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

See also the article on TV5 Monde.

 

Rusia Fracasa En Su Intento De Recuperar Asiento En Consejo De Derechos Humanos De ONU

Agence France Presse (AFP) / Barron’s, 10 October 2023

Rusia fracasó el martes en su intento por recuperar un asiento en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, del que fue expulsada tras invadir Ucrania, pero obtuvo, con 83 votos, más apoyo de lo que podrían esperar Ucrania y sus aliados. Read the full story here ($).

 

La Russie échoue à revenir au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU

Agence France Presse (AFP) / Yahoo News, 10 October 2023

La Russie a échoué mardi à regagner un siège au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU, dont elle avait été écartée après son invasion de l’Ukraine, réunissant toutefois, avec 83 voix, plus de soutien que ne devaient l’espérer l’Ukraine et ses alliés. “Nous sommes soulagés que les Etats ayant voté soient d’accord que (la Russie) ne peut légitimement pas avoir un siège” à ce Conseil, a déclaré Madeleine Sinclair, de l’International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

See also the article by Le Point.

 

Est-ce possible que la Russie réintègre le Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’Onu ?

Le Télégramme / Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 October 2023

Écartée du Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’Onu après l’invasion de l’Ukraine, la Russie va tenter d’y faire son retour ce mardi. Un pari incertain qui va permettre d’évaluer son soutien sur la scène internationale. [L’]International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) estime qu’en plus de la Russie et de la Chine, le Burundi n’est « pas digne » d’être membre du Conseil. Read the full story here.

 

Litmus test for Human Rights Council as Russia bids for seat

Swissinfo, 9 October 2023

‘Russia’s candidacy is a cynical attempt to return to the Council following its suspension by the General Assembly in April 2022External link in reaction to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine,’ said the Geneva-based NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in a September 4. Read the full story here.

 

War in Ukraine, live: what you need to know on Sunday

Globe Echo / Agence France Presse (AFP), 8 October 2023

HRW also calls on member states not to give their vote to Cuba, while the organization International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) believes that, in addition to Russia and China, Burundi is not “not worthy” to be a member of the Council. Read the full story here.

 

La Russie tente de revenir au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU

Le Journal de Montréal / Agence France Presse (AFP), 8 October 2023

La Russie, écartée du Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU après son invasion de l’Ukraine, tentera d’y faire son retour mardi. HRW appelle également les États membres à ne pas donner leur voix à Cuba, tandis que l’organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) estime qu’en plus de la Russie et de la Chine, le Burundi n’est “pas digne” d’être membre du Conseil. Read the full story here.

 

Russia to seek return to UN rights body despite Ukraine war

France 24 / Agence France Presse (AFP), 8 October 2023

Russia, which was ousted from the UN Human Rights Council after its forces invaded Ukraine, will attempt a return to the body on Tuesday — an uncertain move that will provide a gauge of its international support. HRW is also calling for countries to oppose Cuba’s candidacy, while another NGO, the International Service for Human Rights, opposes not just the Russian and Chinese candidacies but also that of Burundi. Read the full story here.

See also: the article in, Dawn and the Kyiv Post.

 

Rússia busca retornar ao Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU

Correio Braziliense / Agence France Presse (AFP), 8 October 2023

A candidatura russa gerou ceticismo e a votação acontece poucos dias depois de um ataque com mísseis contra a cidade ucraniana de Hroza, que deixou mais de 50 mortos. O Serviço Internacional para os Direitos Humanos, rejeita não só as candidaturas russa e chinesa, mas também a do Burundi. Read the full story here.

 

UN faces key vote as Russia seeks to rejoin Human Rights Council

Geneva Solutions, 6 October 2023

A crucial vote in New York will determine if Russia can return to the Human Rights Council 18 months after being voted out over its invasion of Ukraine. ‘If Russia wins this vote, it would reward and would likely embolden Russia’s brazen push to undermine the international human rights system and subvert Council proceedings to favour its own agenda,’ Marianne Bertrand, campaign and mobilisation manager at the International Service for Human Rights, told Geneva Solutions. Read the full story here.

 

人权活动人士日内瓦揭批中国女权真实现状

Voice of America (VOA), 3 October 2023

联合国人权理事会第54届常会正在日内瓦举行 (9月11日–10月13日)。在这次常会上，中国的人权状况仍然是各方关注的焦点。在这次常会举行的同时，国际人权服务社和受威胁者协会还联合举办了一次场外会议，邀请四位中国妇女权利受影响社区的代表，公开对国际社会发言，展示中国女权的真实现状。四位代表分别是：世界维吾尔大会的祖姆雷泰·阿尔金（Zumretay Arkin）、自由西藏学生组织执行主席佩玛·多玛（Pema Doma）、香港关注女性暴力协会执委黄瑞红律师（Linda Wong）、中国人权捍卫者组织的陈菲（Faye Chen）。会议主持人为国际人权服务社代表普贾·帕特尔（Pooja Patel). Read the full story here.

 

ONU vai investigar violência contra africanos e afrodescendentes no Brasil

Folha de S.Paulo, 2 October 2023

O Emler (Mecanismo Internacional Independente das Nações Unidas para Promover a Justiça Racial e a Igualdade no Contexto da Aplicação da Lei) visitará o Brasil de 27 de novembro a 8 de dezembro.  Criada e liderada por africanos e afrodescendentes, a coalizão internacional aborda o racismo em uma escala global, que produz historicamente opressões perpetuadas pelo colonialismo e o tráfico transatlântico de pessoas escravizadas. Read the full story here.

 

Women and children in China facing repression, female activists tell UN

ANI News, 29 September 2023

Female human rights activists from Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong jointly highlighted China’s forceful repression of women calling it the worst human rights violations in the country. They mentioned China’s 2023 review by the UN Women’s Rights Committee during a side event at the 54th Human Rights Council titled ‘Findings of the UN Women’s Rights Committee on China: Perspectives of affected communities’. Watch the full interviews here.

 

Punished for speaking up at the UN

Geneva Solutions, 29 September 2023

According to figures from the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), a Geneva-based NGO, the UN has documented 709 cases between 2010 and 2020, a third of which have taken place in the Middle East and north Africa. Read the full story here.

 

联合国周边会议关注中国女权　中国代表斥”遏制中国发展”

Radio Free Asia, 28 September 2023

联合国人权理事会正在瑞士日内瓦召开会议，在周四（28日）举行的一场关注中国妇女权利的周边活动上，藏人、港人和维吾尔人妇女代表反映中国压迫妇女的情况，包括把西藏女童强行送进寄宿学校、强迫维吾尔妇女绝育等，并关注中国”米兔”（#MeToo）运动参与者黄雪琴的案件。Read the full article here.

 

La Russie fait le forcing pour retrouver son siège à Genève

La Tribune de Genève, 26 September 2023

Le retour de la Russie, ce serait une véritable catastrophe, estime Salma El Hosseiny, directrice de programme au Service international des droits de l’homme, une ONG genevoise préoccupée au plus haut point par plusieurs candidatures. «La Russie, la Chine et le Burundi ne remplissent tout simplement pas les critères les plus élémentaires pour devenir membres du principal organe des Nations Unies chargé des droits de l’homme. Leur élection l’affaiblirait.» Read the full story here ($).

See also the article on 24 heures ($).

 

Laos deports human rights lawyer who was fleeing state pressure back to China

The Associated Press (AP), 14 September 2023

A human rights lawyer who was arrested in neighboring Laos has been deported back to China, his attorney said, despite pleas from rights groups and United Nations experts for his release. In August, 68 rights groups issued a joint statement expressing concern over the arrest. Beijing has stepped up its pursuit of dissidents and vulnerable groups overseas, the statement read, with those arrested often disappearing for months or years. Read the full story here.

 

As NHRCI elbows out Korea to host Asia Pacific HR institutions meeting; HR work in India firmly under the jackboot

The Leaflet, 14 September 2023

In a joint letter, several international organisations have written to the APF expressing concerns regarding the Asia–Pacific Forum Conference to be hosted by the NHRCI in September 2023. Read the full story here.

 

Human rights groups urge Biden to intervene for release of Bahraini activist

Middle East Eye, 16 August 2023

Over a dozen human rights organisations penned a letter to United States President Joe Biden, calling on the US government to press the Bahraini authorities to immediately release Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja. Read the full article here.

Comment un activiste angolais veut faire entendre sa voix à Genève

Swissinfo, 8 August 2023

Sabino Caseno se bat depuis quinze ans pour protéger les communautés rurales angolaises des puissants investisseurs étrangers. Aujourd’hui, il plaide aux Nations unies pour aider la société civile de son pays […]. Si Sabino Caseno est à Genève, c’est parce qu’il a été sélectionné parmi des centaines de candidats et candidates pour participer au Programme de défense des droits de l’homme (HRDAP), une formation proposée par le Service international pour les droits de l’homme (SIDH), une ONG genevoise. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

Rights groups urge Laos to release missing Chinese lawyer who was trying to get to US

CNN, 4 August 2023

Dozens of human rights groups have signed a joint petition calling on Laos authorities to release [Lu Siwei,] a prominent Chinese lawyer as its embassy in Britain warned he could be deported back to China. Read the full story here.

 

Rights groups call on Laos to release lawyer held after fleeing China

The Guardian, 3 August 2023

Sixty-eight organisations sign letter amid fears Lu Siwei could be deported at request of Chinese authorities. As a rights lawyer in China, Lu had a history of taking on sensitive cases. He defended some of the people arrested in the ‘709 crackdown’ on activists and rights lawyers in 2015 – an event so called because of date on which the crackdown was launched, 9 July. Read the full article here.

 

“Grupo de Amigos del Pueblo de Nicaragua”, lo que piden los nicaragüenses para intentar afrontar la crisis social de su país

Reporte Indigo, 24 July 2023

A través de una carta, 159 personas de origen nicaragüense solicitaron la ayuda de la comunidad internacional para atender la crisis social y política que vive su país. Read the full story here.

 

‘It’s Time UN Turned Ideas to “UNMute” Civil Society into Action’

Inter Press Service, 21 July 2023

How do you get a seat at the table when you can’t even access the building? This question loomed as activists, faith-based leaders, and NGO representatives gathered at the NY Ford Foundation. They discussed how to amplify the voice of civil society organizations at the UN Headquarters across the street. Maithili Pai, the UN advocate for the International Service for Human Rights, illustrated the divide between the UN’s verbal commitments and its actual practices. Read the full story here.

 

Beijing is extending its draconian laws beyond its borders

The Globe and Mail, 12 July 2023

A report published last year by the International Service for Human Rights details the severe chilling effects the NSL has had on civil society in Hong Kong. It describes how human rights NGOs and individual human rights defenders have been intimidated, threatened and arrested in flagrant violation of their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to be presumed innocent. Read the full article here.

 

China rejects NGO participation in human rights talks with Switzerland

Swissinfo, 6 July 2023

Swiss NGOs have condemned their exclusion from the first Switzerland-China human rights dialogue to take place since 2018, calling it a ‘missed opportunity’ for the Asian state to show willingness to address their concerns. Read the full article here.

 

Dialog über Menschen­rechte mit Peking startet neu – mit einem Affront

Tages-Anzeiger, 4 July 2023

Nach vier Jahren Boykott nimmt China das Gespräch mit der Schweiz wieder auf. Und diktiert die Bedingungen. Fünf Nichtregierungsorganisationen sagen, sie hätten vom EDA bereits eine Einladung erhalten: die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV), Amnesty International, der Uigurische Verein Schweiz, die Gesellschaft Schweizerisch-Tibetische Freundschaft und der International Service for Human Rights. Read the full article here.

See also: the articles on 24 Heures, Berner Zeitung, Watson and Südostschweiz.

 

Schwere Vorwürfe nach Menschenrechts-Gipfel mit China

Blick, 4 July 2023

Die Schweiz führt nach Jahren der Funkstille wieder einen Menschenrechts-Dialog mit China durch. Überschattet wird der Gipfel vom Vorwurf von NGOs, ausgeladen worden zu sein. «Die chinesische Regierung hat eine seltene Gelegenheit verpasst, auch schwierige Gespräche über Menschenrechte zu führen», sagte Raphael Viana David vom International Service for Human Rights.  Read the full article here.

 

Organisations internationales : aggravation rapide de la situation des droits de l’homme en Tunisie

Kapitalis, 29 June 2023

Les organisations ont appelé le Conseil et les États membres à faire pression sur les autorités tunisiennes pour qu’elles respectent leurs obligations en vertu du droit international des droits de l’homme, en particulier celles garantissant les droits à un procès équitable, la liberté d’expression, la liberté de réunion et d’association pacifiques et la non-discrimination. Read the full story here.

 

 

La india Vrinda Grover investigará violaciones de derechos humanos en Ucrania para la ONU

Agencia EFE / Swissinfo, 28 June 2023

La abogada india Vrinda Grover será la nueva miembro de la Comisión Internacional Independiente de Investigación sobre Ucrania, que investiga desde el pasado año las supuestas violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas por Rusia desde el inicio de la invasión a Ucrania. Grover ha sido una cara visible de los movimientos pro-derechos de las mujeres en la India y actualmente preside la junta directiva de la ONG International Service for Human Rights. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Blue Smoke: A Newsletter Tracking Senior UN Appointments

Pass Blue, 12 June 2023

For information on how Special Rapporteurs are appointed, as well as further analysis on the lack of diversity surrounding these appointments, see the International Service for Human Rights’ (ISHR) briefing. See the full article here.

 

UN torture body’s disappearing act for women

Geneva Solutions, 11 June 2023

Female representation in the Committee Against Torture is sorely missing, and upcoming elections are not expected to reverse the trend, to the regret of human rights campaigners. For Vincent Ploton, director of development and treaty body advocacy at ISHR, the lack of women representation is a symptom of a larger problem that is the whole election process for UN treaty bodies. Read the full story here.

 

Podcast explica conflito com uigures e situação dos direitos humanos na China

Folha de S.Paulo, 29 May 2023

Organizações da sociedade civil e representantes do governo brasileiro receberam na semana passada uma comitiva de ativistas que apresentou denúncias de violações de direitos humanos na China. A viagem, iniciativa da ONG International Service for Human Rights, também vai passar por Argentina e Chile. Leia o resto do artigo aqui.

 

人权组织呼吁G7关注强迫劳动 世维大会谴责中亚各国违背承诺

Radio France International (RFI, Chinese service), 19 May 2023

包括世界维吾尔大会（World Uyghur Congress ），越南民主联盟（Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy ），意大利人权联盟（Italian Federation for Human Rights ），国际人权服务社（International Service for Human Rights ）等人权组织，以及欧洲气候协定代表，欧洲环境办公室等气候与环境组织在内共86个组织的负责人及个人5月19日共同致函正在日本广岛举行的七大工业国G7峰会，呼吁采取具体措施，打击在全球向清洁能源过渡过程中使用系统性强迫劳动的现象。Read the full story here.

 

United Nations Human Rights Council Must Establish An International Investigation In Sudan

Forbes, 17 May 2023

The ongoing conflict refers to the recent events, since mid-April 2023, when fierce fighting broke out in Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces. According to the International Service for Human Rights, since the beginning of the conflict, dozens of women were killed and hundreds were injured including in Khartoum, Nayala, Alobied and Alfashir, and in the inter-communal fighting in Darfur. Read the full article here.

 

L’arrestation de Valayden et de Chundunsing survenue en pleine visite du Service international pour les droits humains

L’Express (Maurice), 17 May 2023

Le Service International pour les Droits [de l’Homme] a dépêché à Maurice deux de ses cadres pour que la société civile mauricienne n’ignore pas l’importance qu’elle doit attacher à la défense des droits humains. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

L’espace démocratique de la société civile est de plus en plus restreint

Week-end (Le Mauricien), 14 May 2023

Adélaïde Étong Kame, cadre de l’International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) […] a répondu à nos questions sur la situation des droits de l’Homme dans les pays où elle a travaillé. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

Groups urge China to allow family to contact Li Yanhe

Taipei Times, 9 May 2023

Li, who is the editor-in-chief of Gusa Press (八旗文化), was detained while visiting relatives in China in March. According to joint investigations by Spain-based Safeguard Defenders, the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, the International Service for Human Rights and the Rights Practice, China maintains a network of secret jails for pre-trial detention under what it calls Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL). Read the full article here.

 

China busca controlar minerales estratégicos

Diálogo Américas, 9 May 2023

Una investigación de la ONG neoyorquina International Service for Human Rights y el Colectivo sobre Financiamiento e Inversiones Chinas, Derechos Humanos y Ambiente (CICDHA) […] recopilaron información sobre 14 proyectos de capital chino que afectan los derechos de las comunidades regionales. Lea el artículo completo aquí.

This article is also available in English.

 

Survivors of human rights abuses testify at Minneapolis UN hearing

Minesotta Spokesman-Recorder (MSR), 5 May 2023

On May 2, members of the United Nations (UN) Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER) held hearings in Minneapolis to gather testimony related to racism and policing. [According to] International human rights lawyer Kerry McLean, who has done work for UN Anti-Racism Coalition (UNARC), the goal of EMLER’s visit […] is to examine the causes and realities of systemic racism faced by people of African descent. Read the full article here.

 

Latest Amendments to IT Rules Will Have Chilling Effect, Say A Host of Rights Orgs

MPR News, 2 May 2023

A host of organisations have expressed concern about the Indian government’s expansion of control over online content through the ‘draconian’ amendments to the IT Rules, saying that the move will ‘undoubtedly have a chilling effect on civil society, and seriously stifle journalistic freedoms’. Read the full article here.

 

U.N. Panel hears Minnesotans’ stories of systemic racism in policing and prisons

MPR News, 2 May 2023

A United Nations panel examining issues of racial justice and equity — created in part in response to the murder of George Floyd — was in Minneapolis Tuesday, to hear from community members affected by systemic racism in policing and prisons. “This is a part of an investigation to see what is happening in the US,” said Salimah Hankins, the director of the U.N. Anti-Racism Coalition, one of the organizations that coordinated the visit. Read the full article here.

 

UN group to tour Los Angeles jails accused of ‘squalid, inhumane’ conditions

The Guardian, 28 April 2023

Salimah Hankins, director of the UN Antiracism Coalition, which is coordinating civil society group meetings with the UN experts, noted that there was a long history of Black activists, including Malcolm X, appealing to the UN and similar entities. “There’s this understanding that the LA jail system is serving the purpose of the subjugation particularly of Black bodies […]”. Read the full article here.

 

ONGs piden hablar sobre derechos humanos en Conferencia sobre Venezuela

Caracol, 25 April 2023

En una carta abierta, organizaciones no gubernamentales como Amnistía Internacional, la Comisión Internacional de Juristas, Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos y la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA), solicitaron al presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro, que tenga en cuenta los derechos humanos durante la Conferencia Internacional sobre Venezuela. Lea el artículo completo aquí.

 

NGOs ask Petro that the summit on Venezuela promote human rights

California18, 24 April 2023

In an open letter to the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, organisations including Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) urged that a meeting on Venezuela focuses on the rule of law and the situation of political prisoners in the country. Read the full article here.

 

欧盟及人权奖促中方立即释放维权律师余文生夫妇

Radio France International (RFI, Chinese service), 20 April 2023

曾於2021年颁发人权捍卫奖予余文生的恩纳尔斯奖(Martin Ennals Award)昨(19日)亦发声，要求中方立即释放余氏夫妇。不过，人权团体「国际人权服务」(缩写 ISHR)发言人Sarah Brooks在推特表示，从中国的人权纪录看来，单是发声并不足够，必须采取行动，让对方知道，打压人权是不可接受的。有关帖文同时标签欧盟对外行动署和欧盟委员会副主席兼欧盟外交和安全政策高级代表博雷利。Read the full story here.

 

EU demands ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of two Chinese activists arrested in Beijing

South China Morning Post, 19 April 2023

The European Union has called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of two Chinese activists who were detained in Beijing while on their way to meet senior EU officials. Reacting to the story, Sarah Brooks, programme director at the International Service for Human Rights, said: “Strong statements are no longer sufficient (…) an effective response to human rights violations in China must result in concrete, tangible consequences for Chinese interests.” Read the full article here.

 

A UN review shows the limits of China’s loud microphone communications strategy

Open Global Rights, 17 April 2023

As the Chinese government works to take global centre stage, their narrative regarding the human rights situation in the country has been questioned by UN bodies, particularly as the country stands accused of attempting to control the independence of the treaty bodies and taking action against individuals and groups from China who participate in UN processes. This has been documented by a recent report from the International Service for Human Rights. Read the full article here.

 

Proyectos chinos afectan a comunidades y ambiente de América Latina

Urgente.bo, 8 April 2023

Cómo varias empresas de capital chino no respetan los derechos de las comunidades afectadas por sus proyectos, de acuerdo con el informe “China: derechos humanos y actividades empresariales en América Latina”, publicado en febrero de 2023 por un colectivo de organizaciones no gubernamentales. Read the full story here.

 

La ONU refuerza investigaciones en Nicaragua sobre derechos humanos

Contrapunto, 4 April 2023

Con 21 votos a favor del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, se consigue prolongar por 2 años el mandato del Grupo de 3 Expertos independientes sobre los Derechos Humanos en Nicaragua. Raphaël Viana David, del Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos, denunció que «600.000 personas han tenido que huir del país ». Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Véase también el artículo de Perfil.

 

Resolución de la ONU vigoriza a la perseguida sociedad civil nicaragüense

Confidencial, 3 April 2023

Los activistas y defensores de derechos humanos valoran que la decisión de Naciones Unidas “es una señal de esperanza para las víctimas”. Raphaël Viana, del [ISHR], explicó que es excepcional que un país mantenga una resolución por más de un año. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

ONU extiende mandatos para investigar crímenes en Nicaragua

Associated Press (AP), 3 April 2023

El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU resolvió el lunes extender por dos años los mandatos de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas (OACNUDH) para Nicaragua y de otro grupo de expertos creado para investigar crímenes de lesa humanidad atribuidos al gobierno de Daniel Ortega desde 2018. En rueda de prensa posterior a la votación, activistas y defensores nicaragüenses celebraron la extensión de ambos mandatos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Véase también los artículos del Nuevo Herald, Pulso y de El Horizonte.

 

UN Rights Council Beefs Up Nicaragua Probe

Barron’s / Agence France Press (AFP), 3 April 2023

The UN Human Rights Council voted Monday to strengthen a probe into violations in Nicaragua, after investigators determined crimes against humanity were likely taking place. ‘Today, the international community sent a clear message: perpetrators at all levels will eventually be held accountable,’ Olga Valle from Urnas Abiertas of the Colectivo 46/2 said in a statement. Read the full article here.

 

ONU renueva mandato de Grupo de Expertos en DD. HH.

La Prensa (Nicaragua), 3 April 2023

Este lunes 3 de abril el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la Organización de Naciones Unidas renovó por dos años el mandato del Grupo de Expertos en DD. HH. sobre Nicaragua (GHREN por sus siglas en inglés). La resolución obtuvo 21 votos a favor, cinco en contra y 21 abstenciones. Durante una conferencia de prensa el Colectivo 46/2 indicó que es la segunda vez en la historia que se renueva el mandato de un Grupo de Expertos. Destacaron un mayor apoyo a esta resolución que sumó a más países y casos como el de Honduras o Bolivia que la vez anterior votaron en contra y en esta ocasión se abstuvieron. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Renovación de mandato del Grupo de Expertos de la ONU refleja el «deterioro de los DD. HH.» en Nicaragua

Artículo 66, 3 April 2023

Defensores aplauden el esfuerzo de la ONU por continuar por dos años las investigaciones de la represión de 2018 en busca de identificar a los «perpetradores y las cadenas de mando» de los crímenes de lesa humanidad. En conferencia de prensa virtual, organizada por el Colectivo 46/2, Raphael Viana, del Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos, calificó como «momento histórico y excepcional» la extensión del Grupo de Expertos para Nicaragua. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Renovación del mandato a Grupo de Expertos de DDHH mantendrá en el escenario global a Nicaragua

100 Noticias, 3 April 2023

Luego que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas aprobó una prórroga de dos años para el Grupo de Expertos en Derechos Humanos sobre Nicaragua (GHREN por sus siglas en inglés) y de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (OACNUDH), encargados de documentar los graves abusos cometidos por las autoridades a todos los niveles en el país. El Colectivo 46/2 aplaudió la decisión porque la crisis de DDHH seguirá en el escenario global. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Sociedad civil celebra que ONU mantendrá presión sobre el régimen Ortega-Murillo

La Mesa Redonda, 3 April 2023

Organizaciones de la sociedad civil nicaragüense dijeron hoy sentirse alentadas por la decisión de la ONU de extender el trabajo de un grupo de expertos que investiga, analiza y documenta graves violaciones de los derechos y libertades en Nicaragua. Read the full story here.

 

ONU renueva mandato de Grupo de Expertos que investiga crímenes en Nicaragua

Voz de América / Voice of America, 3 April 2023

La resolución fue aprobada con 21 votos a favor y cinco en contra, dentro de ellos China, Cuba y Vietnam. Tras la resolución, un total de 21 organizaciones de derechos humanos nacionales e internacionales que monitorean la crisis en Nicaragua y que impulsaron la renovación por dos años del mandato de expertos, celebraron los resultados de este lunes en un comunicado en conjunto [enlace original]. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Véase también el artículo de Stereo100.

Sociedad civil alentada porque ONU mantendrá presión sobre Gobierno Nicaragua

Infobae / Agencia EFE, 3 April 2023

El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas aprobó en Ginebra una resolución que prorroga dos años más el trabajo del Grupo de Expertos de Derechos Humanos en Nicaragua. Varios activistas en el exilio saludaron que ese grupo podrá seguir operando y lo consideraron un mensaje claro para todos los responsables de violaciones de que al final tendrán que pagar por sus actos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Véase también los artículos de Swissinfo y de El Mercurio,

 

Orden de la ONU para investigar los crímenes de Ortega y Murillo «es un aliento para las víctimas», celebran organismos

Despacho 505, 3 April 2023

Los expertos de la ONU tendrán la tarea de identificar a los perpetradores de la represión en Nicaragua, las raíces de la crisis y preservar la evidencia para futuros procesos de justicia. “Esta excepcionalidad no solo refleja la gravedad de la situación en Nicaragua sino también la constancia y el deterioro de la crisis a largo plazo y desde el 2018 y el creciente aislamiento del gobierno de la comunidad internacional”, valoró en una conferencia virtual Raphael Viana, integrante del International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), uno de los organismos que integra el Colectivo 46/2. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Elecciones justas

El Nacional, 27 March 2023

La sesión de actualización oral del informe del alto comisionado de los Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas, Volker Türk, sobre Venezuela, fue un balde de agua fría para el representante venezolano ante el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, Héctor Constant. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Governo Lula repete silêncio de Bolsonaro sobre violações na China

UOL, 25 March 2023

Ativistas de direitos humanos e dissidentes chineses cobram o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva para que use sua viagem para Pequim para falar das violações de direitos humanos na China. “O Brasil tem mantido um silêncio quase absoluto sobre direitos humanos na China, só interrompendo seu silêncio para se abster de apoiar uma resolução que abriria um debate na ONU ao respeito”, lembrou Raphael Viana David, responsável de advocacy para América Latina e China na entidade de direitos humanos ISHR. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

A seat at the table: Shifting narratives on human rights defenders at the United Nations

OpenGlobalRights, 21 March 2023

Stories told at the UN about human rights defenders have a major impact on how they are perceived and supported on the ground. Violations will always need to be called out at the UN, but rights practitioners and diplomats who support human rights can and must get better at contextualizing these within a more effective narrative. To this end, together with the International Service for Human Rights’ team and the support of the Ford Foundation, we compiled a new narratives guide. Read the full article here.

 

Comité de la ONU pide a China medidas para sancionar actividades lesivas a los DDHH

Agencia de Noticias Fides (AFN), 15 March 2023

11 organizaciones de Latino América de la sociedad civil denunciaron y pidieron al Comité de Derechos Económicos y Sociales y Culturales de las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra que recomiende a la República Popular China el respeto, protección y cumplimiento de sus obligaciones extraterritoriales relacionadas a los derechos humanos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Lagman: NTF-ELCAC attack on rights defenders protection bill is best argument for it

Philstar Global, 14 March 2023

A bill seeking to provide protection to human rights defenders will not hamper the government’s efforts against terrorism despite claims by its anti-communist task force, Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay) said. The International Service for Human Rights, which developed [a] Model Law, has lauded House Bill 77 for being “nearly identical” to its own Model Law protecting human rights defenders. Read the full story here.

 

UN human rights chief: China has arbitrarily detained Uyghurs, separated families

Radio Free Asia, 8 March 2023

The U.N.’s new human right chief said his agency has documented China’s arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and the separation of children from their families in comments during a global update on human rights on Wednesday in Geneva. Sarah Brooks, program director of the Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights, said she wasn’t surprised by China’s reaction to the CESCR’s concerns. Read the full article here.

 

Inside Geneva: How to hold China to account

Swissinfo, 7 March 2023

The UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss Ukraine, Ethiopia, Iran, and more. Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks: what about China? “Of course, there’s a geopolitical understanding of what’s happening, but we have to get back to the essence of human rights, and we have to get back to the essence also of the treaties that this system was created to uphold,” says Raphaël Viana David, China and Latin America advocate at ISHR. Listen to the full podcast here.

 

Brasil diz na ONU que pode acolher expatriados pelo presidente da Nicarágua

TV Globo, ‘Jornal Nacional’, 7 March 2023

O representante do Brasil no Conselho de Direitos Humanos das Nações Unidas afirmou que há preocupação com os relatos de sérias violações. “O diálogo construtivo e a cooperação são fundamentais, mas também tem que ter em consideração se a outra parte quer entrar nesse diálogo construtivo. O governo da Nicarágua nos últimos dois anos tem mostrado nível de não cooperação com a ONU que nenhum outro estado tem mostrado. É por isso que a declaração do Brasil foi um pouco anacrônica”, diz Raphael Viana, do International Service for Human Rights. Veja o vídeo aqui.

 

How the Universal Declaration of Human Rights aimed to change the world

Swissinfo, 6 March 2023

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights was born out of a desire to ensure that the horrors of the Second World War would not be repeated. Phil Lynch, director of the Geneva-based NGO International Service for Human Rights(ISHR), says the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ‘has had a transformative impact on people and communities worldwide, informing and inspiring the development of national laws and policies, underpinning the demands of social movements and civil society actors, providing an important tool for advocates, and enshrining universal values that unite humanity and set out the conditions for all persons to live with dignity’. Read the full story here.

 

NGOs face uphill battle to gain access to the UN

Swissinfo, 1 March 2023

“Unfortunately, most member states that seek election to the Committee on NGOs act as gatekeepers looking to block certain civil society groups rather than facilitate their participation in the UN,” says Maithili Pai, who advocates for civil society access to the UN at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), an NGO with offices in New York and Geneva. Read the full story here.

Chinese investment continues to hurt Latin American ecosystems, report says

Mongabay, 28 February 2023

A report delivered this month to the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights explores 14 cases from nine Latin American countries in which there was some example of an environmental or human rights violation. “If states are responsible for respecting these basic rights then companies and financial actors should be respecting them, too,” said Raphael Viana David, a China and Latin America Advocate at the International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

Bill protecting human rights defenders hurdles House panel

Philstar Global, 28 February 2023

For the third time in nearly two decades, a bill seeking to protect human rights defenders and punish acts of intimidation or violence against them was approved at the committee level at the House of Representatives. Read the full story here.

 

China y actividades empresariales en América Latina: Informe revela preocupante situación de derechos humanos, incluido caso en Chile

El Ciudadano, 16 February 2023

Organizaciones de la sociedad civil han presentado una serie de antecedentes al Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (CDESC), para dar cuenta de que el Estado chino ha incumplido con sus obligaciones en el marco del derecho internacional que le exige asegurar que las empresas y entidades financieras que están bajo su jurisdicción o control efectivo, no vulneren derechos humanos en otros países donde desarrollan sus operaciones. Read the full story here.

 

How China Tries to Bamboozle the United Nations

The Diplomat, 11 February 2023

As a new report from the International Service for Human Rights points out, individuals from the PRC serving on United Nations treaty bodies often have deep, long-standing affiliations with the Chinese government, or even official roles in the Communist Party. Read the full story here.

 

Who is Morris Tidball-Binz, UN special rapporteur on EJKs?

Rappler, 6 February 2023

United Nations expert Morris Tidball-Binz will be in the Philippines starting Monday, February 6, to reportedly help improve the capabilities of law enforcement bodies in investigations. […] He then went on to work directing programs of several human rights organizations from 1990 to 2003, including Amnesty International and the Penal Reform International in the United Kingdom, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in Costa Rica, and the International Service for Human Rights in Switzerland. Read the full story here.

 

UN rapporteur on EJK to visit PH to ‘help capacitate’ doctors: DOJ

ABS-CBN News, 5 February 2023

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Tidball-Binz was named special rapporteur in April 2021, after having served in different regional and global human rights programs for Amnesty International, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, Penal Reform International, and the International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

China’s growing influence at the UN Human Rights Council

Sur, 29 January 2023

ISHR’s Raphaël Viana David looks at the goals and tactics behind China’s increasing presence at the UN Human Rights Council, and propose some reflections on its impact for progressive Latin American and other Global South governments. Read the full article here.

 

NGO warns of China’s ‘undue’ tactics at human rights examinations

Geneva Solutions, 26 January 2023

The report, released on Wednesday by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), details how China has been seeking to get Chinese former government officials elected to the human rights bodies that are “favourable” towards it. It also exposes how the leading power has been blocking participation of rights activists, even going as far as pressuring UN office staff to not publish the reports they have submitted to stifle criticism. Read the full article here.

 

ONG aponta influência chinesa em órgãos humanitários da ONU

Gezata do Povo / Agencia EFE, 25 January 2023

A diplomacia chinesa está aumentando seus esforços para influenciar os órgãos de direitos humanos das Nações Unidas encarregados de garantir o cumprimento das convenções internacionais, como o Comitê contra a Tortura. A denúncia foi feita, nesta quarta-feira (25), pelo Serviço Internacional para os Direitos Humanos (ISHR). Leia o artigo completo aqui.

See also: the aritcles on Pleno News and Noticias ao Minuto.

 

ONG denuncia creciente influencia china en órganos de d.humanos de la ONU

Diario el Mercurio / Agencia EFE, 25 January 2023

De acuerdo con un informe publicado por esta el Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos, diplomáticos y altos cargos chinos intentan «perturbar, limitar y reducir» el trabajo de estos órganos, entre los que también figuran los comités de Naciones Unidas contra la discriminación contra la mujer o contra el racismo. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Denuncian creciente influencia china en órganos de DDHH de la ONU

La Patilla / Agencia EFE, 25 January 2023

La diplomacia china está aumentando sus esfuerzos por influir en órganos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas encargados de velar por el cumplimiento de convenciones internacionales, tales como el Comité contra la Tortura, denunció este miércoles la ONG Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Jailed Kashmir Activist Khurram Parvez Named One of 3 Winners of 2023 Martin Ennals Award

The Wire, 19 January 2023

Incarcerated Kashmir human rights activist Khurram Parvez has been named one of the three recipients of the 2023 Martin Ennals Award. The award, named after a famed British human rights activist, recognises “outstanding activists who pioneered human rights”. The two other winners are Delphine Djiraibé, a pioneering human rights lawyer of Chad and Feliciano Reyna, who is a prominent health rights activist in Venezuela. Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Kashmiri Human Rights defender Khurram Parvez to receive Martin Ennals Award

Free Press Kashmir, 19 January 2023

Incarcerated Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez is among the three activists who pioneered the human rights movement to receive Martin Ennals Award 2023. Read the full story here.

See also: the article on the Kashmir Media Service.

 

Inside Geneva: aid without women in Afghanistan

Swissinfo, 10 January 2023

28 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid, 6 million are close to famine. Why is the focus on restricting what women do? ‘These are acts committed for the purpose of establishing dominance and systematic oppression by men over women in all aspects of public life as well as private life,’ says Pooja Patel of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Find the full story here.

What Does Civil Society Want From the New UN Rights Commissioner?

Passblue, 22 December 2022

What do nongovernmental organizations want from the new rights leader? A recent survey asked 39 such groups and UN experts about their top asks to Turk, an Austrian. Unsurprisingly, most want a strong, vocal and principled high commissioner who will take on the most powerful people in the world, writes ISHR’s Vincent Ploton. Read his full story here.

 

UAE urged to not deport Egyptian-American activist who called for Cop27 protests

The Independent, 22 December 2022

Over 20 rights groups sign letter urging UAE to not deport Sherif Osman over fears he could be ‘subjected to torture’. “#UAE’s detention of #SherifOsman at the behest of Egypt as a reprisal for his call for protests at #COP27 must be met with strong condemnation and action from governments committed to civic space and climate justice. This is a critical test run for #COP28,” wrote Phil Lynch, director of The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full story here.

See also: the article on Yahoo news.

 

ONG humanitarias piden renovación de resolución 49/3 de ONU sobre Nicaragua

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 15 December 2022

Un grupo de 34 organizaciones nicaragüenses e internacionales demandaron este jueves ante la oficina del Alto Comisionado de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos (Acnudh) la renovación del mandato del Grupo de Expertos de Derechos Humanos sobre Nicaragua (49/3) para investigar presuntos abusos y violaciones de derechos humanos en el país centroamericano. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Defensores piden a la ONU renovar resolución sobre la crisis de Nicaragua

Artículo 66, 15 December 2022

Organizaciones de derechos humanos demandaron al Consejo de Derechos humanos de la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU) que “renueve y refuerce” por dos años la resolución sobre la situación de Nicaragua y el mandato de expertos en materia de derechos humanos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

UN Grants Consultative Status to Dalit Rights Group After 15 Years

The Swaddle, 9 December 2022

The International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), a Coppenhagen-based international group working to highlight caste discrimination and advocate for Dalit Rights at a global level, was on Wednesday granted consultative status by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Read the full story here.

 

UN body accredits 9 rights, minority groups after US push

Associated Press (AP), 8 December 2022

The U.N. body overseeing economic development and social issues voted Wednesday to give nine human rights and minority groups the right to raise concerns and participate in its discussions. Madeleine Sinclair, co-director of the International Service for Human Rights’ New York office, said ECOSOC members “must ensure the NGO committee finally fulfils its mandate and that its members stop arbitrarily denying civil society groups access to the U.N. for political reasons.” Read the full story here.

See also: the articles in the Washington Post, The Star Tribune, Business Standard and Yahoo News.

 

UN ECOSOC grants accreditation to 9 NGOs amid objections from several nations

The Print, 8 December 2022

The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has voted to grant special consultative status to nine non-governmental organisations, including one that advocates for Dalit human rights. According to the International Service for Human Rights, IDSN’s application was deferred for 15 years – a “record for blocking an organisation”. Read the full story here.

 

Climate activist Deanna Coco’s 15 month sentence is “outrageous” and “alarming”

Women’s Agenda, 6 December 2022

Reactions have been swift and severe after environmental protester Deanna Coco was sentenced to 15 months prison last week for her actions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in April, when she blocked a lane of traffic with a hired truck as part of the Fireproof Australia movement. Director of the International Service for Human Rights, Phil Lynch, told the Guardian that peaceful protest was a fundamental human right. Read the full story here.

 

Un comité de l’ONU demande à la France de poursuivre les policiers qui ont cyberharcelé Assa Traoré

BFMTV, 3 December 2022

Dès le 24 novembre, l’ONG International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) avait alerté le représentant permanent de la France aux Nations unies à Genève, Jérôme Bonnafont, l’appelant à protéger Assa Traoré de tout acte d’”intimation et de représailles”. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

UN Committee Asks France To Prosecute Police Officers Responsible For Online Intimidation Against Assa Traoré

Globe Echo, 3 December 2022

The CERD spoke out on the personal case of Assa Traoré, the sister of Adama Traoré, a young man who died in 2016 after his arrest by the gendarmes. Assa Traoré has become a figure in the denunciation of police violence. Having come to Geneva on November 15 to be heard by CERD experts, like a host of representatives of civil society, ministries or independent authorities, she was subsequently the subject of many “messages of intimidation and threats” on line. The CERD asks France to prosecute in particular the police officers who are the authors of these defamatory messages and threats on Twitter. Read the full story here.

 

Un comité de l’ONU demande à la France qu’elle poursuive des policiers auteurs d’intimidations en ligne contre Assa Traoré

Le Monde, 3 December 2022

La sœur d’Adama Traoré, mort en 2016 après son interpellation par des gendarmes, est venue témoigner à Genève, le 15 novembre, devant le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale (CERD). Elle a été la cible, ensuite, de nombreux messages diffamatoires et menaçants. L’ONG International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) a alerté l’ambassadeur de France, Jérôme Bonnafont, auprès de l’ONU, dès le 24 novembre. Dans un courrier dont Le Monde a pris connaissance, elle enjoint à la France de protéger Assa Traoré de tout acte d’« intimation et de représailles ». Lisez la suite de l’article ici ($).

 

UN official ‘alarmed’ by jailing of climate activist who blocked traffic on Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Guardian, 3 December 2022

Human rights groups around the world express outrage over ‘disproportionate’ punishment peaceful Australian climate protester Deanna ‘Violet’ Coco. From Geneva, Phil Lynch, the director of the International Service for Human Rights, said peaceful protest was a fundamental human right. Read the full story here.

 

Un comité de l’ONU défend Assa Traoré face à des syndicats policiers

Mediapart, 2 December 2022

La sœur d’Adama Traoré a été la cible de messages virulents de la part de syndicats de policiers après avoir été auditionnée par le Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale des Nations unies. Ce dernier demande au gouvernement d’ouvrir des procédures, si nécessaire pénales, contre les auteurs. Lisez la suite de l’article ici ($).

 

联合国委员会吁中国释放新疆被拘留者

Deutsche Welle, 25 November 2022

联合国一个委员会24日发布声明，敦促中国政府立即释放被关押在新疆拘留设施中的人士，并向受害者提供补救跟赔偿。专家认为，此举将进一步在相关议题上向中国施压。 长期关注联合国人权发展的“国际人权服务社”亚洲项目经理戴海彦（Raphael David）在推特上指出，联合国委员会的突破性决定，迫使国际社会在联合国加强行动，监督和报告中国的侵权行为。他写道：“它再次表明，中国政府对维吾尔人的迫害，不是一个政治问题，而是一个有据可查的严重侵犯权利的问题。” Read the full story here.

 

Africa: Countries Hiding Responses Sent to UN Experts Over Allegations of Human Rights Abuses

All Africa, 25 November 2022

Human rights defenders are alarmed at what appears to be a new process permitting countries to keep confidential their responses to UN experts about allegations of human rights abuses. There should be a space for human rights experts and countries to have private conversations about allegations, says Sarah M. Brooks, Programme Director for the organization International Service for Human Rights. See the full story here.

See also: the article on Inter Press Service.

 

Rights Bodies Demand ‘Immediate, Unconditional Release’ of Jailed Kashmir Activist Khurram Parvez

The Wire, 22 November 2022

A number of national and global human rights and civil society organisations have demanded India to ‘immediately and unconditionally release’ Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who has been under arrest for a year under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Read the full article here.

 

Prisioneiro político egípcio faz greve de fome e corre risco de morrer durante a COP27

Globo, 7 November 2022

Segundo Alaa Abdel Fattah, sua decisão foi tomada “em um momento que considero oportuno para minha luta pela liberdade (…) e pelas vítimas de um regime incapaz de lidar com suas crises, exceto com opressão”. Para Salma el-Hosseiny, da ONG Serviço Internacional para os Direitos Humanos, os representantes dos países que chegam ao Egito devem usar todo o seu prestígio para pedir a libertação do ativista. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

Droits de l’Homme : Rencontres au sommet à Banjul en Gambie

Maliweb.net, 21 October 2022

Le Centre africain des Etudes sur la Démocratie et les Droits de l’homme (ACDHRS) organise à Banjul, dans la capitale gambienne, un renforcement des capacités des acteurs de la société civile des défenseurs de droits humains. Cette session annuelle est organisée en partenariat avec la Commission africaine des Droits des Peuples, (CADHP), Open society foundations, le Service international pour les droits de l’Homme (ISHR) et le Haut-commissariat des Nations-Unies aux Droits de l’Homme. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

Human Rights Council vote on China reflects shift in power

Swissinfo, 20 October 2022

Despite the efforts of Western countries and NGOs, the UN body responsible for protecting human rights everywhere refused to discuss the situation in China’s Xinjiang. “The council is as good as its members, and its membership changes every year,” says ISHR’s Raphaël Viana David. “Being two votes away in the context of the Council is not that much,” he adds. Read the full story here.

 

Venezuela perde assento no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU

Swissinfo / AFP, 11 October 2022

“A Venezuela tem sido um aliado constante, tanto da China quanto da Rússia neste conselho”, disse à AFP Tess McEvoy, da ONG International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

Venesuela prarado savo vietą JT Žmogaus teisių taryboje

LRT.lt / Baltic News Service / AFP, 11 October 2022

Kinija ir Rusija neteko patikimos sąjungininkės Jungtinių Tautų Žmogaus teisių taryboje, Venesuelai, kaltinamai rimtais pažeidimais, antradienį nesugebėjus išsaugoti savo vietos. Nauji tarybos nariai, turintys „tvirtesnį ir principingesnį požiūrį“ į žmogaus teisių krizes, gali „labai padidinti“ būsimos iniciatyvos Kinijos klausimu pasisekimo tikimybę, sakė Raphaelis Viana Davidas iš žmogaus teisių organizacijos „International Service for Human Rights“ (ISHR). Read the full story here.

See also: the article on Alfa TV.

 

Le Venezuela perd sa place au Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU

La Presse / AFP, 11 October 2022

« Le Venezuela a été un allié constant de la Chine et de la Russie au Conseil – ce qu’il a confirmé une fois de plus la semaine dernière, en s’opposant à la fois à la tenue d’un simple débat sur le rapport du Haut-Commissariat de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme sur le Xinjiang et au vote […], demandant un rapporteur spécial pour la situation en Russie », a rappelé auprès de l’AFP Tess McEvoy de l’organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

Venezuela quedó afuera del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU

Clarín / AFP, 11 October 2022

Había dos vacantes y las obtuvieron Chile, con 144 votos, y Costa Rica, con 134. Caracas quería ser reelecto pero solo obtuvo 88 sufragios. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Venezuela perdió su asiento en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU

El Espectador / AFP, 11 October 2022

Dentro del órgano de Naciones Unidas, tres países de América Latina se presentaron a la votación por los escaños y en el proceso, que fue secreto y sin discursos, Chile obtuvo 144 votos, Costa Rica 134 y Venezuela 88. “Venezuela ha sido un aliado constante tanto de China como de Rusia en este Consejo, un hecho que se confirmó una vez más la semana pasada cuando se opuso a un simple debate sobre el informe del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos sobre Xinjiang”, explicó Tess McEvoy, miembro de la oenegé International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Vease también los artículos de France 24 y del Diario las Américas.

 

Venezuela Fails In Bid To Renew UN Rights Council Seat

Barron’s / AFP, 11 October 2022

China and Russia will lose a trusted ally in the UN Human Rights Council after Venezuela, which stands accused of serious violations, failed Tuesday to renew its seat. New council members with a “more robust and principled approach” to human rights crises could “greatly increase” the chances of a future initiative on China succeeding, said Raphael Viana David of the International Service for Human Rights. Read the full article here.

 

Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU: México se aleja de sus socios y vecinos

Proceso, 9 October 2022

“Es profundamente decepcionante que México, un país que siempre apoya un diálogo constructive hasta en las situaciones más complicadas, no haya sido capaz de simplemente apoyar un mero debate en la ONU sobre posibles crímenes de lesa humanidad en Xinjiang”, dice Raphael Viana, portavoz del International Service for Humam Rights. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

UN Rights Vote Pyrrhic Victory For China, Say Campaigners

Barron’s / AFP, 8 October 2022

The UN Human Rights Council damaged its credibility by dodging a discussion on Xinjiang, experts say, but campaigners brand it a Pyrrhic victory for China with Beijing’s impunity finally dented. Phil Lynch, executive director of the International Service for Human Rights NGO, suggested China had secured only a Pyrrhic victory: a win that comes with losses resembling a defeat. Read the full article here.

See also: the article on Arab News.

 

A l’ONU, Pékin pourrait bien avoir emporté une victoire à la Pyrrhus

Le Journal de Québec / AFP, 8 October 2022

Phil Lynch, qui est directeur général de l’ONG International Service for Human Rights, y voit une victoire à la Pyrrhus pour Pékin: une victoire qui a un tel coût qu’elle s’apparente à une défaite. Il en veut pour preuve le score très serré. «Nous n’avons pas remporté le vote, mais la marge étroite donne vraiment le sentiment que c’est une cause que nous devons défendre et que la Chine ne peut pas continuer à bénéficier de l’impunité face aux crimes contre l’humanité», a-t-il expliqué. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

UN agency appoints Special Rapporteur to investigate human rights violations in Russia

Meduza, 7 October 2022

The UN Human Rights Council has voted to establish a Special Rapporteur to monitor and assess human rights abuses in Russia. “The criminalization of protest, the imprisonment of human rights defenders, the silencing of the free press, and the massive propagation of disinformation are all factors which have enabled Putin to perpetrate his war of aggression in Ukraine,” International Service for Human Rights Executive Director Phil Lynch said. Read the full article here.

 

U.N. Human Rights Council votes to appoint investigator to monitor Russia

UPI, 7 October 2022

The vote, which comes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marks the first time that such monitoring has been mandated on a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, according to the International Service for Human Rights. “With this vote, Council members have pledged their support to Russian civilians and civil society groups as they are under attack from an increasingly violent and totalitarian state,” said Phil Lynch, executive director of the ISHR, in a statement. Read the full story here.

 

 China calls Xinjiang vote at UN Human Rights Council a win against US ‘coercion’

South China Morning Post, 7 October 2022

After defeating a bid to debate China’s alleged abuses in Xinjiang, Beijing says developing countries are ‘clearly aware’ of Western motives. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, called the voting record “shameful” on Twitter, and singled out Ukraine’s vote. Read the full story here ($).

 

U.N. Human Rights Council Declines Debate on Xinjiang Report

China Digital Times, 7 October 2022

On Thursday, the U.N. Human Rights Council voted against a motion to debate the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Sarah Brooks, ISHR Programme Director: “No government has a perfect record of sticking to principle when voting on UN resolutions. Yet, this resolution was a crucial test of the credibility of the Human Rights Council as a whole and, particularly, its ability to respond to atrocity crimes even at the hands of the most powerful governments.” Read the full article here.

 

Human Rights Groups, China Voice Strong, Opposing Reactions to UN Vote

Voice of America (VOA), 7 October 2022

Beijing highlighted the failure of a push by the United States and some Western countries to debate China’s human rights record in Xinjiang at next year’s U.N. Human Rights Council. Uyghur rights groups voiced strong disappointment. Read the full story here.

U.N. body rejects debate on China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in blow to West

Reuters, 7 October 2022

The U.N. rights council on Thursday voted down a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses by China against Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang in a victory for Beijing as it seeks to avoid further scrutiny. Qatar, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan rejected the motion, with the latter citing the risk of alienating China. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, called the voting record “shameful” on Twitter. Read the full story here.

See also: the articles on CNN, Swissinfo and on the East Coast Daily English.

 

Droits de l’homme : Pékin s’offre une victoire diplomatique face à Washington

Le Journal de Montréal / AFP, 6 October 2022

Le directeur exécutif de l’organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Phil Lynch, a jugé «honteux» le vote des pays musulmans et africains. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

UN Human Rights Council rejects debate on Xinjiang

France 24 / AFP, 6 October 2022

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted against holding a debate on alleged widespread abuses in China’s Xinjiang region after intense lobbying by Beijing, in a major setback for Western nations. The International Service for Human Rights’ China advocate Raphael Viana David said: “Council members sent today a dreadful message: China remains so far untouchable.” Read the full story here.

See also: the articles on the Manila Times, the Manila Bulletin and on The Australian($).

 

Com abstenção do Brasil, China vence votação na ONU e impede debate sobre violação de direitos humanos

Globo, 6 October 2022

Infelizmente o sistema não passou nesse teste de credibilidade — afirmou ao GLOBO Raphaël Viana David, da organização The International Service for Human Rights, que monitorou a votação. — Infelizmente, a mensagem da maioria dos 47 membros que votaram é que o diálogo claro é um pilar fundamental do multilateralismo, mas isso não se aplica à China. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

Human Rights Council shuts down China debate proposal in close vote

Geneva Solutions, 6 October 2022

“It is shameful that global south governments who profess their commitment to dialogue, Muslim countries supposedly committed to religious rights and freedoms, and African governments who purport to oppose systemic discrimination have overwhelmingly failed to even support a UN discussion on rights abuses against Uyghurs,” said Phil Lynch, executive director for the International Service of Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full article here.

 

UN rights council blocks debate on China’s abuses in Xinjiang

Financial Times, 6 October 2022

Raphaël Viana David of the International Service for Human Rights said: “While, in recent years, the council has been able to scrutinise international crimes in Palestine, Ukraine or Myanmar, and to investigate systemic racism and police violence in the United States, council members sent today a dreadful message: China remains so far untouchable.” Read the full article here.

 

Brasil se abstém, e ONU rejeita debate sobre repressão a uigures na China

Folha de S. Paulo, 6 October 2022

Para Raphael Viana David, responsável por advocacy para China e América Latina no International Service for Human Rights, que acompanhou a votação, a abstenção brasileira enfraquece a posição do país como promotor de diálogo no cenário internacional. “O Itamaraty indica com isso que se pode conversar sobre direitos humanos em qualquer país, menos na China”, diz à Folha. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

China debate hangs in the balance as states prepare to vote at UN rights body

Geneva Solutions, 6 October 2022

An initiative to scrutinise China’s human rights record faces an uncertain future at the Human Rights Council today as countries prepare for a tight vote. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) tweeted: “This vote is a big test of principle, including for OIC states who purport to protect Muslims and religious rights, African states who profess to oppose systemic discrimination, and all states who express their commitment to dialogue.” Read the full article here.

 

Bahrain pulls out of U.N. human rights body election after criticism

Reuters, 4 October 2022

Bahrain will no longer run in an election to the U.N.’s top human rights body later this month, a U.N. website showed, after critics drew attention to alleged human rights violations. A U.N. site showed that Bahrain withdrew its candidacy on Sept. 26 to run for a three-year seat at the Geneva-based body, without giving details. A scorecard published by the International Service for Human Rights gave Bahrain a green tick for just three of 16 criteria, one of the lowest scores among candidate countries. Read the full story here.

 

Com ditaduras, Brasil se opõe na ONU a debater direitos humanos na China

UOL, 29 September 2022

O governo de Jair Bolsonaro se mostrou contrário à proposta de europeus e americanos de colocar na agenda da ONU um debate sobre as acusações de violações de direitos humanos na China. “O Brasil, como membro do Conselho de Direitos Humanos, está frente à uma escolha simples: apoiar ou não um diálogo, para que todos os governos, China incluída, possam expressar suas opiniões”, afirmou Raphael Viana, da entidade International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

Renovación del mandato a Misión de la ONU gana terreno tras presentar tercer informe ante el Consejo de DDHH

Cronica.uno, 26 September 2022

Organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos y delegaciones tomaron la palabra este lunes en el Diálogo Interactivo del Consejo de DD. HH. en apoyo al trabajo de la Misión de Determinación de Hechos y para condenar las violaciones de los derechos humanos en Venezuela. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Volker Türk appointed top UN human rights chief

The Lancet, 24 September 2022

Philip Lynch, Director at the International Service for Human Rights, told The Lancet that “it is imperative that the new High Commissioner adopt a strong, public, and principled approach which condemns violations, demands accountability, and shows solidarity with victims”. Read the full article here. Download a copy of the article here.

 

La ONU aporta pruebas de crímenes contra la humanidad que apuntan al gobierno venezolano

Perfil, 22 September 2022

Los indicios de genocidio en la crisis de derechos humanos durante el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro y su “álter ego” Diosdado Cabello, en Venezuela, recolectados por expertos de la ONU desde el 2014 a la fecha. Eleanor Openshaw, del Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos (SIDH), en Ginebra, estimó que el informe “es una condena irrefutable al régimen de Maduro y de sus servicios de seguridad.” Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

‘We’re ready for the fight’: China ramps up response to Xinjiang report as pressure mounts on Human Rights Council

Geneva Solutions, 22 September 2022

Raphael Viana David, Asia programme manager for the International Service of Human Rights (ISHR), said that the visit of  a Xinjiang delegation is “a part of China’s wide range of tactics to demonstrate diplomatic support for their own position and to coerce their diplomatic allies into showing support”. Read the full article here.

 

The Uyghur world leader asked the UN for a resolution to stop the abuses of the Chinese regime

The Gal Times / Agencia EFE, 20 September 2022

The president of the World Uyghur Congress, Dolkun Isa, assured this Monday at the European headquarters of the UN that this organization “no longer has excuses” to remain inoperative in the face of the abuses of the Chinese regime. “It is time to act and leave empty promises, people continue to suffer and it is disappointing that there is no urgent debate here on the Uyghur issue” , Isa said at a ceremony held on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council by the NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Read the full article here.

 

Líder uigur en el exilio pide a la ONU una resolución contra abusos de China

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 19 September 2022

“Es tiempo de actuar y de dejar las promesas vacías, la gente sigue sufriendo y es decepcionante que no haya aquí un debate urgente sobre la cuestión uigur”, señaló Isa en un acto celebrado en los márgenes del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU por la ONG Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos (ISHR). Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Recrudecen ataques a defensores de DDHH en Venezuela, según ONG

RunRun·es, 19 September 2022

La ONG Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ) informó este 19 de septiembre que en Venezuela se registraron 27 ataques e incidentes de seguridad contra defensores de derechos humanos (DDHH) en agosto. Aunque se trata de 46 % menos que en julio, señala la organización, se trata de «agresiones más violentas». El Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos (ISHR, por sus siglas en inglés), instó este martes, 30 de agosto, a mantener el foco sobre los DDHH en Venezuela. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

West weighs calling for China Uyghur abuses inquiry at UN

The Guardian, 19 September 2022

Western powers are weighing the risk of a potential defeat if they table a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council calling for an independent commission to investigate alleged human rights abuses by China in Xinjiang. Sarah M Brooks, a programme director for the Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights warned: “A failure by the UN even to try to do something on this issue would be far worse than trying and failing.” Read the full story here.

 

U.N. Xinjiang report reaps Chinese reprisal

Politico, 15 September 2022

Beijing’s anger could threaten Chinese funding for UNHCR projects including research on issues related to indigenous persons, social inequalities and racial discrimination. “Those are mandates that are doing incredible work on a global scale, and would potentially suffer from a Chinese decision to throw a hissy fit and take their money and walk away,” said Sarah Brooks, program director at ISHR. Read the full story here.

 

ONU cita a 42 estados por represalias contra defensores de derechos humanos

Crónica, 14 September 2022

El 14 de septiembre de 2021, el Secretario General de la ONU publicó su informe anual sobre represalias e intimidación contra individuos y grupos que buscan cooperar con la ONU en materia de derechos humanos. “Otra vez, el informe del secretario general es terrible y la situación no muestra signos de mejorar”, dijo Madeleine Sinclair, codirectora de la oficina de Nueva York y asesora legal de ISHR. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

China Criticizes UN Report On Alleged Xinjiang Human Rights Abuse, Rallies Support

Business Times, 14 September 2022

China criticized a report released by the UN office for human rights on alleged abuses in Xinjiang. A statement had been read by a Chinese envoy calling out the UN body, and claiming that around 20 other countries had expressed support to Beijing. Read the full story here.

 

China rallies support over Xinjiang report at U.N. rights meeting

Reuters, 13 September 2022

Democracies are now mulling a possible historic motion against China including a possible investigative mechanism at an ongoing meeting of the Geneva council as a result, diplomats told Reuters. “The U.N. report has made it hard for many countries, in particular Muslim ones, to stay silent…” said Raphael Viana David from the International Service for Human Rights, Read the full story here.

See also the article on The Standard (Hong Kong).

 

Sudanese minister tells woman during visit to Australia ‘we would beat you until you begged us to stop’

ABC, 9 September 2022

Sudanese-Australian activist Nazik Osman has called for a senior Sudanese government minister to be banned from Australia after he allegedly threatened her during a visit to Perth for a mining conference. The International Service for Human Rights said in March that Sudanese security forces had used “rape and sexual violence as a weapon to silence women protesters”. Read the full article here.

 

L’Autrichien Volker Türk nommé chef des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU

Ouest-France, 9 September 2022

Ancien haut-commissaire de l’ONU pour les réfugiés, l’Autrichien Volker Türk a été nommé ce jeudi 8 septembre 2022 haut-commissaire des droits de l’Homme. Il succède à l’ancienne présidente chilienne Michelle Bachelet à ce poste sensible et observé. « Le secrétaire général a manqué une occasion clé de construire la légitimité et l’autorité du prochain Haut-Commissaire », a commenté le directeur exécutif de l’organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Phil Lynch. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

Šaltiniai: į JT žmogaus teisių vadovo postą A.Guterresas siūlys V.Turko kandidatūrą

15min.lt / Baltic News Service (BNS), 8 September 2022

Jungtinių Tautų generalinis sekretorius Antonio Guterresas vyriausiuoju žmogaus teisių komisaru siūlys paskirti savo kolegą Volkerį Turką iš Austrijos, ketvirtadienį pranešė diplomatai ir teisių gynimo grupės. ISHR vadovas Philas Lynchas įspėjo, kad toks skaidrumo ir konsultacijų trūkumas gali brangiai atsieiti. „Generalinis sekretorius praleido svarbią galimybę sustiprinti kito vyriausiojo komisaro legitimumą ir autoritetą“, – sakė jis. Read the full story here.

 

L’Autrichien Volker Türk, nouveau chef des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU

Courrier International / AFP, 8 September 2022

L’Autrichien Volker Türk, proche collaborateur du secrétaire général des Nations unies, a été nommé jeudi Haut-Commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’Homme. “Le secrétaire général a manqué une occasion-clé de construire la légitimité et l’autorité du prochain Haut-Commissaire”, a commenté le directeur exécutif de l’organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Phil Lynch. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

Voir également: les articles parus dans Médiapart et 20 Minutes (France).

 

Volker Türk va-t-il coiffer au poteau Adama Dieng?

Seneplus, 8 September 2022

Toutefois, le choix de Türk n’a pas manqué de faire grincer des dents. Pour preuve, Phil Lynch, directeur exécutif du Service international pour les droits de l’homme, a déclaré dans Swissinfo que la sélection de Turk avait manqué de transparence et de consultation avec la société civile indépendante. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

ONU: Antonio Guterres propose son adjoint pour succéder à Michelle Bachelet

Le Temps, 8 September 2022

Plusieurs ONG dénoncent un «processus opaque» et rappellent que pour toutes les nominations précédentes, le candidat recommandé par le Secrétaire général a été approuvé par consensus, sans vote. «Pour répondre aux exigences du poste, le prochain Haut-Commissaire doit être un champion des droits de l’Homme, courageux et doté de principes, qui s’engage de manière cohérente avec les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme» a déclaré Sarah Brooks, directrice de programme à l’International Service for Human Rights. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

Volker Türk pressenti pour succéder à Michelle Bachelet

Le Matin / AFP, 8 September 2022

L’Autrichien devrait être nommé Haut-Commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme selon un processus qui ne fait pas l’unanimité. Le directeur exécutif de l’ISHR, Phil Lynch, a averti que le manque de transparence et de consultations aurait des retombées. Lisez la suite de l’article ici

 

Guterres nominates Austrian Volker Turk to be next High Commissioner for Human Rights

Armenia News, 8 September 2022

Phil Lynch, executive director of the International Service for Human Rights, said there was a lack of transparency and consultation with independent civil society in Turk’s selection. Read the full article here.

 

UN taps Austrian as next rights chief

Bangkok Post / AFP, 8 September 2022

Guterres’s choice of a figure unknown to the wider public stands in contrast to his appointment of the high-profile Bachelet, who ended her tenure last week. But “in all previous appointments, the secretary general’s recommended candidate has been approved by consensus,” the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) pointed out in a statement. Read the full article here.

See also the aritcles by France 24, RFI and Free Malaysia Today.

 

UN Chief Antonio Guterres Taps Volker Turk As Next Rights Chief: Report

Ndtv, 8 September 2022

A week after Michelle Bachelet stepped down at the end of her four-year term as rights chief, the UN has yet to officially announce who will replace her. ISHR director Phil Lynch warned that this lack of transparency and consultation could come at a price. “The secretary general missed a key opportunity to build the legitimacy and authority of the next high commissioner,” he said. Read the full story here.

 

Austria’s Turk appointed U.N. human rights chief 

Reuters, 8 September 2022

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday approved the appointment of Austria’s Volker Turk as the next U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Phil Lynch, executive director of the International Service for Human Rights, said Turk’s selection had lacked transparency and consultation with independent civil society. Read the full story here.

See also the articles by Al Jazeera and Voice of America.

 

La ONU aprobó la designación del austriaco Volker Turk como Alto Comisionado de Derechos Humanos

Infobae, 8 September 2022

Los grupos defensores de derechos humanos han estado pidiendo que el próximo Alto Comisionado de DDHH tenga el valor suficiente para enfrentarse incluso a los países más poderosos y denunciar las violaciones. “Lo que está en juego nunca ha sido tan importante”, dijo la directora del programa del International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Sarah Brooks. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

El austriaco Volker Turk podría ser el nuevo Alto Comisionado de la ONU para Derechos Humanos

Proceso, 8 September 2022

Se espera que esta tarde el Secretario General de la ONU António Guterres lo proponga en la Asamblea General en Nueva York y sea aprobado su nombramiento. ‘La falta de transparencia y de consulta significativa con la sociedad civil independiente en el proceso de selección significa que el Secretario General ha perdido una oportunidad clave para fortalecer la legitimidad y autoridad del próximo Alto Comisionado’, dijo el Director Ejecutivo de International Services for Human Rights (ISHR), Phil Lynch. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Vease también los artículos de Swissinfo / AFP, EVTV, El Financiero, El Nacional y Yahoo News.

 

ONG denuncia opacidad en posible nombramiento de Turk como jefe d.humanos ONU

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 8 September 2022

La ONG Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos (ISHR) reveló hoy que el austriaco Volker Turk podría hoy ser nombrado alto comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, aunque denunció que esa posible designación ha seguido un proceso “opaco” en el que no ha habido consenso. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Unterdrückung der Uiguren – Menschenrechtler fordern Sanktionen

IslamiQ, 3 September 2022

Der aktuelle UN-Bericht verdeutlicht Menschenrechtsverletzungen gegen die Uiguren. Für Menschenrechtsorganisationen soll das Verhalten Chinas endlich Konsequenzen haben. Read the full story here.

 

聯合國發布新疆報告 美英說話了

China Times/中國時報, 2 September 2022

不過，巴舍萊在卸任前發布這份報告，並未滿足人權運動和批評人士，尤其是報告對於「種族滅絕」隻字未提。國際人權服務社（ISHR）專案主任布魯克斯認為：「在任期最後幾分鐘發布這麼重要的報告，她只履行了最低限度的職責。」Read the full article here (中文).

 

Calls for accountability mount after UN China report

Swissinfo, 2 September 2022

Voices in Geneva and elsewhere are demanding follow up after the release of a long-awaited report on Xinjiang. ISHR called on the Human Rights Council to hold a formal discussion on China’s human rights crisis, not only Xinjiang but also Tibet, Hong Kong, and the persecution of human rights defenders. “Council members should also initiate and support efforts to establish an independent international mechanism to monitor and report on the human rights situation in China,” it said. Read the full article here.

 

Menschenrechtler loben Xinjiang-Bericht der Vereinten Nationen

Handelsblatt / Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), 1 September 2022

Menschenrechtsorganisationen haben den nach monatelanger Verzögerung veröffentlichten Bericht des UN-Menschenrechtsbüros über das Vorgehen Chinas gegen Minderheiten in der Region Xinjiang gelobt. Auch die Menschenrechtsorganisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) forderte Konsequenzen. “Dieser Bericht ist ein entscheidender Schritt auf dem Weg zur Rechenschaft über Rechtsverletzungen an Uiguren und türkischen Muslimen in China”, teilte Exekutivdirektor Phil Lynch mit. Read the full story here.

 

ONG celebran informe de la ONU sobre China aunque afirman que Bachelet “jugó un juego peligroso”

El Mercurio On-Line (EMOL), 1 September 2022

Las ONG de derechos humanos Human Rights Watch (HRW) y Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos (ISHR) celebraron este jueves la publicación tras muchos retrasos del informe que denuncia graves abusos de China en su región de Xinjiang, y pidieron aumentar la presión internacional tras este paso “histórico”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

UN: Anzeichen für Verbrechen gegen Menschlichkeit in China

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), 1 September 2022

In einem seit langem erwarteten Bericht zur Lage in der chinesischen Region Xinjiang sieht das UN-Menschenrechtsbüro Anzeichen für Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit. «Dieser Bericht ist ein entscheidender Schritt auf dem Weg zur Rechenschaft über Rechtsverletzungen an Uiguren und türkischen Muslimen in China», teilte ISHRs Exekutivdirektor Phil Lynch mit. Read the full story here.

See also: the article on the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger (in German).

 

ONG piden a comunidad internacional que aumente presión a China tras informe

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 1 September 2022

ISHR criticó que Michelle Bahcelet esperara hasta los últimos minutos de su mandato para la salida a la luz del informe. “Su publicación se produce tras un caótico proceso que fue mal manejado por la alta comisionada Bachelet”, aseguró la organización, recordando que la oficina que ayer dejó de dirigir la política chilena aseguró hace casi un año que estaba “finalizando” el documento. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

UN’s Bachelet releases report on Xinjiang, citing possible crimes against humanity

Geneva Solutions, 1 September 2022

The outgoing UN rights chief published the long-awaited report 13 minutes to midnight on 31 August. While welcoming the “historic” report, NGOs were not so quick to forget Bachelet’s questionable decision to hold off its publication in exchange for a visit to Xinjiang. “The High Commissioner took a dangerous gamble. She seemingly believes that constructive dialogue with China can be more effective than public criticism of policies that violate human rights in Xinjiang and elsewhere,” said ISHR’s Sarah Brooks. Read the full story here.

 

Xinjiang-Bericht: China wirft Westen Manipulation und Lügen vor

Nau.ch / Keystone-SDA/Keystone-ATS, 1 September 2022

Die Menschenrechtsorganisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) forderte Konsequenzen. «Dieser Bericht ist ein entscheidender Schritt auf dem Weg zur Rechenschaft über Rechtsverletzungen an Uiguren und türkischen Muslimen in China», teilte Exekutivdirektor Phil Lynch mit. Das Verhalten Chinas dürfe nicht weiter geduldet werden, meinte ISHR-Programmdirektorin Sarah Brooks. Read the full story here.

 

China acusa ONU de ser cúmplice do Ocidente ao publicar relatório sobre Xinjiang

CNN Portugal, 1 September 2022

No documento, o organismo da ONU menciona possíveis “crimes contra a humanidade” cometidos contra a minoria muçulmana uigur, nativa da província situada no noroeste da China, e membros de outros grupos étnicos. A publicação do relatório foi considerada um passo histórico pelas organizações não-governamentais Human Rights Watch (HRW) e International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), que apelaram para maior pressão internacional sobre Pequim. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

联合国发布新疆报告 称中国恐犯下反人类罪

Deutsche Welle, 1 September 2022

在等待近一年后，联合国人权高专办公室31日发布一份关于新疆人权情况的报告，表示中国对新疆维吾尔人实施酷刑的指控是可信的，而相关行为可能已构成反人类罪。中国则坚决反对报告结果。国际人权服务社的维亚纳·戴维（Viana David）表示，下一个重要步骤是让联合国人权理事会的各国形成协调一致的多边应对措施。 他向德国之声表示：“由于人权理事会将在一周多后开始下届会议，理事会的外交机构应该协调一致做出强烈反应，包括公开谴责以及重申报告中的建议和调查结果。” Read the full story here (中文)

 

Uyghur community slams UN’s China report as too little, too late

Deutsche Welle, 1 September 2022

While for some it represents a “game changer,” for others the long-awaited report [on the human rights situation in Xinjiang] is insufficient. “The post of the high commissioner for human rights requires you to be a champion of human rights beyond states. You are not a mediator between governments, which is a role that she has been assuming in this situation,” said ISHR’s Raphaël Viana David. Read the full story here.

This article is also available in Spanish and Indonesian.

 

U.N. Says China May Have Committed ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ in Xinjiang

New York Times, 31 August 2022

The organization’s human rights office delivered its much-delayed report minutes before Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, was to leave office. “By releasing this crucial report with just minutes left on her mandate, she has only done the bare minimum,” said ISHR’s Sarah M. Brooks.”We must now push for her office, her successor and states to ensure survivors get answers and perpetrators face accountability.” Read the full story here.

This article is also available in Chinese (中文).

 

ONU vê possível crime contra a humanidade em ação da China com uigures

Folha de S. Paulo, 31 August 2022

É incerto, porém, o impacto que [o relatório] terá para remediar críticas recentes a [Michelle Bachelet]. “Seu principal legado é e continuará a ser o fracaso em tomar medidas claras e necessárias sobre  essa crise, particularmente na forma como atrasou a publicaçao do relatório sobre Xinjiang”, diz a Folha Raphaël Viana David. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

UN rights chief’s tenure ends in disappointment for China activists

Reuters, 31 August 2022

“I wish for them to replace her with an officer with a more clear position with China. The UN can really do much more,” Luo Shengchun, the wife of jailed Chinese rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, told Reuters, commenting on Michelle Bachelet’s failure, so far, to issue a report on Beijing’s record and its crackdown in its western region of Xinjiang underscores the need for a more outspoken successor. Read the full story here.

 

ISHR pide mantener foco sobre DDHH en Venezuela: “No es momento de reducir la misión de la ONU”

Runrun.es, 30 August 2022

En un texto firmado por Eleanor Openshaw, se recordó que la Misión de las Naciones Unidas ha trabajado energéticamente con “vistas a garantizar la plena rendición de cuentas de los autores y la justicia para las víctimas”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

The (long) wait continues for the UN’s human rights report on Xinjiang

Swissinfo, 26 August 2022

“My interpretation of the length of preparation of the report is that it was about making sure that every ‘t’ was crossed and every ‘i’ was dotted. And that takes time when you’re working in an organisation like the OHCHR,” said ISHR’s Sarah Brooks, commenting on the long delay in the publication of a much-awaited report on the human rights situation in China’s Uyghur region (Xinjiang). Read the full story here.

Cet article est également disponible en français.

 

As Bachelet takes a bow, what did the UN rights chief accomplish?

Geneva Solutions, 26 August 2022

The High Commissioner “failed to engage sufficiently with independent civil society or really show solidarity with victims. And instead she appeared to privilege access and friendly relations with governments over strong and principled public advocacy,” said ISHR’s Phil Lynch as he looked back on Michelle Bachelet’s tenur ahead of her last day in office, on 31 August 2022. Read the full story here.

 

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet ‘trying hard’ to publish Xinjiang report before leaving office but can’t offer guarantees

South China Morning Post, 25 August 2022

Bachelet, who visited China in May, says she has received ‘substantial input’ from Beijing, which will need to be carefully reviewed before publication. China is accused of extensive abuses against Uygurs and other mainly Muslim minority groups in the far-western region. Read the full story here ($).

 

ONG pedem prolongamento da Missão de Verificação dos Factos sobre a Venezuela

RTP Notícias / Lusa, 18 August 2022

Representantes de 125 organizações não-governamentais (ONG) venezuelanas e estrangeiras pediram ao Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU que prolongue o mandado da Missão Internacional Independente de Verificação dos Factos sobre a Venezuela. Leia o artigo completo aqui.

 

ONG exigen la renovación del mandato de la misión de la ONU para Venezuela

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 17 August 2022

Una coalición de 125 ONG venezolanas y de otros países exigieron este miércoles la renovación del mandato de la Misión Internacional Independiente de Determinación de los Hechos de la ONU sobre Venezuela, creada por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos en 2019 para evaluar presuntas violaciones de los derechos humanos. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

A quelques jours de son départ, Michelle Bachelet sommée de publier un rapport sur le Xinjiang

Le Temps, 11 August 2022

Le document, prêt depuis août 2021, mais qui vient d’être complété par les remarques de Pékin, devrait être publié dans les jours à venir. «Un tel rapport apposerait le sceau de l’ONU à des constats déjà faits par plusieurs ONG, par des rapporteurs spéciaux et des comités onusiens », explique Raphaël Viana David. Lisez la suite de l’article ici ($).

 

Rights bodies condemn Sri Lanka’s violent crackdown on protesters

Lokmat Times / Asian News International (ANI), 6 August 2022

As many as 13 organisations – including ISHR –  have condemned the Sri Lankan authorities’ violent crackdown and increasing reprisals against peaceful protesters in island country. Read the full story here.

 

After years of delay 6 rights groups get UN accreditation

Associated Press (AP),  22 July 2022

The six groups now join thousands of NGOs with consultative status at ECOSOC. Maithili Pai, Programme Officer at ISHR, said the vote could make clear that the NGO committee “cannot continue to be a vehicle for reprisals against civil society,” noting that applications for over 350 organizations are still being held up. Read the full story here.

See also: articles on the Toronto Star and on News-24 (in French).

 

China launches new bid for internet dominance

Politico, 21 July 2022

The Chinese mission in Geneva is pressuring the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to bury a long-delayed report on human rights in Xinjiang. Sarah Brooks, program director at the International Service for Human Rights, noted “we need this report to ground a clear-eyed, informed conversation about violations against Uyghurs — and we need a High Commissioner who will stand by it and be an advocate for those affected”. Read the full story here.

China tells Bachelet not to publish Xinjiang report in ‘act of desperation’

Geneva Solutions, 20 July 2022

China has circulated a draft letter with diplomats asking UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet not to publish her long-awaited report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang. “That China would want to quash the report is not news, but that it would get other governments to help them do so, is,” said ISHR’s Sarah Brooks. Read the full story here.

 

Ce qu’il faut pour être le ou la cheffe des droits humains à l’ONU

Swissinfo, 20 July 2022

Phil Lynch, directeur de l’ONG ISHR confirme le rôle important joué par La Haute-Commissaire Michelle Bachelet en matière de migration, de racisme systémique et de promotion de l’équité vaccinale dans le contexte du Covid. Il se montre toutefois critique sur son approche des situations où, selon lui, elle a un «manque de solidarité marqué avec les victimes et les défenseurs des droits humains, ainsi qu’une incapacité ou une impréparation lorsqu’il s’agit de contraindre un gouvernement puissant à rendre des comptes». Lire la suite de l’article ici.

 

Expertos en DD.HH. creen que visita a China “empañó” el legado de Bachelet como Alta Comisionada de la ONU

elmostrador, 17 July 2022

Expertos creen que la expresidenta asumió un rol muy activo en materias como migración, racismo y desigualdad, pero le cuestionan el que no haya sido más decidida en su condena respecto de las masivas violaciones a los derechos humanos en países como China. Phil Lynch, director de la ONG ISHR, cuestionó la disposición de la Alta Comisionada Michelle Bachelet a privilegiar “el diálogo amistoso” con gobiernos reconocidos en el mundo como violadores de los derechos humanos, en especial el caso de China. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

What it takes to be a UN human rights chief

Swissinfo, 13 July 2022

ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch agrees that Michelle Bachelet played an important role on issues like climate change, poverty and inequality, migration, systemic racism and promoting vaccine equity in the context of Covid-19. But he is critical of her approach to country situations where he says she has “privileged friendly dialogue with governments over what we would say are the interests of a consistent, non-selective, principled approach to dealing with human rights crises”. Read the full story here.

 

U.N. Steps Up Efforts Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Violence and Discrimination

The Advocate, 8 July 2022

The United Nations Human Rights Council Thursday adopted four new resolutions, including one in which it extends the mandate of the independent expert on protection from violence and discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity for three years. Read the full story here.

 

Mnangagwa regime on UN radar over abuses

Bulawayo24, 3 July 2022

“There has been an alarming rise in police brutality with the context of the 2022 by-elections, peaceful protests and assembly of human rights activists, opposition leaders, and political activists are banned and criminalised through selective abuse of restrictive laws,” ISHR said in a statement during Zimbabwe’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Read the full story here.

 

A word of advice to the next High Commissioner for Human Rights: engage with UN human rights experts

OpenGlobalRights, 2 July 2022

The unexpected announcement by Michelle Bachelet that she would not seek a second term as High Commissioner for Human Rights on June 13 has kicked off a race to find a suitable replacement, writes ISHR’s Vinvent Ploton. Read the full article here.

 

Human Rights Council to hold urgent debate on women in Afghanistan

Geneva Solutions, 26 June 2022

The International Service for Human Rights, among several organisations, published a letter calling for an urgent debate on the situation of women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan. Read the full article here.

 

Relatora sobre Violencia contra las Mujeres de la ONU recordó al gobierno mexicano su obligación de hacer justicia al feminicidio

Primera Linea, 24 June 2022

Desde las oficinas del Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos, en Ginebra, Jarquín Edgar afirmó que, ante la falta de justicia en el país, hay que tender puentes internacionales duraderos para fortalecer la solidaridad y les pidió a todas quienes buscan justicia por el feminicidio de sus hijas que “no dejen de luchar”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Corte Interamericana decidirá sobre caso de persecución y vigilancia estatal en contra de defensores de derechos humanos

Infobae, 22 June 2022

La CIDH ha escuchado testimonios de seguimientos, amenazas e inteligencia ilegal contra miembros del colectivo CAJAR por parte del Estado colombiano. ISHR afirmó que “se trata de una oportunidad para determinar si el Estado debe informar a los ciudadanos sobre las actividades de seguimiento y establecer un control independiente para monitorear, prevenir y evitar que hayan acciones ilegales de inteligencia que lesionen los DDHH”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

ONG piden participar en selección de sucesor de la alta comisionada Bachelet

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 22 June 2022

Sesenta organizaciones civiles pidieron hoy en una carta abierta al secretario general de la ONU, António Guterres, participar en la selección de un sucesor o sucesora de la alta comisionada de Naciones Unidas para los derechos humanos, Michelle Bachelet, y recomendaron que sea una figura “imparcial”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

NGOs urge UN to pick a ‘courageous’ rights chief

Malay Mail / AFP, 22 June 2022

More than 60 non-governmental organisations sent an open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about what they hoped to see in the next high commissioner for human rights. They appealed for the next UN rights chief to be appointed through a swift, open process, calling for a “courageous” nominee to stand up to powerful countries. Read the full story here.

 

UN human rights chief ‘not able to speak to’ any detained Uygurs or their families in Xinjiang

South China Morning Post, 15 June 2022

“Bachelet’s failed visit has enabled China and many allies to praise Beijing’s so-called engagement. To break from this polarisation, Bachelet needs to promptly release her Xinjiang report, and present it to the UN Human Rights Council. Forty-seven countries have called for this yesterday, the clock is ticking,” said ISHR’s Raphael Viana David after the High Commissioner said she couldn’t move freely through the Chinese region when she visited last month. Read the full story here.

 

Xinjiang: la digue onusienne face à Pékin a sauté

Le Temps, 14 June 2022

«Depuis 2018, la Chine a doublé ses efforts diplomatiques pour accroître son influence sur le CDH. Elle exerce désormais de fortes pressions sur les experts indépendants et le haut-commissariat», a commenté Raphaël Viana David, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR, s’exprimant sur les efforts de la Chine qui essaie d’imposer son narratif au Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU. Lire la suite de l’article ici ($).

 

Bachelet dejará de ser alta comisionada en grave momento para los D. Humanos

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 13 June 2022

La alta comisionada de la ONU para los derechos humanos, Michelle Bachelet, anunció que renuncia a presentarse a un nuevo mandato. “El puesto de alta comisionada requiere saber dialogar, pero también exigir rendición de cuentas de forma imparcial a todos los perpetradores, grande o pequeños. Bachelet ha fallado en hacerlo ante la crisis de derechos humanos en China”, dijo el director del Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos, Phil Lynch. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Bachelet pas candidate à un second mandat à l’ONU

Léman Bleu / ATS, 13 June 2022

La Haute commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme Michelle Bachelet ne briguera pas un second mandat.  “Il faut garantir que le prochain Haut commissaire soit indépendant”, affirme le directeur exécutif du Service international pour les droits humains (ISHR), Phil Lynch. Lire la suite de l’article ici.

Voir également: l’article dans La Liberté.

 

Human Rights Council: Bachelet’s China trip, Ukraine, Afghanistan under the spotlight

Geneva Solutions, 12 June 2022

“A special rapporteur would enable the human rights situation in Russia itself to be the subject of monitoring and reporting, and in the context of the silencing and the criminalization of civil society, would provide a lifeline for embattled human rights defenders in the country,” ISHR executive director Phil Lynch said, looking at some of the major points to be discussed at the 50th session of the UN Human rights Council. Read the full story here.

 

Denuncian a Marruecos ante la ONU por tortura a activistas saharauis

Infobae / AFP, 10 June 2022

Las denuncias fueron preparadas por el Servicio Internacional de Derechos Humanos (ISHR), ACAT-Francia y la Liga para la Protección de Presos Políticos Saharauis en las Cárceles Marroquíes (LPPS). Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Sahara occidental : plaintes pour torture déposées contre le Maroc à l’ONU

Le Parisien, 10 June 2022

Quatre défenseurs sahraouis des droits humains ont été « gravement torturés », révèlent des ONG, dont ISHR dans quatre plaintes contre le Maroc, devant le Comité des Nations unies contre la torture. Ces plaintes « symbolisent l’espoir de reconnaître les tortures subies par ces derniers en violation des engagements internationaux du Maroc ». Lire la suite de l’article ici.

A voir également: les articles dans L’Orient le Jour, Algérie Presse Service, BFMTV, et Le Jeune Indépendant.

 

Une plainte collective pour tortures déposée contre le Maroc à l’ONU

Le Monde, 10 June 2022

« C’est malheureusement à chaque fois le même scénario qui vise des activistes pacifiques sahraouis, poursuivis pour des ‘crimes’ après des aveux qui sont extorqués sous la torture », décrit Vincent Ploton de l’ISHR, s’exprimant sur les quatre plaintes déposées au nom d’activisites sahraouis détenus par le Maroc. Lire la suite de l’article ici ($) ou ici.

 

Quatre militants sahraouis accusent le Maroc de torture devant les Nations unies

Libération, 9 June 2022

Quatre plaintes contre le Maroc ont été déposées ce jeudi devant le Comité contre la torture des Nations Unies, concernant quatre prisonniers sahraouis, enfermés depuis 2010 dans des geôles marocaines: Mohamed Lamine Haddi, Hassan Dah, Abdelmoula El-Hafidi et Mohamed Bani. Elles ont été posées par au nom des détenus et par plusiers groupes, dont ISHR. Lire la suite de l’article ici ($) ou ici.

 

Répression des Ouïgours : les appels se multiplient pour la publication d’un rapport sensible de l’ONU

Le Monde, 3 June 2022

« La visite de Mme Bachelet en Chine pose le problème de la crédibilité du Haut-Commissariat et de sa cheffe; celle-ci compte avant tout sur les résultats d’une diplomatie privée consistant à s’entretenir à huis clos avec des responsables chinois, ce qui ne fonctionne pas en Chine, plutôt que de mettre en avant une stratégie de diplomatie publique, levier politique essentiel », explique Raphaël Viana David, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR. Lire la suite de l’article ici ($) oui ici. (This story is also available in English here ($))

 

EU laments UN human rights chief’s limited access on visit to China

South China Morning Post, 30 May 2022

‘Her speech evidenced her lack of understanding of the country’s human rights challenges despite significant evidence gathered by her office,’ said Raphael Viana David, commenting on High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s visit to China and her office’s end of mission statement, published on Saturday 28 May. Read the full article here.

 

Critiques au vitriol de Michelle Bachelet après sa visite en Chine

Le Temps, 29 May 2022

Pour Raphaël Viana David, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR, lors de sa visite en Chine – la première d’un Haut-Commissaire de l’ONU aux droits de l’homme depuis 17 ans -, «[Michelle] Bachelet a raté une occasion unique d’établir les bases d’une surveillance substantielle de la crise des droits humains en Chine. Son discours met en évidence son manque de compréhension des défis de la Chine dans ce domaine malgré les importantes preuves récoltées par son équipe.» Lisez la suite de l’article ici ($). (This story is also available in English here)

 

La gira china de Michelle Bachelet

El País, 28 May 2022

‘La única vía para que gobiernos progresistas avancen hacia una resolución del Consejo de Derechos Humanos que permita investigar posibles crímenes de lesa humanidad del régimen de Pekín es romper con la lectura geopolítica actual,’ escribe Raphaël Viana David, encargado del programa de Asia de ISHR, en una tribuna para El País. Lea el resto del artículo aquí ($) o aquí.

 

Falta de contundência de Bachelet em visita à China frustra ativistas de direitos humanos

Folha de S. Paulo, 28 May 2022

‘O mandato de Bachelet tem sido marcado pela ausência de diplomacia pública sobre a China; quando se compara isso com as outras crises com as quais ela teve de lidar, como Mianmar e Ucrânia, a diferença na linguagem e na frequência é imensa’, afirma Raphaël Viana David, diretor do programa para a Ásiado ISHR. Leia o resto do artigo aqui.

 

Miles de documentos filtrados revelan la feroz represión contra la minoría uigur en China

La Nación, 24 May 2022

“Nos preocupa mucho que esta visita traiga pocos beneficios para víctimas y activistas a un costo político muy alto”, declaró Raphaël Viana David, encargado del programa de Asia de ISHR, comentando la visita a China de la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Michelle Bachelet. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

Véase también: los artículos de Telemetro, El Tiempo, TVN Noticias, Milenio y Swissinfo.

 

Acesso de comissária da ONU à região chinesa de Xinjiang sob escrutínio

GZH / AFP, 24 May 2022

“Estamos muito preocupados que esta visita resulte em poucos benefícios para vítimas e ativistas a um custo político muito elevado”, disse Raphaël Viana David, comentando a visita oficial da Alta Comissariado das Nações Unidas para os Direitos Humanos. Leia o resto do artigo aqui.

Veja também: artigos em Istoé Dinheiro e Noticias.uol.com

 

Droits de l’homme: l’ONU entame sa visite au Xinjiang

Le Point / AFP, 24 May 2022

“Mme Bachelet doit comprendre que ce qui est en jeu, c’est la confiance du monde dans les Nations unies”, a déclaré Raphaël Viana David, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR, s’exprimant sur la visite de la Haute-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l’homme en Chine. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

A voir également: les articles sur TV5 Monde, la RTBF, Le Devoir, Arte et La Presse.

 

UN envoy’s access to China’s Xinjiang under scrutiny as trip begins

The Strait Times / AFP, 24 May 2022

“We are very worried that this visit comes with few benefits for victims and activists, for a very high political cost,” said ISHR’s Raphaël Viana David, commenting on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s visit to China. Read the full story here.

See also: articles by France 24, Hong Kong Free Press and The New Arab.

 

Utusan PBB Sambangi Xinjiang di Bawah Pengawasan China

Sidonnews.com, 24 May 2022.

“Kami sangat khawatir kunjungan ini hanya memberikan sedikit manfaat bagi para korban dan aktivis, dengan biaya politik yang sangat tinggi,” kata Raphaël Viana David dari International Service for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

U.N. Human Rights Chief to Make First Trip to China Since 2005

The New York Times, 20 May 2022

Rights groups say Michelle Bachelet’s trip, including a visit to the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, where Beijing has cracked down on the Uyghur minority, will be a test of her office’s credibility. The precedents do not inspire confidence among rights groups, said ISHR’s Raphael Viana David. Read the full story here.

 

What it takes to bridge the divide between the business sector and human rights

Open Global Rights, 16 May 2022

For ISHR’s Andrés Zaragoza, if we want to constructively engage companies, business associations or investors on human rights issues, we must recognise who our interlocutor is. Read the full story here.

 

Le casse-tête chinois de Michelle Bachelet

Le Temps, 13 May 2022

La visite en Chine de la Haut-Commissaire au droits humains, Michelle Bachelet, ne peut être dissociée du rapport que l’OHCHR a produit et, pour l’heure, refusé de publier, sur la situation dans le Xinjiang. Raphaël Viana, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR s’étonne: «Ces trois dernières années, la haut-commissaire a été silencieuse sur les graves violations des droits en Chine. Elle s’est pourtant exprimée sur de nombreuses crises à travers le monde. Mais la Chine est la grande exception.» Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

UN rights chief’s credibility in the balance ahead of China visit

Geneva Solutions, 13 May 2022

“For the last three years, the high commissioner has been silent on the serious violations of rights in China. Yet she has spoken out on many crises around the world. But China is the big exception,” said ISHR’s Raphaël Viana, commenting on the upcoming visit to China by Michelle Bachelet. Read the full story here.

 

¿Cómo investigará el Mecanismo de la ONU las violaciones a los derechos humanos en Nicaragua?

Divergentes, 3 May 2022

“Una premisa importante de la rendición de cuentas es que hay una investigación mucho más detallada de violaciones de derechos humanos”, explicó Raphaël Viana David, comentado el funcionamiento del Mecaniso de investigación y rendición de cuentas por las graves violaciones de los derechos humanos cometidas en Nicaragua, aprobado por el CDH en marzo. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

La Russie boutée hors du Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU, et après?

Swissinfo, 20 April 2022

Pour le directeur exécutif d’ISHR, Phil Lynch, « la preuve accablante d’atrocités commises dans le contexte d’une guerre d’agression contre un État souverain, le tout en violation de l’existence même de la Charte des Nations unies » rendaient le cas de la Russie différent dans un vote pour sa suspension du Conseil des droits de l’homme. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

Russia’s suspension from UN Human Rights Council raises big questions

Swissinfo, 13 April 2022

For ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch, the fact Russia engaged in a campaign of bullying ahead of the General Assembly vote “shows that the Human Rights Council matters and that states such as Russia and China try to use membership of the Human Rights Council to undermine human rights standards and evade accountability.” Read the full story here.

 

Russia rights council suspension sends strong signal: NGOs

The Manila Bulletin / AFP, 8 April 2022

ISHR’s Executive Director Phil Lynch told AFP the suspension vote would “significantly strengthen” the council’s integrity and legitimacy as it showed that “no state, regardless of its economic and political power, is beyond scrutiny”. Read the full story here.

 

L’expulsion de la Russie du Conseil des droits de l’homme saluée par les ONG

Le Figaro / AFP, 8 April 2022

La suspension de la Russie du Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU « envoie un puissant message que le Conseil n’est pas un endroit pour les États qui commettent des violations massives des droits humains, y compris des actes qui constituent des crimes de guerre et des crimes contre l’humanité», a déclaré Phil Lynch, le directeur exécutif d’ISHR. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

Russia’s suspension from UN rights body sends strong signal: Rights groups

Al Jazeera, 7 April 2022

Reacting to the UN General Assembly suspening Russia from the Human Rights Council, ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch said the vote sent a “powerful message that the Human Rights Council is no place for states that are perpetrating massive human rights violations”. Read the full story here.

 

Organismos celebran que se investiguen violaciones de DD.HH. en Nicaragua

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 31 March 2022

Una coalición de ONG internacionales y nicaragüenses celebró que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU aprobara una resolución que establecerá un grupo de tres expertos para investigar posibles violaciones de DDHH en Nicaragua. Para Raphaël Viana David (ISHR), “el mecanismo adoptado hoy por el Consejo es uno de los más fuertes que existe”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

La ONU creó un Grupo de “expertos en derechos humanos” para investigar a Nicaragua

Perfil, 31 March 2022

Por 20 votos a favor, 7 en contra y 20 abstenciones, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU resolvió crear “un grupo de tres expertos para emprender investigaciones exhaustivas e independientes de todos los presuntos abusos y violaciones, sus dimensiones de género y causas estructurales profundas desde abril de 2018” en Nicaragua. Para Raphaël Viana David (ISHR), esto “envía un mensaje claro a todos los Estados de que no se tolerará la falta de cooperación con el sistema universal”. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

Can the United Nations get a true picture of China?

Swissinfo, 22 March 2022

“If she publishes the report it can make for a much more substantive visit,” ISHR’s Executive Director Phil Lynch told Swissinfo’s Imogen Foulkes as they discussed UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s announcement that she would be visiting China, despite failing to publish a much-awaited report on the situation in Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

 

«Ich weiss, dass ich nicht allein bin» (“I know I am not alone”)

Die Wochenzeitung, 17 March 2022

#MeToo in Egypt: ISHR’s Salma El Hosseiny discusses the recent of the women’s rights movement in Egypt at a crucial time, as women’s rights activist Rasha Azab, who had publicly expressed solidarity with women that had been victims of sexual assault, is now on trial. Read the full story here ($).

 

Le Xinjiang, épine dans le pied de Michelle Bachelet

Le Temps, 10 March 2022

Dans une lettre ouverte adressée le 8 mars à la haut-commissaire Michelle Bachelet, quelque 200 ONG exhortent la Chilienne à «tenir sa promesse» de septembre 2021 de publier  un rapport sur les graves violations des droits humains dans le Xinjiang. Lisez la suite de l’article ici.

 

‘Blunt reality’ of UN’s ‘limited leverage’ laid bare as Putin tears up world order

The Daily Express, 28 February 2022

The UN’s top peacekeeping body has “limited leverage” in the conflict in Ukraine due to Russia’s sway at the international organisation, UN experts have warned. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) said: “With the UN Security Council hamstrung by Russia’s power of veto as a permanent member, it is imperative that the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council step up and fulfil their vital mandates in promoting and protecting human rights and international peace and security.” Read the full story here.

 

The US plays its credibility at the UN Human Rights Council

Swissinfo, 28 February 2022

The United States returns this month as a member of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), having left in 2018 under the administration of former US president Donald Trump. Phil Lynch, director of the NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) hopes the US will refrain from approaching issues through a political or ideological lens. “We would hope and expect that the US would deal with human rights situations, primarily having regard to their human rights merits and applying objective criteria, such as the gravity and severity of the issues,” he says. Read the full story here.

 

NGOs ask the UN for “firm measures” against Nicaragua for failing to comply with the resolution

California18 News / Agencia EFE, 21 February 2022

A coalition of international and Nicaraguan NGOs – including ISHR – asked the UN Human Rights Council on Monday to “take firm measures” against the State of Nicaragua for not stopping or repairing the “serious violations” of human rights that occur in the Central American country since April 2018. Read the full story here.

 

ONG piden a la ONU “medidas firmes” contra Nicaragua por incumplir resolución

Swissinfo / Agencia EFE, 21 February 2022

Una coalición de ONG internacionales y nicaragüenses – entre ellas ISHR – pidió este lunes al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU “tomar medidas firmes” contra el Estado de Nicaragua por no detener ni reparar las “graves violaciones” a los derechos humanos que acontecen en el país centroamericano desde abril de 2018. Lea el resto del artículo aquí.

 

House approves HR defenders bill

The Philippine Star, 18 January 2022

The House of Representatives of the Philippines passed House Bill 10576, known as the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act.  The bill is based on the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the Model National Law on the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders drafted by ISHR. Read the full story here.

Série “Prisonniers Politiques 2, Épisode 3 – Chang Weiping: symbole de la croisade de Pékin contre les avocats

France Culture, 1 December 2021

Over 40 Human Rights and Foreign Policy Organizations Call on Formula 1 Star Lewis Hamilton to Raise Human Rights Concerns at the Saudi Grand Prix

Speedway Digest, 01 December 2021

ISHR was one of 41 signatories on a joint letter to Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton. The letter asks Hamilton to make demands in five specific areas: women’s rights, labor rights, prisoners of conscience, the war in Yemen, and democracy. Read the full story here.

 

No turning back: Women human rights defenders remain steadfast in perilous times

openDemocracy, 29 November 2021

A 2021 reprisals report by the International Service for Human Rights noted:  “When comparing WHRD cases to those of other named individuals, the data from the Secretary General reports suggests that WHRDs tend to more frequently report travel restrictions, instances of surveillance, online harassment and defamation campaigns, profession-related reprisals, and threats and intimidation.” Read the full story here. 

 

Will the UN Human Rights Council “sacrifice” or silence Civil Society?

The European Times, 19 November 2021 

ISHR is one of many civil society organisations voicing their concerns about the “efficiency” process of the United Nations Human Rights Council. “On 6 December 2021, the Council can reinforce civil society participation or hinder it by renewing the so-called efficiency measures. We must be part of the negotiations. We want any actions undertaken to be informed by and answer to our demands and concerns. Civil society participation can’t be an afterthought. The Council must not sacrifice civil society engagement to meet budget and cash flow shortfalls.” declared Salma El Hosseiny from ISHR. Read the full story here.

 

Chine: la «résidence surveillée dans un lieu désigné, arme totale contre les défenseurs des droits humains»

Libération, 4 November, 2021

“Des cas de privations de sommeil et de nourriture, des passages à tabac et des interrogatoires interminables ont été rapportés par d’anciens détenus”, précise Patrick Poon de l’ONG The 29 Principles. Spécialisée dans la défense des avocats des droits de l’homme, l’organisation s’est ­associée à Safeguard Defenders et  à International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) pour alerter la communauté internationale sur les cas d’avocats placés en RSDL, comme Chang Weiping. «Au-delà d’être une grave violation des droits de l’homme, la RSDL vise à créer un effet de peur au sein du mouvement des droits humains en Chine. Maintenant, on sait que si on se fait arrêter, on risque de disparaître sous RSDL, avec un impact physique et mental grave sur les victimes», dit Raphaël Viana David de l’ISHR. Lire l’article ici.

 

Egypt: 11 rights groups call for release of veteran journalist “Tawfiq Ghanem”

Middle East Observer, 29 October 2021

ISHR is one of eleven human rights organisations that signed a joint statement calling on Egypt to immediately release journalist Tawfik Ghanem, who has been arbitrarily detained for 150 days solely because of his media work. The undersigned organisations are concerned that Tawfik Ghanem is being denied access to necessary healthcare in prison or outside facilities for diagnosis and treatment. Read the full story here.

 

维权律师传遭超期羁押 人权团体吁北京废除监视居住

Deutsche Welle, 27 October 2021

专门关注人权情势的“国际人权服务社”与保护卫士丶the Rights Practice丶The 29 Principles在24日发布一个倡议活动，呼吁中国政府废除指定居所监视居住的相关法律，并希望各国政府透过双边交流管道，要求中国政府停止用指定居所监视居住来对付人权运动者。请点此以阅读全文章。To read an English version of this article, click here.

 

Biden’s China-U.N influence challenge

Politico, 21 October 2021

The United States returned to the United Nations Human Rights Council under the Biden administration strategy to combat China’s growing influence across key U.N. agencies. In July, ISHR reported China’s presence as “a member of all eight of ECOSOC’s functional commissions, both standing committees, and all four expert bodies composed of governmental experts [and] there is also a Chinese expert on every ECOSOC body. Read the full story here. 

 

Five-year prison terms for Hong Kong students deepen fears of retroactive use of national security law

China Digital Times, 20 October 2021

Five former Chinese University of Hong Kong students were sentenced to almost five years in prison for their involvement in 2019 protests against the National Security Law. Foo Hoi-Ching, wrote a letter to the court, which was then translated on Twitter.  Sarah Brooks of ISHR, backed Hoi-ching’s letter on Twitter, stating “Read this translation all the way through. Respect this student’s articulate and compelling refusal to accept a flawed law and faulty justice. And reflect on the fact that a nearly 5 years’ sentence is nearly 20% of her life.” Read the full story here. 

 

Human rights organisation condemns new UAE Team Emirates women’s team

Cycling Weekly, 15 October 2021

ISHR expressed its concerns over the recent announcement that UAE Team Emirates are acquiring a UCI women’s team for 2022, when considering that the UAE is “a regime that systematically discriminates against women in law and in practice”. Read the full story here. 

 

الإمارات المتهمة بانتهاكات لحقوق الإنسان تترشح لعضوية مجلس حقوق الإنسان

Almayadeen.net, 13 October 2021

Phil Lynch, Director of ISHR, gave an interview making the following points: “Members of the UN Human Rights Council should uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, and cooperate fully with the UN human rights mechanisms. The UAE manifestly fails on both of these tests, with human rights defenders like Ahmed Mansoor subject to arbitrary detention and ill-treatment for his work to promote human rights, and the UAE frequently engaging in acts of intimidation or reprisal against victims, witnesses and human rights defenders who provide testimony, evidence or information to the UN. If UAE is elected to the Human Rights Council, it is imperative that other states ensure that this results in the Emirates being subject to heightened human rights scrutiny, rather than enabling the UAE to use its membership to hide from scrutiny or avoid accountability.” Watch the full video here. 

 

Saudi Arabia Accused of Sabotaging UN Probe of War Crimes in Yemen

WallStreetWindow, 11 October 2021

Following the United Nations Human Rights Council vote to discontinue a probe into war crimes in Yemen, ISHR stated, “States that voted no or abstained on [the] resolution to ensure continued international monitoring of the human rights crisis in Yemen support impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and voted against the rights, dignity, and future of the Yemeni people”. Read the full story here.

 

As US returns to the UN Human Rights Council, it confronts an increasingly forceful China

South China Morning Post, 10 October 2021

Madeline Sinclair of ISHR, spoke about the importance of competitive elections, following the United States’ expected return to the United Nations Human Rights Council during the upcoming election. Read the full story here. (Full PDF version here)

 

Rights groups urge UNHRC to set up system for collecting evidence on EJKs

Inquirer.net, 7 October 2021

ISHR was one of the human rights groups apart of a joint oral statement calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish an investigative mechanism to collect evidence of human rights violations in the Philippines. Read the full story here. 

 

UN Votes to end Yemen war crimes probe in narrow defeat at Human Rights Council

RT, 7 October 2021

The United Nations Human Rights Council is ending the mandate of independent investigation and inquiry of war crimes in Yemen. ISHR condemned those who voted in favor of ending the mandate on Twitter. Read the full story here. 

 

77 MPs, Trade Unions, NGOs, academics call on British government to save Bahraini hunger striker

Middle East Monitor, 2 October 2021

ISHR was one of many NGOs to write to Foreign Secretary Liz Tress, along with numerous British lawmakers, trade unions, and prominent academics, expressing concern for imprisoned Bahraini human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil AlSingace. Read the full story here. 

 

Human Rights Council adopts Universal Periodic Review outcomes of Seychelles, Latvia, Singapore, and Sierra Leone

Africa News, 1 October 2021

The human rights council adopted the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review outcomes of Seychelles, Latvia, Singapore, and Sierra Leone. The International Service for Human Rights was one of the civil society organizations that took the floor on the Universal Periodic Review outcome of Sierra Leone. Read the full story here. 

 

High Commissioner for Human Rights tells Human Rights Council that Human Rights situation in Belarus continues to worsen

Mirage, 25 September 2021

The Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Belarus, the report of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the Commission of the Inquiry of Burundi. Multiple countries and non-governmental organizations spoke in the discussions. ISHR spoke during the conclusion of the dialogue with the Commission of the Inquiry of Burundi. Read the full story here.

 

Egypt rights groups denounce Biden’s decision to grant Sisi military aid

Middle East Monitor, 14 September 2021

Following US President Biden’s decision to grant Egypt $170 million in military aid, ISHR was one of 14 human rights groups to sign a statement labeling the decision as a “terrible blow to the Biden administration’s stated commitment to human rights and to the rule of law”, while also calling on Congress to pressure Biden to refrain from similar future decisions. Read the full story here.

 

China Makes Sure Everyone Writes Taiwan’s Name Just So—Even a Colorado High School

Wall Street Journal, 11 September 2021

Beijing has long used its rising clout to challenge governments and multinationals over its claim that Taiwan is part of China. It’s also increasingly pushing around the runts of global diplomacy (…) over the issue. “They are consistent and bullish about it,” said Eleanor Openshaw, whose nonprofit, the International Service for Human Rights, closely follows the committee. “And they will not sleep until an NGO makes a change that they seek.” Read the full story here.

 

100+ organizations voice concern at low ambition of biodiversity negotiations

WebWire, 8 September 2021

Joint call – signed by ISHR – at IUCN World Conservation Congress demands governments act to secure a nature-positive world by 2030. “Human rights defenders and local communities are at the forefront of climate and nature action,” said Phil Lynch. “They have solutions to offer.” Read the full story here.

 

This isn’t about music, it’s about ‘freedom’: Why songs chanted at Cuba protests matter

USA Today Entertainment, 22 July 2021

ISHR raised the cases of Anamely Ramos who was detained and harassed by the Cuban government for writing poems demanding freedom for other detained, and of Omara Ruiz Urquiola who was beaten and detained by the police during a peaceful protest in Cuba. Read the full story here.

 

Two Changsha Funeng activists jailed for two, three years

Radio Free Asia, 22 July 2021

As authorities confirmed sentences handed to Liu Dazhi and Wu Ge Jianxiong, ISHR along with the Chinese Human Rights Defenders network and several NGOs co-signed a statement underlining these men’s human rights work for marginalised groups.  Read the full story here.

 

China and the UN: effective investment or undue influence?

The Geneva Observer, 22 July 2021

The Geneva Observer talked to ISHR’s Sarah Brooks, lead author of  ‘China in the UN Economic and Social Council’, a new briefing note that aims to ‘provide a comprehensive overview of China’s presence and influence in ECOSOC.’ Read the full story here.

 

Chinese power politics – Beijing’s influence in the UN is growing

World Today News, 19 July 2021

As China is deliberately expanding its power in the UN, ISHR’s Sarah Brooks laments the passivity of many countries, and calls for States that represent a different worldview to commit themselves much more strongly to the UN, to submit top candidacies for top positions themselves and to support each other. Read the full story here.

 

Pekings Einfluss in der UNO wächst

SFR, 19 Juli 2021

China sei mittlerweile im ganzen UNO-Apparat überaus aktiv und besetze mehr Spitzenpositionen als die drei Vetomächte USA, Frankreich und Grossbritannien zusammen, sagt Programmdirektorin Sarah Brooks: «Das UNO-Engagement von China ist gezielter und entschlossener als das vieler anderer Länder.» Weiterlesen.

 

Comment Pékin a réussi à impliquer l’ONU pour financer la Route de la soie

Le Temps, 16 juillet 2021

ISHR a publié un rapport qui décrit la manière dont la Chine cherche à imposer son modèle de développement au sein des Nations Unies, notamment au sein de l’ECOSOC. Lire l’article ici.

 

China’s lawyers forced to endorse socialism

Law Society Gazette Ireland, 9 July 2021

ISHR, as well as, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), Judicial Reform Foundation, and Lawyers for Lawyers, have each commemorated the 9 July, 2015, crackdown that saw an estimated 300 lawyers and human rights defenders arrested, summoned or briefly detained. The incident has become known as the ‘709 Crackdown’. Read the full story here.

 

UN rights boss signals she may move on Xinjiang without China nod

Reuters, 25 June 2021

The United Nations human rights chief should document her own findings on the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang even without China’s blessing for a visit, ISHR said along with other NGOs and diplomats, amid signs that her patience may be running out. Read the full story here.

 

UN rights boss signals she may move on Xinjiang without China nod

National Post, 25 June 2021

The United Nations human rights chief should document her own findings on the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang even without China’s blessing for a visit, ISHR said along with other NGOs and diplomats, amid signs that her patience may be running out. Read the full story here.

 

Algeria: Joint Letter – Algerian Authorities’ Alarming Crackdown On Pro-Democracy Forces During HRC 47

All Africa, 25 June 2021

ISHR, together with 81 domestic and international civil society groups, called on States to address the worsening human rights situation in Algeria, which has involved cracking down on peaceful Algerian protesters, journalists, civil society groups, human rights defenders, trade unionists, lawyers, and even political parties. Read the full story here.

 

Australia is accused of hypocritically demanding world government respect human rights during the coronavirus pandemic while locking its citizens at home and leaving 36,000 stranded overseas

Mail Online, 24 June 2021

While Australia has warned other countries against using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to trample on human rights, ISHR’s Phil Lynch said Australia’s abandonment of its citizens abroad had “revealed values of insularity, isolationism and discrimination” and that “a human rights-based approach to COVID requires that all measures be reasonable, necessary and proportionate.” Read the full story here.

 

Australia warns world not to trample on human rights during pandemic

The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 2021

While Australia has warned other countries against using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to trample on human rights, ISHR’s Phil Lynch said Australia’s abandonment of its citizens abroad had “revealed values of insularity, isolationism and discrimination” and that “a human rights-based approach to COVID requires that all measures be reasonable, necessary and proportionate.” Read the full story here.

 

CSW welcomes statements by UN members and NGOs on human rights in China

Independent Catholic News, 24 June 2021

Over 20 NGOs issued a joint statement delivered by ISHR at the UN Human Rights Council on 22 June, requesting that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet “urgently strengthen remote monitoring and initiate public reporting on the human rights situation across China, focusing especially on Uyghur and Tibetan regions and Hong Kong.” Read the full story here.

 

President Should Act to Unshackle Freedoms

Mirage News, 1 June 2021

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt should immediately end a crackdown on freedom of association, independent groups, and peaceful dissent, 63 organisations including ISHR said in a public statement recommending a series of actions Egypt should take to make tangible improvements in the human rights situation in Egypt and to ensure that it complies with its international obligations. Read the full story here.

 

Rape, Humiliation, and Torture: A Uyghur-Kazakh Survivor Speaks Out

Bitter Winter, 1 June 2021

Gulbahar Jalilova whose 15 month torment while interned by the Chinese government for offenses she is still ignorant of, has left her traumatised and afraid for her life, described her ordeal in a recent webinar organised by ISHR in an attempt to raise the volume on behalf of those still suffering in the camps. Read the full story here.

 

Sahara occidental: des organisations internationales condamnent la campagne répressive marocaine

Algérie Presse Service, 13 mai 2021

Plusieurs organisations internationales de défense des droits humains ont condamné la violente agression subie récemment par le militant sahraoui Hassanna Moulay Badi, dans la ville occupée d’El Ayoun, appelant à mettre fin à la campagne répressive menée par les autorités d’occupation marocaines contre les Sahraouis.Dans une déclaration conjointe, la Fédération internationale des droits de l’Homme, l’Organisation internationale contre la torture et le Service international des droits de l’Homme, soulignent que “cette agression contre le membre du Bureau exécutif de la Ligue pour la protection des prisonniers sahraouis se présente comme partie de la campagne de répression croissante lancée par les autorités d’occupation marocaines contre les défenseurs des droits humains sahraouis depuis la violation du cessez-le-feu par le Maroc le 13 novembre 2020”. Lire l’article ici.

 

UN to hold event on rights situation in Xinjiang today

Big News Network, 12 May 2021

ISHR was part of a broad coalition of UN member states and civil society organisations that held an online event to raise awareness and discuss the human rights situation prevailing in China Xinjiang province. Read the full story here.

 

Crushing dissent

The Express Tribune, 10 May 2021

A recent report by the International Service for Human Rights has revealed that almost half of the countries serving on the 47-member UN Human Rights Council were responsible for reprisals against human rights activists, lawyers and members of civil society that collaborated with UN bodies regarding rights abuses. Read the full story here.

 

Nearly half of UN rights council states behind activist reprisals: report

Dawn, 6 May 2021

A fresh report from ISHR analysed hundreds of cases over the past decade where people who assisted United Nations bodies in investigating and highlighting rights abuses were subjected to various forms of intimidation and reprisals by states. Read the full story here.

 

Nearly half of UN rights council states behind activist reprisals

Dhaka Tribune, 6 May 2021

A fresh report from ISHR analysed hundreds of cases over the past decade where people who assisted United Nations bodies in investigating and highlighting rights abuses were subjected to various forms of intimidation and reprisals by states. Read the full story here.

 

报告：近半数联合国人权理事国对倡议人士进行报复

德国之声，2021年5月6日

国际人权服务社（ISHR）研究发现，联合国人权理事会成员国当中，有半数国家对倡议人士和律师等人进行报复，包括巴林丶委内瑞拉丶越南丶中国等国。请点此阅读全文。

 

West Africa: Indigenous Peoples Cry for Protection – As Human Rights Defenders Zoom On West Africa

All Africa, 15 April 2021

ISHR participated in a 3-day online meeting about “Securing the Firewall and Connecting the Unconnected: Frontline Defenders Across West Africa.” Read the full story here.

 

China’s Myanmar Mess

The Diplomat, 16 March 2021

ISHR’s Sarah Brooks co-wrote an op-ed with Debbie Stothard exposing how China’s non-action on the Myanmar coup is going against Beijing’s own interests. Read the full story here.

 

China says door to Xinjiang ‘always open’, but U.N. rights boss should not prejudge

Reuters, 2 March 2021

Bachelet said on Friday that she hoped to clinch agreement with Chinese officials about a visit. Louise Arbour was the last U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit China, in September 2005. ISHR’s Sarah Brooks said: “After more than two years of spinning their wheels on a visit, the High Commissioner and her team, and the governments at the Human Rights Council, need to shift gears to take decisive action”. Read the full story here.

 

U.N. Human Rights Council starts work to address a ‘pandemic of human rights abuses’

The Week, 28 February 2021

David Kaye addressed the Human Rights Council pointing that the U.S. left a vacuum that allowed China to increase its influence on the Council. He also said the U.S. needs to account for its own human rights abuses — something he thinks it’s not prepared to do. ISHR’s Salma El Hosseiny highlighted that last year, the U.S. successfully lobbied the Council into watering down a resolution calling for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate police brutality in the the country, and replacing it with a  less extensive report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

 

专访：各国应善用联合国机制对抗中国势力

 德国之声, 2021年2月26日

在受到德国之声的专访中，国际人权服务社的亚洲计画专员海彦 (Raphael Viana David) 探讨中国在联合国人权理事会上的影响力。请点此以阅读全文章。

 

UN Human Rights Council starts work to address a ‘pandemic of human rights abuses’

PRI, 23 February 2021

As the US rejoins the UN Human Rights Council, human rights experts says that it should hold allies — and itself — accountable for human rights violations. ISHR’s Salma El Hosseiny highlights that last year, the US successfully lobbied the Council into watering down a resolution calling for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate police brutality in the the country, and replacing it with a  less extensive report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. ‘We look forward to seeing the United States constructively engage in good faith with this process, with the report, and with genuine self-reflection and commitment toward change.’ Read the full story here.

 

45 human rights and foreign policy organizations call on Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton to speak out against the Saudi government’s human rights abuses

Speedsway Digest, 23 February 2021

ISHR joined dozens of human rights organisations who called on Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to boycott a Grand Prix set to be held in Saudi Arabia later this year and speak out against the kingdom’s human rights abuses. Read the full story here.

 

Saudi F1 race: Activists urge Lewis Hamilton to speak out on human rights

The Middle East Eye, 22 February 2021

ISHR joined dozens of human rights organisations who called on Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to boycott a Grand Prix set to be held in Saudi Arabia later this year and speak out against the kingdom’s human rights abuses. Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Chinese lawyer wins top human rights prize

The News, 12 February 2021

An imprisoned Chinese lawyer who worked on high-profile rights cases and advocated to abolish the death penalty received the Martin Ennals Award, awarded by a Jury of 10 leading rights organisations, including ISHR. ISHR’s director Phil Lynch hailed the prize as ‘symbolic’. ‘It highlights how critical the role of committed lawyers is in building a movement to uphold dignity, ensure equality and give everyone in society a fair say in their future,’ he said.Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Chinese lawyer wins top human rights prize

The Straits Times, 12 February 2021

An imprisoned Chinese lawyer who worked on high-profile rights cases and advocated to abolish the death penalty received the Martin Ennals Award. ISHR’s director Phil Lynch, a member of the Jury, hailed the prize as ‘symbolic’.‘It highlights how critical the role of committed lawyers is in building a movement to uphold dignity, ensure equality and give everyone in society a fair say in their future,’ he said. Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Chinese lawyer wins top human rights prize

New Age World, 12 February 2021

An imprisoned Chinese lawyer who worked on high-profile rights cases and advocated to abolish the death penalty received the Martin Ennals Award. ISHR’s director Phil Lynch, a member of the Jury, hailed the prize as ‘symbolic’.‘It highlights how critical the role of committed lawyers is in building a movement to uphold dignity, ensure equality and give everyone in society a fair say in their future,’ he said. Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Chinese lawyer Yu Wensheng wins human rights award

Reuters, 11 February 2021

A jailed Chinese lawyer who defended other human rights lawyers arrested in a sweeping crackdown against activism has won an international human rights award. ISHR’s director Phil Lync, one of the members of the jury, said the award showed that ‘unjustly imprisoning Yu Wensheng’ and other human rights defenders ‘will not go ignored’. Read the full story here.

 

Jailed Chinese lawyer Yu Wensheng wins human rights award

Kdal, 11 February 2021

A jailed Chinese lawyer who defended other human rights lawyers arrested in a sweeping crackdown against activism has won an international human rights award. ISHR’s director Phil Lync, one of the members of the jury, said the award showed that ‘unjustly imprisoning Yu Wensheng’ and other human rights defenders ‘will not go ignored’. Read the full story here.

 

New Zealand Steps into Australia-China Dispute

The Diplomat, 8 February 2021

After a senior New Zealand minister advised Australia to ‘show respect’ and act more diplomatically toward China, ISHR’s Phil Lynch said he was proud of Australia for standing up to China. Read the full story here.

 

Biden administration to rejoin UN Human Rights Council

Geneva Solutions, 8 February 2021

After the US  announced it would rejoin the Human Rights Council as an observer, ISHR’s Phil Lynch commented that ‘the interrelated challenges of climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and profound inequalities mean that now, more than ever, we need multilateralism, the UN and an international order founded on respect for human rights and the rule of law.’ Read the full story here.

 

Daily Telegraph newspaper’s ‘New Xi-land’ jab as China declares New Zealand ‘an example for Australia’

Newshub, 28 January 2021

China is heaping praise on New Zealand as “an example for Australia in how to deal” with foreign affairs after Trade Minister Damien O’Connor suggested Australia practice “more diplomacy” with China. To which ISHR’s director responded that “perhaps the New Zealand Government should be less craven and unprincipled on China and share the burden a little more .” Read the full story here.

 

EU-China Investment Agreement draws pushback over ILO standards and Human Rights concerns

Geneva Observer, 21 January 2021

The landmark EU-China Comprehensive Agreement concluded in late December is drawing a stiff backlash from civil society advocacy groups as well as in the European Parliament over the alleged failure by Brussels to secure stronger commitments from Beijing to address the country’s poor track record on labor standards and widespread human rights violations. ISHR’s Sarah Brooks said the EU is relying too much on goodwill and that there have to be robust commitments on human rights. Read the full story here.

 

Droits humains: une photographe, un avocat et une militante des droits des femmes à l’honneur

TV5 Monde, 19 janvier 2021

ISHR est membre du Jury du Prix Martin Ennals dont les finalistes pour 2021 sont Soltan Achilova, une photojournaliste qui travaille au Turkménistan; Loujain al-Hathloul, militante des droits des femmes en Arabie saoudite  récemment lourdement condamnée; et Yu Wensheng, qui a abandonné sa carrière florissante d’avocat d’affaires en Chine pour défendre l’un de ces avocats détenus, avant d’être lui-même arrêté. Lire l’article ici

 

UN rights body picks Fiji politician in first ever presidential vote

Deutsche Welle, 15 January 2021

‘The comprehensive defeat of Bahrain and Uzbekistan demonstrates that there should be no place among the Council’s president or vice presidents for representatives of states that restrict, criminalise and commit reprisals’ against rights defenders,’ ISHR’s director Phil Lynch told AFP. Read the full story here.

 

Les Fidji élues à la présidence du Conseil des droits de l’homme

24 Heures, 15 janvier 2021

«La défaite de Bahreïn et de l’Ouzbékistan démontre qu’il ne devrait y avoir aucune place parmi le président ou les vice-présidents du Conseil pour les représentants des Etats qui restreignent, criminalisent et exercent des représailles contre ceux qui défendent les droits de l’homme», a indiqué à l’AFP Phil Lynch, directeur d’ISHR. Lire l’article ici

 

In First, UN Rights Body To Vote On President After Standoff

NDTV, 15 January 2021

The UN Human Rights Council held an unprecedented secret ballot to pick its president after China and others blocked a candidate from Fiji considered a rights champion, sources and analysts said. ‘We understand… that Bahrain came forward after being encouraged by states including China, Saudi Arabia and Russia,’ ISHR’s director Phil Lynch told the press. Read the full story here.

 

In first, UN Human Rights Council to vote on president after standoff

Deccan Herald, 15 January 2021

The UN Human Rights Council held an unprecedented secret ballot to pick its president after China and others blocked a candidate from Fiji considered a rights champion, sources and analysts said. ‘We understand… that Bahrain came forward after being encouraged by states including China, Saudi Arabia and Russia,’ ISHR’s director Phil Lynch told the press. Read the full story here.

 

中俄欲选“自家人” 联合国人权理事会主席难产

RFI 法广, 2021年1月14日

国际人权服务社(International Service for Human Rights)执行长菲利普・林区对媒体表示：中国等国害怕斐济主导下的人权理事会过于积极行动。请点此以阅读全文章。

 

Reports that Russia & China oppose the candidacy of Ambassador Khan to be President of the UN Human Rights Council

Fiji Village, 10 January 2021

ISHR’s director Phil Lynch told Reuters that it’s understood that Saudi Arabia, China and Russia were all supportive of a Bahraini candidacy and opposed to a Fijian candidacy. Read the full story here.

 

Power struggle leaves U.N. rights body without leader

Euractiv, 8 January 2021

‘It’s understood that Saudi Arabia, China and Russia were all supportive of a Bahraini candidacy and opposed to a Fijian candidacy,’ said ISHR’s director Phil Lynch, citing Fiji’s record, with Ambassador Khan backing probes into abuses in Belarus and Yemen last year. Read the full story here.

 

Power struggle leaves U.N. rights body without leader

Reuters, 8 January 2021

‘It’s understood that Saudi Arabia, China and Russia were all supportive of a Bahraini candidacy and opposed to a Fijian candidacy,’ said ISHR’s director Phil Lynch, citing Fiji’s record, with Ambassador Khan backing probes into abuses in Belarus and Yemen last year. Read the full story here.

For many human rights NGOs, UN access remains out of reach
Devex, 6 February 2020
ISHR’s Eleanor Openshaw highlighted that many member States of the UN NGO Committee are using the Committee and operating through political interest to keep independent organisations out by blocking their ECOSOC accreditation. Read the full story here.

Le Tour d’Arabie Saoudite, nouvelle vitrine du régime
Libération, 2 février 2020
Phil Lynch, directeur d’ISHR, a dénoncé l’organisation du tour cycliste d’Arabie saoudite comme un moyen de « détourner l’attention de l’assassinat de [Jamal] Khashoggi […] et de la détention de la militante des droits des femmes Loujain al-Hathloul, kidnappée et emprisonnée en mars [2018]». Lire l’article ici.

The Trump administration’s new “birth tourism” policy, explained
Vox, 20 January 2020
As the US administration adopted a policy seeking to deny visas to people they suspect are coming to the country to give birth, ISHR highlighted that it was not the first time that the administration adopted such harmful policies against women. For instance, last year, more than 40 women were denied visas to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York. Read the full story here. 

Australia urged to stop selling weapons to countries accused of war crimes
The Guardian, 15 January 2020
After it was revealed that the Australian government had approved the export of weapons to the Democratic Republic of Congo four times in 2018-19, ISHR underlined that the country and its companies have a duty to protect human rights and therefore should not be arming authoritarian regimes. Read the full story here. 

Letter: UN’s human rights work was never more critical
Financial Times, 12 December 2019
ISHR’s Madeleine Sinclair responded to Andrew Gilmour’s opinion piece on the ongoing onslaught of attacks against human rights, by highlighting that these attacks were not incidental. Read the full story here. (Full PDF version here)

22 人權組織發公開信　促聯合國譴責港府侵犯集會言論自由及警暴
Stand News 立場新聞，2019年11月25日
>國際人權服務社加入人權組織的聯合公開信促聯合國譴責港府侵犯集會言論自由及警暴。請點此以閲讀全文章。

Droits de l’homme : vers une loi pour protéger les défenseurs du secteur
Journal de Brazza, 25 novembre 2019
Au terme d’un atelier sur la protection juridique des défenseur.es des droits humains de la République du Congo, organisé par ISHR du 20 au 21 novembre à Brazzaville, a été évoquée la nécessité pour le pays de se conformer à la Déclaration des Nations unies de 1998 sur les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, en élaborant et promulguant une loi pour les protéger. Lire l’article en entier ici. 

维吾尔人指北京监控 中美再因新疆议题过招
Deutsche Welle (Chinese) 德国之声(中文网)，2019年11月15日
12名联合国专家致函中国政府对新疆的所谓《反恐模式》提出忧虑，国际人权服务社的亚洲部专员Raphael Viana David 对此反应告诉德国之声，他认为联合国专家的表态不仅全面驳斥了中国“反恐模式”的核心理念，也与联合国大会近期对新疆议题采取更强硬外交手段的作法相呼应。他说：《有鉴于中国近期不断在海外推广他们的‘反恐模式’，我认为联合国专家这次的表态十分重要，因为它在根本上驳斥中国‘反恐模式’的核心理念，也同时呼应联合国大会目前在新疆议题上采取更强硬的外交手段》请点此以阅读全文章。

‘Professional cycling becoming associated with repression’: Human rights group condemns new race in Saudi Arabia
Cycling Weekly, 1 November 2019
ISHR’s Phil Lynch has expressed dismay at the decision made by the Tour de France’s organisers to launch a new stage race in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Read the full story here.

江天勇获释后续遭软禁妻批中国法律是“废纸”
Deutsche Welle (Chinese) 德国之声(中文网)，2019年10月25日
国际人权服务社的亚洲部专员Raphael Viana David关于对江天勇的镇压向德国之声表示中国过去几年逐渐开始将刑满获释的人从监狱转移至居所软禁，而他认为中国政府很可能会以相同作法来对待接下来陆续获释的维权律师。他说：《国际社会常常将焦点放在正在受虐的维权人士上，而遗忘了那些获释后仍被软禁于家中，人身自由受到限制的维权人士。江天勇的案例显示中国政府如何运用各种法律名义来持续打压已刑满获释的维权律师》。他还指出维权律师在中国维权运动中扮演极为重要的角色，因为律师将各个不同领域的维权团体串连起来，而中国政府打压维权律师，也是为了要能够斩断这些团体之间的链接性，并防止中国的维权运动未来继续扩大。他告诉德国之声：《打压维权律师不仅能弱化中国维权运动整体的影响力，也能防止他们未来的规模持续扩大。》请点此以阅读全文章。

Le Venezuela entre au Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU
Le Monde, 18 octobre 2019
“Un coup de poing en plein visage pour les défenseurs du Venezuela” c’est ainsi qu’Eleanor Openshaw, co-directrice du bureau d’ISHR à New York, a qualifié l’élection du Venezuela au Conseil des droits de l’Homme. “Ils doivent se demander si la communauté internationale est réellement impliquée pour la promotion des droits au Venezuela” , a t-elle ajouté. Lire l’article en entier ici. 

Costa Rica Bids for the United Nations Human Rights Council
Journal of diplomacy, 12 October 2019
ISHR’s Eleanor Openshaw welcomed Costa Rica’s candidacy to the Human Rights Council as the other two candidates for Latin America so far were Venezuela and Brazil, and given the dire situation of Venezuela’s human rights record in the 2019 OHCHR report on Venezuela.  Read the full story here.

Dear U.S.: Appointing a torture supporter to lead human rights policy is a horrifying idea
The Beachwood Reporter, 11 October 2019
ISHR signed an NGO letter sent by the global SOS-Torture Network of the World Organization Against Torture, urging U.S. senators to reject Marshall Billingslea’s confirmation as leader of the human rights policy of the United States, despite him having openly advocated for the use of torture Read the full story here.

Flight from Manus
The ABC, 30 September 2019
Testimony fom Abdul Aziz Muhamat, 2019 laureate of the Martin Ennals Awards which ISHR is a jury member of.​ Read the full story here.

«Berne aussi doit appeler Riyad à libérer Loujain»
Tribune de Genève, 27 septembre 2019
Invitée par ISHR à Genève, Lina al-Hathloul a appelé la communauté internationale à faire pression sur l’Arabie saoudite pour qu’elle relâche sa soeur Loujain Al-Hathloul, défenseure des droits des femmes emprisonnée depuis mai 2018. Lire l’article ici dans sa version réservée aux abonné.es, et en intégralité ici. 

À l’ONU, la France muette sur les droits de l’homme en Arabie saoudite
Middle East Eye, 27 septembre 2019
Le 23 septembre, plusieurs pays ont  signé une déclaration cointointe au Conseil des droits de l’Homme, dénonçant les violations des droits humains en Arabie saoudite. La plupart des grands pays européens l’ont signée, mais pas la France.​ Une situation que Salma Eé Hosseiny d’ISHR a publiquement déplorée. Lire l’article en entier ici.

China Wants the World to Stay Silent on Muslim Camps. It’s Succeeding.
New York Times, 25 September 2019
China was doing its best to limit backing at the Human Rights Council for an inspection of Xinjiang by the High Commissioner for human rights, ISHR shared a recording where a Chinese advocate expressed the following: “If you’re really serious about a fact-finding mission, please go check the southern border, Guantánamo, the Mediterranean to see if there have been fact-finding missions”.  Read the full story here.   请点此以阅读纽约时报文章的中文版。

Experts raise human rights violations by China
Devdiscourse, 18 September 2019
At a side event entitled “Rule is Law” or “Rule by Law” – Criminalisation of Dissent in China organised by ISHR organised on the margins of the Human Rights Counncil’s 42nd session, experts denounced China’s use of stringent laws, not to ensure justice but to maintain state power.​ Read the full story here.

Armenian Rep. Attends UN Amnesty International Event
The Armenian Mirror Spectator, 12 September 2019
On September 6, Armenia participated in an event organised by Amnesty International and ISHR where it presented what its priorities and commitments would be should the country be elected to the Human Rights Council. Read the full story here.

Int’l Day of the Disappeared: China must put a halt to secret detention and all forms of enforced disappearances​
Hong Kong Free Press, 30 August 2019
In a report presented at the September session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances highlighted that from February to May alone, it had responded to 20 new cases of enforced disappearances in China. Recently, the group had had sent other forms of communications to the Chinese government, including a joint letter last August on the use of Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), following a submission from Safeguard Defenders, along with the International Service for Human Rights, Network for Chinese Human Rights Defenders, and the Rights Practice.​ Read the full story here.

Quand la Chine fait disparaître
Le Courrier, 30 août 2019
A l’occasion de la Journée internationale des victimes de disparition forcée (30 août), ISHR, en partenariat avec Safeguard Defenders, le Congrès Ouïghour mondial, the Tibet Network et China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, a lancé la campagne #StopDisappearances pour attirer l’attention du public et des autorités sur les disparitions forcées en Chine.Lire l’article ici. (version intégrale PDF ici) 

外交政策再现「战狼化」　华要求联国成员勿接触世维会主席
Radio Free Asia (RFA) 自由亚洲电台，2019年8月28日
国际人权服务社与一些机构协商如何应对对于维吾尔族活动人士的照会信。请点此以阅读全文章。

德语媒体：37对22，中国再下一局
Deutsche Welle (Chinese) 德国之声 (中文网)，2019年7月18日
有关25个国家致函联合国人权理事会对新疆再教育营表示严重关切，国际人权服务社的人权理事会事务负责人 Michael Ineichen 表示：《给理事会主席写这样的信有些不同寻常，尤其是信出自一群国家之手。’这是一种处理谁来领头这一敏感问题的颇有创意的做法》。他说，在人权理事会发表声明，需要有一个国家正式提交并在会议上宣读，越来越多的国家不愿在涉及中国的问题上挑这个头，因为他们担心会受到北京的惩罚。 请点此以阅读全文章。

How Nigeria uses the law to repress free speech: The case of journalist Jones Abiri
Global Voices, 17 July 2019
ISHR denounced Nigeria’s Terrorism Act as a ‘criminalization of dissent’ because the government can stamp on free speech by labelling it ‘hate speech, anti-government and anti-security information.’ Read the full story here. 

“Peking macht alles richtig”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 17 Juli 2019
Nachdem 22 Länder in einem Brief Chinas Politik in Xinjiang kritisiert haben, loben 37 andere Staaten Pekings Politik. Was bedeutet der ungewöhnliche Briefwechsel im Uno-Menschenrechtsrat? Weiterlesen.

BTS Sparks Outrage After Announcing Concert in Saudi Arabia
Next Shark, 16 July 2019
Earlier this year, 36 out of 47 nations in the UN Human Rights Council rebuked Saudi Arabia for its aggressive crackdown on free expression, including every member of the European Union.  ‘It sends a strong signal that Saudi Arabia is not untouchable, and that council members should be held to a higher level of scrutiny’ ISHR said. Read the full story here. 

China rebuked by 22 nations over Xinjiang repression
Times of Oman, 11 July 2019
In an unprecedented move, a cross-regional group of 22 States sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Human Rights Council, expressing concern over widespread surveillance, restrictions to freedom of religion and movement, and large-scale arbitrary detention of the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. ISHR welcomed the letter saying ‘it is significant and positive that 22 States have joined together to express concern about the widespread arbitrary detention, as well as the systematic racial and religious discrimination, against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims and minorities in Xinjiang.’. Read the full story here. 

Situation Still Dire for Rights Lawyers Four Years On
China Digital Times, 11 July 2019
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, and ISHR have recently submitted a joint analysis to U.N. human rights experts condemning legislative measures used to restrict the rights of lawyers in China. Read the full story here. 

«Les universités sont sous attaque au Venezuela»
Tribune de Genève, 4 juillet 2019
A l’occasion de sa venue à Genève pour une formation organisée par ISHR à l’attention de défenseur.es des droits humains (HRDAP), Ricardo Villalobos, professeur d’université au Venezuela, a pu s’entretenir avec La Tribune de Genève pour décrire les violations de droits humains dont sont victimes les universitaires dans le pays.  Lire l’article ici. 

«Les universités sont sous attaque au Venezuela»
24 Heures.ch, 4 juillet 2019
A l’occasion de sa venue à Genève pour une formation organisée par ISHR à l’attention de défenseur.es des droits humains (HRDAP), Ricardo Villalobos, professeur d’université au Vénézuela, a pu s’entretenir avec La Tribune de Genève pour décrire les violations de droits humains dont sont victimes les universitaires dans le pays.  Lire l’article ici. 

Xinjiang vice-governor defends centres for Uighurs at U.N. rights forum
Macau News Agency, 26 June 2019
Despite China’s claims that its state-run detention camps are vocational centres, ISHR’s Sarah Brooks made it clear that ‘what is happening in Xinjiang is the wholesale destruction of a minority people and a culture, from the razing of religious sites to the separation of families, incentives for intermarriage, and the imprisonment of more than 350 academics and intellectuals.’ Read the full story here.

Chinese official tells UN that Uighur camps are needed to combat ‘sinister preachings’
Thomson Reuters, 25 June 2019
Despite China’s claims that its state-run detention camps are vocational centres, ISHR’s Sarah Brooks made it clear that ‘what is happening in Xinjiang is the wholesale destruction of a minority people and a culture, from the razing of religious sites to the separation of families, incentives for intermarriage, and the imprisonment of more than 350 academics and intellectuals.’ Read the full story here.

Xinjiang vice-governor defends centers for Uighurs at U.N. rights forum
Reuters, 25 June 2019
Despite China’s claims that its state-run detention camps are vocational centres, ISHR’s Sarah Brooks made it clear that ‘what is happening in Xinjiang is the wholesale destruction of a minority people and a culture, from the razing of religious sites to the separation of families, incentives for intermarriage, and the imprisonment of more than 350 academics and intellectuals.’ Read the full story here.

Senior UN counter terrorism official to visit China’s Xinjiang region
Global Village Space, 14 June 2019
ISHR expressed concern at UN counterterrorism official visiting Xinjiang, and stated that if a UN-designated team must visit Xinjiang and “pretend it is about counter-terrorism”, the delegation must include “experts” from the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. Read the full story here.

Swiss women strike nationwide for parity
Arête News, 14 June 2019
ISHR participated in the national Swiss Women’s strike that took place on 14 June 2019. Read the full story here.

House OKs bill protecting human rights defenders
Inquirer.net, 3 June 2019
The Philippines’ House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to prevent human rights violations and abuses perpetrated against human rights defenders. The bill was explicitly based on the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the Model National Law on the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders drafted by ISHR. Read the full story here.

Human rights defenders hold policy dialogue
Fritong Post, 31 May 2019
The Human Rights Defenders Network – Sierra Leone in collaboration with ISHR with support from Amnesty International organised a one-day policy dialogue on the protection of human rights defenders in the country. The purpose of the dialogue was to discuss the way forward for the implementation of a law that would guarantee the rights and freedoms of human rights defenders in Sierra Leone. Read the full story here.

Il y a un an, la foudre tombait sur les activistes féministes de Riyad
Tribune de Genève, 14 May 2019
Article d’opinion d’ISHR visant à attirer l’attention sur le 1er anniversaire de la vague d’arrestations ayant ciblé les militant.es féministes en Arabie saoudite. Lire l’article ici.

Martin Ennals Award Finalist Eren Keskin honoured
Scoop World, 11 May 2019
A ceremony was held in Turkey for Eren Keskin who is one of the finalists for the 2019 Martin Ennals Award. Ms Keskin continues to be subject to a travel ban imposed by the Turkish authorities, and so was unable to attend the award ceremony held on 13 February 2019 in Geneva. Read the full story here.

Population Control by Duterte
International Policy Digest, 11 May 2019
ISHR denounced the use by Philippines’s president Duterte of the ‘war on drugs’ as a justification to kill  tens of thousands of citizens for their alleged involvement in drug activities. ‘This is particularly concerning for indigenous land and environmental defenders who are the most frequent victims – in 2015 alone there have been 25 recorded killings, with most victims belonging to indigenous communities.’  Read the full story here.

‘Palace of Terror’: Young woman’s kidnapped sister is being ‘beaten black and blue’ in captivity
NZ Herald, 28 April 2019
In March, 36 States including all EU Member States, called for the release of women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, among which Loujain Al-Hathloul, Aziza Al-Yousef, Eman Al-Nafjan, Nouf Abdelaziz, Hatoon Al-Fassi, Samar Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah, Mohammed Al-Bajadi, Amal Al-Harbi and Shadan Al-Anezi. ‘These women human rights defenders are detained only because they fought for their right to exist equally as men, in their country,’ ISHR’s  Salma El Hosseiny said. Read the full story here.

Rights Groups Urge Google Not to Bend to China Censors
Osburn Oracle 27 April 2019
ISHR co-signed a letter urging Google to abandon any plans to craft a censored version of its search engine that could pass muster with regulators in China. Read the full story here.

NGOs Blast US for Undermining Criminal Court
Inter Press Service, 8 April 2019
ISHR and several other human rights organisations have protested against the US decision to revoke the visa of Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Read the full story here.

NGOs Blast US for Undermining Criminal Court
Radio Free Asia, 5 April 2019
ISHR co-signed an NGO letter denouncing the EU-China human rights dialogue  as ‘a weak diplomatic tool’ since ‘Chinese authorities consistently fail to demonstrate concrete progress on human rights issues raised by the EU.’ Read the full story here.

China acknowledges Latin American human rights pleas
Dialogo Chino, 29 March 2019
ISHR highlighted that despite accepting many UPR recommendations, in all China rejected around 20%, having deemed them ‘politicised’ and claimed some of the stronger recommendations are ‘already implemented.’ Read the full story here.

U.S. Threats Against International Criminal Court Under Fire
IDN InDepthNews, 24 March 2019
ISHR and several human rights NGOs have protested against the threat made by the US to penalise and impose economic sanctions against judges of the International Criminal Court – if they bring charges of war crimes against American troops in Afghanistan. Read the full story here.

U.N. experts rebuke U.S. ‘threats’, visa ban on ICC investigators
Reuters, 22 March 2019
ISHR and other several other human rights NGOs welcomed the condemnation made by Diego Garcia-Sayan, UN Special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and Michel Forst, UN Special rapporteur on human rights defenders, following US visa restrictions on ICC personnel.  Read the full story here.

U.N. Experts Rebuke U.S. ‘Threats’, Visa Ban on ICC Investigators
U.S News, 22 March 2019
After UN human rights experts called on the US to stop its ‘threats’ and visa bans against the International Criminal Court (ICC), ISHR and other NGOs recalled that these visa restrictions could also ‘have a chilling effect on ICC personnel (and) will set a dangerous precedent with serious implications on the overall fight for impunity.’  Read the full story here.

US denied visas to women trying to participate in UN women’s conference: report
The Hill, 21 March 2019
ISHR reported that at least 41 women  have been denied visas from the US to attend the UN Committee on the Status of Women’s session. Read the full story here.

The US Denied Visas To Women From Africa And The Middle East Hoping To Attend The UN’s Women Conference
Buzzfeed, 20 March 2019
ISHR reported that at least 41 women  have been denied visas from the US to attend the UN Committee on the Status of Women’s session and that this figure is said to be only ‘the tip of the iceberg’ and likely to increase. Read the full story here.

UN Human Rights Council: an answer to burning injustice?
Swissinfo, 19 March 2019
ISHR commented upon the first ever Human Rights Council’s statement on Saudi Arabia under the following terms: ‘Committed individuals and coalitions, prepared to put principle above political expediency, can successfully challenge authoritarianism and prejudice. And we will ultimately prevail. Success may not come immediately. There will be challenges and setbacks. But progress is achieved, and history is made by those who value justice, equality and freedom over discrimination, fear and oppression.’Read the full story here.

China defends Xinjiang centers for Muslims, but aims to ‘downsize’
Reuters, 15 March 2019
ISHR denounced China’s claims that recommendations on basic freedoms have been accepted and already implemented as ‘insidious.’ Read the full story here.

Campuses not camps: China defends Xinjiang policies at UN
Mail Online, 15 March 2019
While China flatly rejected criticism of mass detainment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang region during its UPR, ISHR pointed that the numerous pro-China NGOs speaking at the event was ‘yet again an example of the investment they will make to buy silence and cover of abuse.’ Read the full story here.

Experts Renew Call for Probe Into Death of Cao Shunli
China Digital Times, 15 March 2019
Following ISHR and other human rights NGOs’ recommendations, the Human Rights Council’s 40th session commemorated the 5th anniversary of Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli’s death in custody, with a moment of silence held prior to China’s UPR examination. Read the full story here.

China tells U.S. to address ‘shocking gender discrimination’ and ‘immigration tragedy’ after Trump administration criticizes human rights abuses
Newsweek, 14 March 2019
‘The deterioration in human rights in the country is a long-standing concern, but this is a tipping point. No country in the world should be able to get away with arbitrarily detaining a million of its own people,’ ISHR said in a February statement about China. Read the full story here.

Today More Than Ever, Women’s Rights Movements Need Our Support
Huffington Post UK, 8 March 2019
ISHR’s joint statement to the Human Rights Council highlighting the State’s duty to protect women human rights defenders was echoed by Womankind Worldwide in the press on International Women’s Day. Read the full story here.

Refus suisse de signer une déclaration exhortant Riyad à libérer des activistes saoudiennes
Le Temps, 8 mars 2019
ISHR a jugé incompréhensible le refus de la Suisse de signer la déclaration faite par l’Islande auprps du Conseil des droits de l’Homme et co-signé par 36 Etats, appelant à la libération des femmes défenseures des droits humains en Arabie saoudite.  Lire l’article ici.

Aust, EU rebuke Saudis at UN rights forum
Cobram Courier, 8 March 2019
Three dozen countries, including all 28 EU members, called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to release 10 activists and co-operate with a UN-led investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate. The countries called for the release of Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sadah, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdelaziz, Hatoon al-Fassi, Mohammed al-Bajadi, Amal al-Harbi and Shadan al-Anezi. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to release women activists allegedly tortured in detention after authorities accused them of harming the country’s interests.  ‘These women human rights defenders are detained only because they fought for their right to exist equally as men, in their country.’  Read the full story here.

Saudi Arabia Rebuked for First Time by Fellow Members of U.N. Rights Council
New York Times, 7 March 2019
In a landmark joint statement at the Human Rights Council, 36 countries rebuked Saudi Arabia for its aggressive crackdown on free expression on Thursday in the United Nations’ top human rights body. This ‘sends a strong signal that Saudi Arabia is not untouchable, and that council members should be held to a higher level of scrutiny,’ said ISHR.  Read the full story here.

Canada, Europe, Australia issue 1st rebuke of Saudi Arabia at UN rights forum
CBC, 7 March 2019
Three dozen countries, including all 28 EU members, called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to release 10 activists and co-operate with a UN-led investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate. The countries called for the release of Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sadah, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdelaziz, Hatoon al-Fassi, Mohammed al-Bajadi, Amal al-Harbi and Shadan al-Anezi. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to release women activists allegedly tortured in detention after authorities accused them of harming the country’s interests.  ‘These women human rights defenders are detained only because they fought for their right to exist equally as men, in their country.’  Read the full story here.

Saudi Arabia rebuked at UN rights forum over jailings and Khashoggi probe
Business Day, 7 March 2019
Three dozen countries, including all 28 EU members, called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to release 10 activists and co-operate with a UN-led investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate. The countries called for the release of Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sadah, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdelaziz, Hatoon al-Fassi, Mohammed al-Bajadi, Amal al-Harbi and Shadan al-Anezi. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to release women activists allegedly tortured in detention after authorities accused them of harming the country’s interests.  ‘These women human rights defenders are detained only because they fought for their right to exist equally as men, in their country’ said ISHR.  Read the full story here.

Bachelet presses China for U.N. access to Xinjiang’s Uighurs
Reuters, 6 March 2019
ISHR denounced the ‘brutal and surgical suppression of fundamental freedoms of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities’ by China, and called for a  ‘heightened response’ to it.  Read the full story here.

U.N. Rights Chief, Denouncing ‘Gross Inequalities,’ Jabs at China and Israel
New York Times, 6 March 2019
The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet mentioned potential rights violations in China and Israel in an address on Wednesday that condemned a litany of ‘gross inequalities’ at play across the world. To which ISHR ssaid ‘firm rebuke from the Chinese delegation’ should be expected. ‘The High Commissioner should be prepared to stand her ground on these demands.’ Read the full story here.

Egypt: UN – Don’t Let Egypt Undermine Expert’s Role
All Africa, 5 March 2019
ISHR, along with 8 other human rights organisations, has signed a joint letter asking the Human Rights Council to ensure that Egypt is not allowed to seize a leading role in relation to the mandate of the United Nations’ expert on human rights and counter-terrorism. Read the full story here.

Montagne d’or: Des sanctions internationales contre la France sont possibles
Terra Darwin, 14 février 2019
ISHR a rappelé que si la France ne répond pas au courrier que lui a adressé le CERD sur le projet Montagne d’Or en Guyane, l’ONU pourrait prendr eun certain nombre de mesures à son encontre. “Dans les cas les plus sérieux, le Comité a la possibilité de condamner le projet et de le faire par voie de presse (…) Ça peut avoir potentiellement des répercussions importantes notamment au niveau du Conseil des droits de l’homme…”  Lire l’article ici.

Asile piétiné à Manus
Le Courrier, 14 février 2019
A l’occasion de la remise du Prix Martin Ennals à Abdul Aziz Muhamat, militant pour les droits des demandeurs/ses d’asile en Australie, ISHR a dénoncé le traitement dans les camps de Manus et Nauru comme étant « un système qui vise à dissuader quiconque de venir en Australie par bateau pour y chercher protection. Il y parvient en créant des conditions qui sont pires, dans bien des cas, que la peur et la persécution auxquelles les demandeurs d’asile sont confrontés dans leurs pays.» Lire l’article ici. 

Australia refugee centre detainee wins top human rights award
BBC, 14 February 2019
ISHR, a Jury member at the Martin Ennals award for human rights defenders, said the decision to honour Mr Muhamat, an asylum-seekers’ rights defender was ‘significant’. We hope it will put pressure on Australia to halt the practice of offshore detention. Read the full story here.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat Selected as 2019 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders Laureate 
Human Rights First, 13 February 2019
The Martin Ennals Award Jury, which ISHR is a member of,  today gave its 2019 Award for Human Rights Defenders to Abdul Aziz Muhamat, the Sudanese refugee advocate being held in detention on Manus Island Papua New Guinea. The award is given to human rights defenders who show deep commitment to their work at great personal risk and provides protection to the winner through increased international recognition. Read the full story here.

Refugee held at Australia’s offshore site wins rights prize
Journal du Cameroun, 13 February 2019
ISHR, a Jury member at the Martin Ennals award for human rights defenders, said the decision to honour Mr Muhamat, an asylum-seekers’ rights defender was ‘significant’. We hope it will put pressure on Australia to halt the practice of offshore detention. Read the full story here.

Australia to reopen Christmas Island detention centre after defeat on refugee policy
Cyprus Mail, 13 February 2019
ISHR welcomed the new Australian law that now gives doctors the right to transfer some 1,000 men and women from two Pacific detention centres if they need medical treatment. Yet ISHR also highlighted that Australia’s system has ‘deliberately dehumanised’ refugees and asylum seekers for decades. Read the full story here.

Australia to reopen Christmas Island detention centre after defeat on refugee policy
Reuters, 13 February 2019
ISHR welcomed the new Australian law that now gives doctors the right to transfer some 1,000 men and women from two Pacific detention centres if they need medical treatment. Yet ISHR also highlighted that Australia’s system has ‘deliberately dehumanised’ refugees and asylum seekers for decades. Read the full story here.

Turkey Calls On China To Close Camps For Muslims
Reuters, 4 February 2019
‘The deterioration in human rights in the country is a long-standing concern, but this is a tipping point. No country in the world should be able to get away with arbitrarily detaining a million of its own people,’ said ISHR in a call urging European and Muslim nations to take the lead in establishing a UN investigation into China’s detention and ‘forced indoctrination’ of Uighurs. Read the full story here.

Rights campaigners seek U.N. probe on China’s Xinjiang camps
Reuters, 4 February 2019
ISHR, along with other human rights NGOs, called on the Human Rights Council to send an international fact-finding mission to Xinjiang, saying this would be ‘a test of the credibility of the Human Rights Council.’ Read the full story here.

Rights Groups Seek U.N. Inquiry Into China’s Mass Detention of Muslims
New York Times, 4 February 2019
ISHR participated in a press conference calling on the the UN to open an investigation into China’s mass detention of Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang. Read the full story here.

Why businesses are nothing without strong human rights
The European Sting, 17 January 2019
ISHR co-wrote an article recalling that civil society and business share the same space, and therefore should share an interest in defending what unites them‏. Read the full story here.

Mine de Montagne d’or : l’ONU épingle la France
Les Echos, 11 janvier 2019
A la suite d’une plainte déposée par l’ONAG, soutenue par ISHR, le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale a publié une lettre dans laquelle il s’inquiète pour les droits des populations autochtones menacées par le projet Montagne d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici.

Montagne d’or en Guyane : l’ONU « somme » la France d’écouter les populations autochtones
Le Monde, 11 janvier 2019
ISHR a salué le comnuniqué publié par le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale demandant à la France de prendre en compte l’opposition des peuples autochtones à ce projet de gigantesque mine d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici (version PDF intégrale ici) .

Guyane : l’ONU « somme » la France d’écouter les populations autochtones
Blogs Mediapart, 11 janvier 2019
ISHR a salué le comnuniqué publié par le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale demandant à la France de prendre en compte l’opposition des peuples autochtones à ce projet de gigantesque mine d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici

L’ONU s’inquiète du projet «Montagne d’or» en Guyane française
Le Figaro, 11 janvier 2019
ISHR a diffusé une la lettre adressée par le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale à la France,  dans laquelle il s’inquiète pour les droits des populations autochtones menacées par le projet Montagne d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici.

Montagne d’Or : un comité de l’ONU oublie le débat public organisé en Guyane
France Info, 11 janvier 2019
ISHR a diffusé une la lettre adressée par le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale à la France,  dans laquelle il s’inquiète pour les droits des populations autochtones menacées par le projet Montagne d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici.

Montagne d’or: inquiétude de l’ONU vis-à-vis du projet minier
La Première, 11 janvier 2019
Dans une lettre datée du 14 décembre, rendue publique par ISHR, et adressée à la mission française à l’ONU Genève, le comité exprime son inquiétude après avoir reçu des informations faisant état du “manque de consultation ainsi que de l’absence de consentement préalable, libre et informé des populations indigènes de Guyane française concernant le projet minier Montagne d’or”.‏ Lire l’article ici.

«Montagne d’or»: Le projet minier en Guyane inquiète l’ONU
20 Minutes.fr, 11 janvier 2019
A la suite d’une plainte déposée par l’ONAG, soutenue par ISHR, le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale a publié une lettre dans laquelle il s’inquiète pour les droits des populations autochtones menacées par le projet Montagne d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici.

Montagne d’or en Guyane : l’ONU met en garde la France
Capital, 11 janvier 2019
A la suite d’une plainte déposée par l’ONAG, soutenue par ISHR, le comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale a publié une lettre dans laquelle il s’inquiète pour les droits des populations autochtones menacées par le projet Montagne d’or.‏ Lire l’article ici.

China thinks it can arbitrarily detain anyone. It is time for change
The Guardian, 4 January 2019
In response to a a submission sent by ISHR and other human rights organisations,  experts from the Human Rights Council noted that residential surveillance at a designated location in China exposes its victims to torture and that exceptions in the law make it tantamount to an enforced disappearance, grave crimes under international law.‏ Read the full story here.

UN urged to act on Egypt’s reprisals against citizens who met rapporteur
Middle East Eye, 12 December 2018
ISHR co-signed an NGO statement criticising the Egyptian government for restricting the work of UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing Leilani Farha, who has recently condemned “reprisals” against people she met during her official country visit to Egypt in September and October.‏ Read the full story here.

Amid soaring violence, efforts to reinvigorate ‘toothless’ U.N. agreement on rights activists
Thomson Reuters Foundation News, 9 December 2018
ISHR drew attention to the need for more countries to adopt laws protecting human rights defenders.‏ Read the full story here.

Human Rights Defender Henri Tiphagne Selected to Win Civil Liberties Award
The Wire, 23 November 2018
Henri Tiphagne, a human rights defender whom ISHR interviewed in 2014, has been selected under the individuals category for the Nani A. Palkhiwala Award for Civil Liberties this year.‏ Read the full story here.

Une militante saoudienne risque la décapitation
Tribune de Genève, 20 November 2018
ISHR a exprimé sa profonde préoccupation quant à la possible exécution d’Israa Al-Ghomgham, qui pourrait devenir la première femme défenseure des droits humains condamnée à mort en Arabie saoudite. Lire l’article ici.

Missing NGO documents at China UN human rights review raise eyebrows
Radio Free Asia, 6 November 2018
Human rights experts at the United Nations began examining the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s rights record on Tuesday, amid protests over “disappeared” submissions from civic groups that the U.N. body later restored with an apology. Read the full story here. Corrigendum: ISHR’s submission was not missing. 

RSF and NGOs urge China to free ailing journalist held for past two years
The Tibet Post, 5 November 2018
ISHR co-signed a joint NGO letter led by Reporters Without Borders demanding the immediate release of Huang Qi, a Chinese journalist and human rights activist who is very ill and could die in detention. Read the full story here.

Riyad, champion de la répression
Le Courrier, 5 November 2018
ISHR a dénoncé la répression systématique de la liberté d’expression en Arabie Saoudite, la répression féroce visant les défenseur.es des droits humains, et notamment la menace d’exécution pesant sur Israa Al-Ghomgham. Lire l’article ici (version PDF ici). 

Bochra Bel Haj Hmida parmi les 150 personnalités participant au Sommet mondial des défenseurs des droits humains 2018
Huffington post Maghreb, 26 October 2018
ISHR a co-organisé le Sommet mondial des défenseurs des droits humains 2018, en collaboration avec Amnesty international, la Fédération internationale des droits de l’Homme (FIDH), l’Association pour les droits des femmes dans le développement, Front Line Defenders, l’Organisation mondiale contre la torture, Protect Defenders et Reporters sans frontières. Lire l’article ici. 

Latin America demands respect for rights, but will China listen?
Dialogo Chino, 25 October  2018
While the UPR is looking at China’s impact on human rights in the world, ISHR presented a joint report with the Mekong Legal Network (MLN) which found a violation at the Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, where communities were not consulted on changes to the original project. Read the full story here.

Unfortunately, It’s All Clean Slates for the Next Human Rights Council Vote
PassBlue, 8 October  2018
To improve membership at the Human Rights Council, the ISHR and Amnesty International, with the support of sympathetic governments, host hustings in New York and Geneva for candidates to present their platforms and others to test the platforms. Unfortunately, many candidates do not participate in the hustings. Read the full story here.

Victim shaming under the spotlight as Trump forced to order FBI to probe Brett Kavanaugh
The London Economic, 29 September 2018
ISHR co-signed a letter where 90 human rights organisations working for women’s and girls’ rights expressed their concern that survivors of sexual assault would be discouraged for coming forward if their allegations are trivialised in the media. Read the full story here.

ONU: magouilles en coulisses
L’Express, 29 September 2018
ISHR a dénoncé les tractations souvent la borieuses présidant à l’élaboration des résolutions au Conseil des droits de l’Homme, ainsi que la présence de plus en plus imposante des Gongos qui prolifèrent grâce à leurs appuis politiques. Plus d’informations ici.

La représentante mapuche auprès de l’ONU obtient un sursis
Tribune de Genève, 24 September 2018
ISHR a eu le plaisir d’annoncer la suspension de la procédure de renvoi de Flor Calfunao Paillalef, représentante du peuple Mapuche à l’ONU. Plus d’informations ici.

La représentante mapuche auprès de l’ONU obtient un sursis
Siglo XXI, 23 September 2018
ISHR a eu le plaisir d’annoncer la suspension de la procédure de renvoi de Flor Calfunao Paillalef, représentante du peuple Mapuche à l’ONU. Plus d’informations ici.

L’ONU obtient la suspension du renvoi de Flor Calfunao Paillalef
Blog “Regards Croisés”, Tribune de Genève, 18 September 2018
ISHR a eu le plaisir d’annoncer la suspension de la procédure de renvoi de Flor Calfunao Paillalef, représentante du peuple Mapuche à l’ONU. Plus d’informations ici.

Répit pour Flor Calfunao
Le Courrier, 18 September 2018
ISHR a eu le plaisir d’annoncer la suspension de la procédure de renvoi de Flor Calfunao Paillalef, représentante du peuple Mapuche à l’ONU. Plus d’informations ici (télécharger la version PDF de l’article ici)

Human rights groups urge Google to drop plans for China ‘censorship engine’
Taiwan News, 30 August 2018
ISHR co-signed a letter with a dozen of other prominent human rights groups to call on  Google to drop its plans to re-enter the Chinese market, arguing such a move is akin to participating in the human rights abuse of millions of Chinese internet users. Read the full story here.

Activists Ask Google: What’s Changed Since 2010?
China Digital Times, 30 August 2018
ISHR co-signed a letter with other prominent human rights organisations and activists to ask Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai for assurances and transparency regarding the company’s plans. The letter followed leaked news that Google had been preparing search censorship mechanisms for a possible return to China. The signatories  highlighted concerns about censorship of search results and vulnerability of sensitive user data. Read the full story here.

World Leaders Opt For China’s Money Over The Rights Of 1 Million Jailed Muslims
Huffington Post, 18 August 2018
It is important for governments like those in Europe to speak out againts China policy and internment camps in Xinjiang, ISHR said. Read the full story here.

How The World Learned China Is Holding Over A Million Muslims In Internment Camps
Huffington Post, 15 August 2018
ISHR managed to get the UN firsthand information about human rights violations occuring in Xianjiang (and elsewhere). Information came directly from activists and caseworkers though ISHR made sure not to disclose names publicly to avoid putting defenders at risk. Read the full story here.

‘No Such Thing’: China Denies U.N. Reports of Uighur Detention Camps
New York Times, 13 August 2018
China’s blanket denial of accusations from UN experts that it had detained more than a million ethnic Uighur Muslims in re-education camps is keeping to “a longstanding tradition of the Chinese government to give nonanswers to deeply important questions” ISHR said. Read the full story here.

United Nations must not abandon Haiti on cholera again, human rights organizations declare
Black Star News, 16 July 2018
ISHR along with several other human rights organisations urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to act decisively to protect victims’ right to an effective remedy for their injuries, and keep the promises of its December 2016 ‘New Approach to Cholera’. The organisations note that they ‘are increasingly concerned that the UN is once again retreating from accountability’ 18 months after the New Approach announcement. Read the full story here.

Freedom of religion endangered by new law in Laos
Missions Box, 10 July 2018
Recently, Voice of the Martyrs has joined the ranks of others who have called for the repeal the Laotian government’s Decree on Associations that was passed in late 2017. The decree effectively abrogates the constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom by placing extraordinarily strict government restrictions on non-profit organisations, including religious groups. Read the full story here.

China, Russia fail to curb activists’ role at U.N. rights forum: campaigners
Reuters, 6 July 2018
China, Russia and Pakistan lost their bid on Friday to weaken a U.N. resolution upholding the crucial rule of activists in shedding an international spotlight on human rights violations, campaigners said. Read the full story here.

Cayetano crying ‘wolf!’ against UN Human Rights Council
Bulatlat, 29 June  2018
During the two-week intensive course for human rights defenders organised by ISHR, 13 human rights defenders working on a range of issues, learned and engaged in the UN’s rights mechanisms. Some of them raised the worsening plight of environmental defenders in the Philippines. Read the full story here.

US withdraws from UN Rights Council
Dawn, 21 June 2018
‘Even under the current administration, US diplomatic efforts have been key to ensuring that the Council maintains its focus on human rights monitoring, reporting and accountability, and resisting the idea popular among some states that any discussion on human rights in a given country somehow violates sovereignty,’ ISHR recalled. Read the full story here.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regrets US decision to withdraw from body’s Human Rights Council
Firstpost, 21 June 2018
ISHR deplored the US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council as, while the Council is far from perfect, it makes a significant contribution to protecting human rights, providing justice to victims, and promoting accountability for perpetrators. Read the full story here.

“Would’ve ‘Much Preferred’ For US to Stay”: UN Chief Defends UNHRC
EBM News, 20 June 2018
US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council is ‘deeply regrettable’ says ISHR, as, though not perfect, the Council ‘makes a significant contribution  to protecting human rights, providing justice to victims, and promoting accountability for perpetrators.’ Read the full story here.

UN Chief backs UNHRC, says would have preferred US to remain in
DevDiscourse, 20 June 2018
ISHR deplored the US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council as, while the Council is far from perfect, it makes a significant contribution to protecting human rights, providing justice to victims, and promoting accountability for perpetrators. Read the full story here.

US withdraws from UN Human Rights Council
Sri Lanka Guardian, 20 June 2018
While acknowledging that the US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council hardly comes as a surprise, ISHR stressed that it needs to be understood as part and parcel of a significant and worrying regression on human rights generally, in the US and the world. Read the full story here.

“Would’ve ‘Much Preferred’ For US to Stay”: UN Chief Defends UNHRC
The Quint, 20 June 2018
ISHR  termed the US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council as “deeply regrettable”. Read the full story here.

Why the US left the UN Human Rights Council – and why it matters
The Conversation, 20 June 2018
Along with several other NGOs, ISHR strongly opposed a draft resolution proposed by the US on reforms for the Human Rights Council. The NGOs Those NGOs wrote to 60 states set out concerns that opening a formal reform process would likely backfire, with States hostile to human rights using that process to undermine rather than strengthen the Human Rights Council. . Read the full story here.

At the U.N., China and Russia Score Win in War on Human Rights
Foreign Policy, 26 March 2018
ISHR and Amnesty International wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres asking him to reconsider the decision to dismantle a key cell within his office charged with ensuring that the international body’s sprawling political and humanitarian agencies promote human rights. Read the full story here.

Politicized UN committee using ‘repeated and arbitrary deferrals’ to block NGOs, critics say
CBC News, 21 January 2018
ISHR along with other NGOs and voices within the United Nations are calling for the reform of the committee tasked with accrediting non-governmental organisations, saying it has become a political tool to block rather than bolster their participation. Read the full story here.

Protection des défenseurs des droits humains: le rôle des Institutions Nationales des Droits de l’Homme au cœur d’un atelier
Zere Infos, December 21, 2017
ISHR, along with the Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH) and Côte d’Ivoire’s national human rights commission, co-organised a regional consultation on legal protection of defenders in Africa. The consultation was held on 19 and 20 October and hailed Côte d’Ivoire for taking the lead in this by being the first country to adopt a national law protecting defenders.  Read the full story (in French) here.

Egyptian legal scholar wins top rights prize
The Sun Daily, October 11, 2017
Awarding Mohamed Zaree with the prestigious Martin Ennals prize was not only  a way to celebrate his achievements, but also a ‘collective condemnation … of the Egyptian authorities’ approach to human rights,’ said ISHR who was a member of the Jury.  Read the full story here.

Egyptian Activist Receives a Top Human Rights Award
New York Times, October 10, 2017
ISHR was honoured to be once again member of the Martin Ennals Jury who awards prominent human rights defenders from across the globe. This year’s laureate is Egyptian lawyer and activist Mohamed Zaree, country director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies who was awarded for his contribution to promoting human rights amid the government’s escalating harassment and intimidation of activists. Read the full story here.

Concern mounts for detained Chinese activists
Bangkok Post, September 13, 2017
In a call made by human rights defenders to China voicing concern for the health and fate of detained lawyers and critics, ISHR highlighted the case of Jiang Tianyong, a human rights lawyer who disappeared last November and was held incommunicado for six months after a trial  that ‘can be reasonably called neither fair nor impartial’. Read the full story here.

China’s War on Dissent
The Diplomat, August 20, 2017
At a press briefing hosted by ISHR in Geneva on 24 August,  a group of Chinese human rights defenders expressed their deep concern about the future of their detained and disappeared colleagues. They discussed various cases such as those of Gui Minhai, disappeared since 2015, or Liu Xiaobo, who died this Summer after spending years in detention. Read the full story here.

China Buying International Silence on Human Rights
China Digital Times, June 22, 2017
ISHR signed a statement along with ten other human rights groups on Monday to urge the European Union to cancel an upcoming dialogue between the Union and China as thos dialogue ‘has steadily deteriorated into an exercise whose purpose is largely to secure another round of the dialogue, not to make meaningful change in China.’ Read the full story here.

Council Discusses Côte d’Ivoire and The Democratic Republic of the Congo under Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
Military Technologies, June 20, 2017
ISHR participated in the interactive dialogue with the UN Independent Expert on the enhancement of capacity building and technical cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire. Read the full story here.

Amnesty, 6 others urge govt to ensure Sultana Kamal’s security
Dhaka Tribune, June 14, 2017
Several human rights organisations including ISHR have expressed concern over the recent threats made by Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam to Sultana Kamal, a prominent lawyer and human rights defender in Bangladesh. Read the full story here.

Int’l rights orgs express concern over threats to Sultana Kamal
Prothom Alo, June 13, 2017
Along with several international human rights organisations, ISHR signed a letter calling upon the Bangladesh authorities to conduct ‘credible investigation into threats of violence and ensure protection of [ human rights defender] Sultana Kamal’. Read the full story here.

Séminaire régional : la Côte d’Ivoire, un modèle en Afrique sur la protection juridique des défenseurs des droits humains
Afrique Infos, April 26, 2017
Press article in French by online newspaper Afrique Infos on the regional consultation organised by ISHR and other partners on 12-13 April on the development of protection laws for human rights defenders in Africa. Read the full story here.

Protection juridique des défenseurs des droits humains : la Côte d’Ivoire, un modèle en Afrique
Eburnews, April 26, 2017
Press article in French by Ivorian online newspaper Eburnews on the regional consultation organised by ISHR and other partners on 12-13 April on the development of protection laws for human rights defenders in Africa. Read the full story here.

Des experts réunis à Abidjan pour une reconnaissance et une protection juridique des défenseurs des droits humains en Afrique
NewsIvoire.net, April 13, 2017
Press article in French by Ivorian online newspaper NewsIvoire.net on the regional consultation organised by ISHR and other partners on 12-13 April on the development of protection laws for human rights defenders in Africa. Read the full story here.

Les DDH en conclave à Abidjan pour promouvoir la loi sur leur protection juridique en Afrique
Ecovisionafrik, April 10, 2017
Press article in French by Togolese online newspaper Ecovisionafrik on the regional consultation organised by ISHR and other partners on 12-13 April on the development of protection laws for human rights defenders in Africa. Read the full story here.

Mugabe’s commitment to rights questioned
NewsDay, March 20, 2017
ISHR raised the red flag over the impending introduction of a cyber law in Zimbabwe. ‘We note that the Zimbabwean government is in the process of drafting a Cyber Crimes Bill which, if passed, will further curtail the right to freedom of expression and privacy; and will further impede the work of defenders,’ ISHR said in a joint statement with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. Read the full story here.

International human rights groups call for rights upholding in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Consolidated News, March 18, 2017
ISHR and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights expressed their concern about the continued targeting of human rights defenders by State actors.’Hundreds of defenders currently face prosecution following their arrest for exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and association between May and November 2016,’ they recalled in joint statement delivered at the Human rights Council’s 34th session. Read the full story here.

UN review exposed Zimbabwe’s poor human rights record
The Standard , March 18, 2017
The International Service for Human Rights and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said in an oral statement to the Huan Rights Council that Zimbabwe Cybercrime Bill should not be enacted, as it would further infringe on freedom of expression and privacy. They urged the government to reconsider the recommendation to invite the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. Read the full story here.

Marquette Democracy Project brings social activism from around the globe
Marquette Wire , March 7, 2017
Maryam Al-Khawaja, an ISHR Board member will be part of the Marquette Democracy Project, which brings international activists to Marquette University for brief visits during the school semester, during which they teach classes, give a public talk (open to the Milwaukee community), and tell their stories to student journalists and videographers. Read the full story here.

Australia’s bid for UN Human Rights Council seat comes with ‘stop the boats’ baggage
The Sydney Morning Herald , February 28, 2017
As Australia launched a charm offensive in the United Nations corridors in Geneva, seeking to win a seat on the UN’s Human Rights Council, ISHR recalls that the country’s human rights record does not entirely count in its favour. Read the full story here.

L’ONU accusée de livrer à Pékin les noms d’opposants chinois
Le Temps, February 3, 2017
As the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is being accused of disclosing names of human rights defenders coming to the Human Rights Council to China, ISHR expresses its opinion on the issue. Read the full story here.

Gay rights supporters win 2nd victory at the United Nations
The Daily Mail Online, December 20, 2016
The close vote that rejected the African Group’s proposal to halt the work of Independent Expert on SOGI shows how much work is needed to build bridges with many countries. Read the full story here.

Boris Johnson Urged To Defend UN’s First LGBT Rights Expert By Labour MP Sarah Champion
The Huffington Post, November 8, 2016
ISHR denounced the attempt made by some African countries to block the appointment of Vitit Muntarbhorn, a law professor who has been hired to look at ways to overcome violence and discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. ‘This move is harmful to non-violence and anti-discrimination efforts in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people around the world’ ISHR said. Read the full story here.

African nations attempt to suspend UN’s LGBT rights monitor
The Guardian, November 7, 2016
ISHR shared its concern and denounced the lack of legal foundation of the attempt by African nations to call into question the legitimacy of the Human Rights Council resolution establishing the independent expert to protect against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Read the full story here.

ISHR launch ‘Model National Law’ in Gambia
Foroyaa, October 26, 2016
ISHR held a side event to officially launch its National Model Law on the recognition and protection of human rights defenders in Africa. The event was held in Banjul, the Gambia, on the margins of the 59th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Read the full story here.

China: One year since Gui Minhai’s abduction
China Worker Info, October 18, 2016
One year after his disappearance, Gui is still not formally charged with any crime. Neither Sweden’s representatives nor his daughter have been told where Gui is being held. ISHR expressed its view on the issue. Read the full story here.

Human rights mechanism workshop underway
The Standard, October 17, 2016
ISHR organised a training for African civil society members on international and regional human rights mechanisms. The training took place in Banjul, the Gambia, on 15 and 16 October and was organised in collaboration with the OHCHR and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Read the full story here.

Kidnapped by China: Beijing’s Battle Against Dissidents and Free Speech
The Diplomat, October 7, 2016
ISHR told that China’s ongoing crackdown on human rights is no longer limited to its national borders. ‘China is exporting its paranoia and its poor practices – disappearances, arbitrary detention and censorship of dissent. This is a worrying sign for activists and organisations throughout Asia and beyond’.  Read the full story here.

ISHR’s Phil Lynch on Sierra Leone’s television 
EYV Television, October 6, 2016
ISHR’s director Phil Lynch was invited on Sierra Leone’s EYV Television on the occasion of a training and consultations with authorities and civil society on the development of a national law protecting human rights defenders. He shared his views on the leading role he thinks the country coud take in terms of strengthening of legal frameworks in English-speaking Africa. Watch here.

For daughter of missing Hong Kong bookseller, activism is not a choice
NPR, October 5, 2016
Multimedia news website NPR interviewed Angela Gui, daughter of disappeared bookseller Gui Minhai and a young hunan rights defender whom ISHR hosted for several days in Geneva last September. Read the full story here.

Gay men in Ivory Coast say they were attacked after showing support for Orlando victims
PBS, June 30, 2016
While six gay men in Ivory Coast say they were attacked after the U.S. embassy published a photo of them offering condolences to the 49 victims in the Orlando shooting, ISHR recalls that to date there are no legal protections against attacks that target the LGBT community in the country. ISHR also highlights that ‘sexual minorities’ report periodic harassment from security forces and the general population. Read the full story here.

Russian Diplomat Is Accused of Threatening Rights Activist on Twitter
New York Times, June 14, 2016
ISHR denounced a threatening message sent on Twitter by a Geneva-based Russian diplomat to a member of a human rights organisation that supports activists in Russia.  ISHR told the Human Rights Council on Tuesday that ‘an online threat made by a state representative, albeit one hiding behind the cowardice of anonymity, is a threat against both the targeted individual (…) and the integrity of this important institution.’ Read the full story here.

Govt of India “blocking” international Dalit network to freely associate with UN for eight long years: NGO letter
Counterview, May 26, 2016
ISHR was part of an NGO coalition who sent a letter calling on members of the  ECOSOC to reform the practice of the Committee of NGOs that prevents certain human rights organisations, including the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), from associating freely with the UN. ISHR noted that ‘unfortunately, in too many instances the Committee is reflective of the growing restrictions on civil society at the very time restrictions at the national level make access to the UN all the more crucial.’ Read the full story here.

Ilham Tohti, Uighur scholar jailed in China, is nominated for rights award
The New York Times, April 27, 2016
Ilham Tohti, a scholar and advocate for China’s Uighur ethnic minority, currently serving a life sentence for separatism in a Chinese prison, is one of three nominees for the prestigious annual Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders. Phil Lynch, Director of ISHR, which is a jury member for the awards, said the three nominees had … ‘stood out as being particularly courageous, persistent, principled and innovative and at a very high level of risk’. Read the full story here.

Human Rights Council adopts historic resolution on protection of rights defenders
Sri Lanka Guardian, March 25, 2016
ISHR welcomed the adoption of a landmark resolution on the protection of human rights defenders working to promote economic, social and cultural rights by a resounding vote. ISHR also recognised the principled leadership of Norway in leading the development of this timely resolution. Read full story here.

ONG globales piden a Peña combatir descrédito de activistas
La Jordana, March 17, 2016
ISHR has joined six other non-governmental organisations in a joint letter to the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, calling for the public condemnation of the defamation and discrediting of civil society organizations and human rights defenders. Read full story here (article in Spanish).

Detrás de la noticia: Dignidad pisoteada
RT en español, March 11, 2016
In light of the murder of high-profile indigenous human rights defender Berta Cáceres in Honduras, ISHR’s Ben Leather and ISHR trainee Andrea Cerami are interviewed as part of a Spanish language news documentary story on the attacks and murders of environmental activists and land rights defenders in Latin America and the world. Watch the programme on YouTube here (in Spanish).

Protestor laws could trap farmers
The Land, January 27, 2016
ISHR, as well as the UN, criticised the introduction of the Criminal Code Amendment (Prevention of Lawful Activity) Bill 2015 by Australia as there is fear that the Bill could result in criminalisation of lawful protests and the silencing of environmentalists and human rights defenders. Read the full story here.

Deported Swedish NGO worker concerned about detained colleagues in China
Voice of America, January 27, 2016
ISHR expressed its views on the case of Peter Dahlin, a Swedish human rights activist expelled from China last January for allegedly operating an unlicensed rights group in China to endanger the country’s national security. For ISHR, Dahlin’s case showcases “the long arm of China,” whose influence now appears to have extended beyond its borders. Read the full story here. 

Nigerian and Global Rights Groups urge Nigeria to drop “Social Media Bill”
Sahara Reporters, December 17, 2015
ISHR co-signed an open letter sent by about 20 Nigerian, African and international human rights groups to urge key officials in the Nigerian Senate, citing concerns about free expression and the criminalisation of free expression under the Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill. Read the full story here.

Nigeria, Iran, Parkistan, Syria, North Korea others vote against UN resolution to protect human rights defenders
The Biafra Herald, November 28, 2015
ISHR expressed extreme disappointment at the 14 votes that rejected the UN resolution on human rights defenders as well as at the “cowardly position of abstaining” taken by 40 other countries. This “amounts to a failure to recognise the important role of defenders and the need for their protection,” they said. Read the full story here.

Rwanda votes for human rights resolution. Russia, China protest
K T Press, November 26, 2015
Rwanda has defied African solidarity, voting in favour of a historic UN resolution that guarantees protection for individuals and groups involved in human rights work. ISHR’s Madeleine Sinclair says votes against the resolution and abstentions amount to a failure by States to recognise the important role of defenders and the need for their protection. Read the full story here. 

Australia heavily criticised at UN for asylum seeker stance
ABC Online, November 10, 2015
ISHR participated in the Universal Periodic Review of Australia during which the country was heavily criticised for its asylum seeker stance. According to ISHR, these policies will have an impact on Australia’s bid to win a seat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2018. Read the full story here. 

Regional Indigenous activists slam corporate abuses at IACHR
TeleSUR, October 22, 2015
ISHR participated in the first hearing held by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on the role of businesses in violations against Indigenous activists working on land, environmental and cultural rights. ISHR denounced ‘clear collusions between businesses, the State and organised crime groups aimed at silencing defenders’. Read the full story here. 

Human rights groups support EU resolution condemning Angolan rights violations
Angola News Network, October 8, 2015
ISHR joined a group of  international human rights and press freedom organisations who signed a letter of support to a recent European Parliament resolution calling attention to the worsening human rights situation in Angola. Read the full story here. 

Syria: Disclose Whereabouts of Detained Freedom of Expression Advocate
The Syrian Observer, October 8, 2015
ISHR joined a call launched by 30 other organisations to the Syrian authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of Bassel Khartabil, a human rights award-winning software developer who is facing Military Field Court proceedings for his peaceful activities in support of freedom of expression.  Khartabil managed to inform his family on October 3 that security officers had ordered him to pack without indicating his destination. His family believe that he may have been transferred to the military-run Field Court inside the Military Police base in Qaboun. Read the full story here.

At U.N., China uses intimidation tactics to silence its critics
Reuters Investigates, October 6, 2015
Along with other civil society members, ISHR denounced China’s growing capacity to stifle opposition in the international arena at a time when it is cracking down on domestic dissent and preparing a new, restrictive law on foreign non-governmental organisations operating in China. Read the full story here. 

Concerns raised at UN Human Rights Council on LGBT rights
GayNZ, September 30, 2015
ISHR co-signed a joint statement during the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council to highlight the lack of global progress in relation to the rights of LGBT people. Read the full story here. 

Australia urged to lead UN over human rights in Egypt
Video News, July 15, 2015
ISHR co-signed a letter urging Australia to take a leadership role in the forthcoming discussions on Egypt’s human rights situation. The letter states that ‘Australia’s geographical isolation from Egypt may be a helpful factor’ where other countries have been unwilling to lead on the issue due to concerns about regional security and stability in the Middle East. Read the full story here. 

Human Rights Group, Activists Decry Accusations by Venezuela’s Diosdado Cabello
Latin Post, July 8, 2015
ISHR issued a statement denouncing the “dangerous and irresponsible”accusations made by the Venezuelan Government in order to tarnish the reputation and question the legitimacy of several human rigths defenders who had testified before the UN Human Rights Council. Read the full story here. 

International community ‘must maintain fullest scrutiny of Sri Lanka’ say NGOs
Tamil Guardian, July 3, 2015
ISHR co-signed a letter calling on ambassadors of UN Human Rights Council Member States to maintain scrutiny of Sri Lanka on issues of justice and accountability regarding the mass atrocities committed during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. Read the full story here.

Maldives upset over Commonwealth move to discuss Nasheed
The New Indian Express, July 2, 2015
Commonwealth countries have called for the Maldives to be put on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, over the trial and sentencing of former president Mohamed Nasheed. The move follows condemnation, last month, by ISHR and others of the deteriorating democratic and human rights situation in the Maldives. Read the full story here.

Criticism mounts against Maldives’ Supreme Court
Minivan News, June 20, 2015
ISHR reiterated that the Maldives’ Supreme court ruling that bars the national human rights watchdog from communicating with foreign organisations was a clear breach of the country’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council. Read the full story here.

Refugee policies give Australia’s global reputation a beating
Sydney Morning Herald, June 20, 2015
As a a staggering 60 million people have been driven from their homes due to war and persecution this year, ISHR denounced Australia’s disdain for the Refugee Convention and expressed concern on the morality and legality of Australia’s refugee and asylum-seeker policy. Read the full story here.

International Service for Human Rights condemns SC verdict on HRCM
Raajje, June 19, 2015
ISHR declared that the Maldives Supreme Court’s decision preventing the country’s independent national human rights institution from communicating with the UN without government authorisation is a clear breach of international law and flagrantly incompatible with the Maldives’ membership in the UN Human Rights Council. Read the full story here.

European countries say they are ‘concerned’ and ‘surprised’ at payment allegations
Sydney Morning Herald, June 17, 2015
In the midst of a growing asylum seeker crisis in Europe, there is surprise and concern at the allegation that the Australian government has paid people smugglers. ISHR Director, Phil Lynch, said there is increasing concern within the UN but and the wider diplomatic community as to Australia’s refugee and asylum seeker policy. Read the full story here.

Revealed: How the UN told Abbott government to back off on Gillian Triggs
Sydney Morning Herald, June 9, 2015
Following an appeal from ISHR, the UN has formally urged the Australian government to stop attacking Gillian Triggs and pressuring her to consider stepping down as president of the Human Rights Commission. Read the full story here.

Two NGOs lost their UN consultative status for speaking against Pakistan’s atrocities in Balochistan
Balochwarna News, June 6, 2015
ISHR has expressed deep concern after the withdrawal of UN consultative status from two NGOs in retaliation for statements they made at the UN Human Rights Council. Read the full story here.

NGOs condemn Nauru’s censorship
Radio New Zealand, May 27, 2015
A group of NGOs, including ISHR, has written a letter to the Nauru government calling on it to restore full access to internet services and repeal a new law which restricts freedom of expression. Read the full story here.

Nauru rights regressing as it faces UN Universal Periodic Review
ABC, February 27, 2015
Ahead of Nauru’s appearance at its Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations later this year, ISHR and the Human Rights Law Centre call on the Nauru government to address a regression in the country’s human rights situation. Listen to the full story here.

Australia called to repeal excessive restrictions on freedom of speech and expression and other rights
International Buisness Times, February 6, 2015
ISHR’s new report urges Australia to repeal excessive limitiations on rights such as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Listen here.

Australia urged to remove restrictions on rights
SBS, February 5, 2015
ISHR has released a report urging Australia to remove excessive restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful protests. Read the full story here.

China Proposal on NGOs raises transparency concerns
The New York Times, February 3, 2015
A proposal by China that would have withheld the names of countries that criticize NGOs seeking UN accreditation has drawn condemnation from diplomats and rights groups, citing concerns about transparency. The proposal was subsequently dropped. ISHR released a statement urging the accreditation committee to continue to be transparent in reports of its meetings. Read the full story here.

Sri Lanka: New Government must support human rights defenders and cooperate with the UN
The Sri Lankan Guardian, January 9, 2015
The new government in Sri Lanka must prevent, investigate and ensure accountability for attacks against journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders, ISHR has said. Read the full story here.

Sri Lanka’s presidential race closely monitored by Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald, January 2, 2015
Australian officials are carefully watching Sri Lanka’s presidential election, uneasy about how a change of government might affect joint action to stop asylum seekers’ boats. ISHR’s Phil Lynch said whatever the composition of the next Sri Lankan government, Australia should be guided by a commitment to human rights and the rule of law. Read the full story here.

UN officials call for U.S. to prosecute those responsible in CIA torture probe
News Observer, December 10, 2014
Following a damning US Senate report on the CIA’s detention and interrogation programme, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for those responsible for torture to be held accountable. ISHR’s Phil Lynch said as a matter of international law the US is not the only country that could bring charges; there is an obligation on member countries to the UN Convention against Torture to investigate all allegations of torture and to hold those either “directly or indirectly” involved accountable. Read the full story here.

Maryam al-Khawaja, the Inconvenient Activist
Foreign Policy, September 4, 2014
The arrest of Bahraini human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja marks a new low point for the country’s autocracy. Maryam has been forbidden any contact with her lawyer for the entire seven days, which ISHR has declared to be ‘in contravention of international human rights law.’ Read the full story here.

Rights Groups Write To UN
The Sunday Leader, September 3, 2014
A group of six international human rights organisations, including ISHR, has called on the President and member states of the Human Rights Council as well as the government of Sri Lanka to take action to stop reprisals against those who cooperate with the UN. Read the full story here.

Activists sceptical on Lanka probe pledge
Gulf Times, September 2, 2014
The Sri Lankan government’s claim that it will investigate the circumstances of people’s disappearances from its 26-year civil war has been received skeptically by activists and human rights organisations. ISHR says the government has failed to protect local activists from ‘a clear pattern of systematic reprisals against human rights defenders and victims in Sri Lanka who seek to engage with the UN.’ Read the full story here.

Rights groups ask Sri Lanka to stop intimidation
The New Indian Express, August 27, 2014
ISHR together with five other human rights organisations has written to the Sri Lankan government, and the President and member states of the Human Rights Council to put an end to intimidation and harrassment against those who cooperate with the UN. Read the full story here.         

Rights groups write to UN, Ravinatha
Colombo Gazette, August 26, 2014
A group of six international human rights organisations, including ISHR, has written a joint letter calling on the President and member states of the Human Rights Council, as well as the government of Sri Lanka, to take action to ensure no-one faces reprisals for cooperating with the UN. Read the full story here.      

Contentious Start For U.N. Process Toward Business And Human Rights Treaty
Mint Press News, July 10, 2014
The UN Human Rights Council voted to allow negotiations to begin toward a binding international treaty around transnational companies. ‘The development of a treaty on business and human rights is an important opportunity to strengthen corporate respect for human rights, the protection of human rights defenders, and access to justice for victims of corporate human rights violations,’ said Phil Lynch, ISHR Director. Read the full story here.

Interview with Phil Lynch
World Radio Switzerland, July 2, 2014
ISHR Director Phil Lynch spoke to Tony Johnson at World Radio Switzerland about his life in Geneva as an expat and his work at ISHR. Listen here.

UN women’s rights resolution passed despite backlash
Al Arabiya, November 28, 2013
The UN General Assembly has passed a ‘landmark first resolution on women’s rights defenders’, reports Agence France-Presse with commentary from ISHR’s Eleanor Openshaw. Read the full story here. 

Accents du monde – UPR of China
Radio France Internationale, October 25, 2013
Radio France Internationale reports on the Universal Periodic Review of China and speaks with ISHR’s Michael Ineichen regarding the disappearance of Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli. Listen to the reporting here. The story is available in Chinese here.

La Chine joue de l’imtimidation
Le Temps, October 23, 2013
Speaking to Le Temps newspaper, ISHR’s Director of Human Rights Council Advocacy, Michael Ineichen reports on the disappearance of Chinese human rights defender, Ms Cao Shunli. Ms Shunli was scheduled to attend an ISHR training course and the Human Rights Council’s 24th session, ahead of China’s universal periodic review. Her disappearance is said to be emblematic of the kinds of intimidation experienced by those that criticise the Chinese government. Read the full story here.

Human rights defender disappeared in China
SBS Radio Australia, September 25, 2013
ISHR’s Director of Human Rights Council Advocacy, Michael Ineichen spoke to SBS Radio Australia on the reported disappearance of a Chinese human rights defender, scheduled to attend an ISHR training course on international human rights advocacy in Geneva. Listen to the interview here.

China mystery: Legal activist questioned by police disappears at airport
Washington Post, September 25, 2013
Cao Shunli has been missing since Sept. 14, BBC reported. She was attempting to fly out of China to Switzerland for a human rights training course offered by the International Service for Human Rights, when airport security forces barred her from boarding. Read more here.

UN should protect rights defenders from attacks and reprisals
Global Post, August 8, 2013
The UN must address a disturbing global increase in reprisals against human rights defenders who campaign for corporate accountability, writes ISHR Director Phil lynch. Read more here.

Does Australia deserve a place at the world’s top human rights table?
The Australian, June 20, 2013
From an Australian perspective the most recent session of the UN Human Rights Council ended last week with a bang, says Phil Lynch. Read more here.

Global community must act to protect human rights defenders from restrictions and attacks
Global Post, June 3, 2013
The global community must act to protect human rights defenders and civil society organizations from unprecedented restrictions and attacks, explains Phil Lynch. Read more here.

UN Human Rights Council may act against LGBT discrimination
Global Post, April 28, 2013
While supporters celebrated France becoming the 14th country to legislate for marriage equality, across the world lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people continue to struggle against violence and discrimination, says Dr. Heather Collister. Read more here.

Global voices must be heard on Sri Lanka
The Australian, March 15, 2013
The world has a responsibility to act, says Phil Lynch. Read more here.

UN called upon to oppose rampant worldwide anti gay and trans bigotry
Gay Star News, 14 March, 2013
‘The time has come for the Human Rights Council to take a strong and principled stand in favour of equality and against homophobia and intolerance’ says Phil Lynch. Read more here.

Achieving progress? UN Rights Council looks at 20-year-old declaration
Global Post, February 29, 2013
Phil Lynch discusses the need to maintain the human rights goals of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted in 1993. Read more here.

Shrinking space for human rights defenders
The Australian, February 21, 2013
The Russian “homosexual propaganda” bill exemplifies the shrinking space for human rights defenders and their susceptibility to intimidation, attacks and reprisals explains Phil Lynch. Read more here.

INTGenderChampions, 20 July 2024
For the July 2024 episode of the IGC podcast, we are joined by Phil Lynch, Executive Director at International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and one of our Geneva-based Champions, and Sadeeq Adewale Abioye, one of ten IGC Youth Champions and Programme Officer at the Gender Mobile Initiative in Nigeria.Listen to the full episode here.

 

Inside Geneva, Swissinfo, 2 April 2024
The second part of Inside Geneva this week hears from human rights defenders who are attending the current session of the UN Human Rights Council […]. Their work, said Phil Lynch of the International Service for Human Rights, is fundamental to the freedoms we enjoy. Listen to the full episode here.

 

Journal Matinal, RTS La 1ère (Switzerland), 23 January 2024
La Chine essaye, « sans cesse, à chaque session, de restreindre l’accès à l’ONU », a dit Raphaël Viana David, responsable du Programme Chine pour ISHR, en réaction aux pressions de Pékin à la vaille de son Examen Public Universel. Listen to the full interview here (2:33).

Canal Antigua (Guatemala), 15 December 2023
En el espacio de análisis de ALas845 se conversó sobre la resolución de la CC que indica que todas las autoridades electas deberán asumir el 14 de enero. Los invitados fueron, Javier Urízar, uno de los abogados que presentó el amparo; y Arkel Benítez, analista en temas legales. Read the full story and watch the video here.

Afghanistan International TV, 1 November 2023
دیدگاه: چگونه می‌شود جرم «آپارتاید جنسیتی» را وارد نظام حقوق بین‌الملل کرد؟ / / ‘Opinion: How can the crime of ‘gender apartheid’ be included in the international law system?’ ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch speaks about efforts to legally enshrine the of notion of gender apartheid and how the international community can act to sanction Taliban policies that seek to violently exclude women from virtually all public spaces. Watch the full interview here.

Folha de S. Paulo, ‘Café da Manhã’, 29 May 2023
O Café da Manhã desta segunda-feira (29) explica o conflito étnico envolvendo os uigures e analisa a situação dos direitos humanos na China. Para isso, são ouvidos a ativista Zumretay Arkin, que conta sua história, e Raphael Viana David, diretor do programa de Asia da ONG International Service for Human Rights. Ouça o podcast aqui.

 

Soir Actualité De 20h00 (RNTC, DR Congo), 22 March 2023
Des membres des deux chambres du parlement de République Démocratique du Congo et des activistes des droits humains ont échangé sur la Loi portant protection loi relative à la protection et la responsabilité du défenseur·es des droits humains. Voir l’ensemble du reportage ici.

 

TV Globo, ‘Jornal Nacional’, 7 March 2023
O representante do Brasil no Conselho de Direitos Humanos das Nações Unidas afirmou que há preocupação com os relatos de sérias violações, como execuções sumárias, detenções arbitrárias e tortura contra dissidentes políticos. “O diálogo construtivo e a cooperação são fundamentais, mas também tem que ter em consideração se a outra parte quer entrar nesse diálogo construtivo. O governo da Nicarágua nos últimos dois anos tem mostrado nível de não cooperação com a ONU que nenhum outro estado tem mostrado. É por isso que a declaração do Brasil foi um pouco anacrônica”, diz Raphael Viana, do International Service for Human Rights. Veja o vídeo aqui.

 

Swissinfo, ‘Inside Geneva’, 7 March 2023
The UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss Ukraine, Ethiopia, Iran, and more. Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks: what about China? “Of course, there’s a geopolitical understanding of what’s happening, but we have to get back to the essence of human rights, and we have to get back to the essence also of the treaties that this system was created to uphold,” says Raphaël Viana David, China and Latin America advocate at ISHR. Listen to the full podcast here.

 

Swissinfo, ‘Inside Geneva’, 10 January 2023
28 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid, 6 million are close to famine. Why is the focus on restricting what women do? “These are acts committed for the purpose of establishing dominance and systematic oppression by men over women in all aspects of public life as well as private life,” says Pooja Patel of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Find the full story here.

Radio télévision suisse (RTS), ‘Forum’, 24 May 2022
Pour Raphaël Viana David, chargé du programme Asie auprès d’ISHR, la fuite de documents officiels de la police chinoise (#XinjiangPoliceFiles) “révèle vraiment le caractère généralisé des violations des droits humains à l’encontre du peuple Ouïghour”. Retrouvez son intervention ici.

 

Swissinfo, ‘Inside Geneva’,  22 March 2022
ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch joined a discussion on the recent announcement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet that she will be visiting China. Listen to the full discussion here.

Radio Publique Africaine, 19 novembre 2020
Vincent Ploton dénonce le fichage ethnique de travailleurs/ses au Burundi – écouter ici

Radio Cité Genève, 9 octobre 2020
Interview de Fanny Toutou-Mpondo, chargée de communication d’ISHR – écouter ici

Now This News, 15 September 2020
ISHR’s Eleanor Openshaw participated in a podcast about former US permanent representative to the Council Nikki Haley – listen here (from 37:07)

Human Rights in Context, 5 September 2020
ISHR’s Vincent Ploton examines the work of human rights defenders and how it can be supported. He also explores the role of human rights treaty bodies and asks how these institutions can work more effectively and be strengthened to better protect human rights – listen here

RTS, ‘Inside Geneva’,  22 March 2020
ISHR’s Sarah Brooks discusses the shifting influences in the United Nations – especially with regard to China – listen here

Radio Publique Africaine, 19 mars 2020
Plainte d’ISHR contre le Burundi auprès du Comité de l’ONU contre la torture – écouter ici (à voir aussi sur Youtube et Facebook)

Radio Inzamba, Journal du 19 mars 2020
Plainte d’ISHR contre le Burundi auprès du Comité de l’ONU contre la torture – écouter écouter ici (à partir de 12:30)

VOA Afrique, 19 mars 2020
Plainte d’ISHR contre le Burundi auprès du Comité de l’ONU contre la torture – écouter écouter ici

RTS, Mise au point, 22 septembre 2019
Interview de Lina al Hathloul, soeur de loujain a-Hathloul, invitée à Genève par ISHR – watch here

Radio Publique Africaine, 11 April 2019
Interview of ISHR’s Vincent Ploton on Germain Rukuki’s trial – écouter ici

RTS,  Journal de 8h, 8 March 2019
Interview of ISHR’s Michael Ineichen on Switzerland’s refusal to co-sign the first-ever State joint statement made at the Human Rights Council on Saudi Arabia  (from 03:39) – listen here

RTS, ‘Tout un monde’,  5 February 2019
Interview of ISHR’s Michael Ineichen on China’s detention camps for Uyghur (from 04:12) – listen here

Guyane 1ère, France TV,  13 January 2019
Interview of ISHR’s Vincent Ploton on France’s ‘Montagne d’Or’ mining project in French Guiana (from 25:00) – listen here

Radio Publique Africaine, 10 December 2018
Interview of ISHR’s Vincent Ploton on Burundi’s human rights situation – listen here