2025 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP) participants and ISHR staff in front of the UN building in Geneva ©Ben Buckland for ISHR
Here at ISHR we are constantly being inspired by the brave people taking action to defend human rights and want to share some of their stories with you.
Rafaela Danielli Nicola fights for environmental justice in Brazil, confronting industrial impacts on communities with Forum Suape's advocacy for transparency and corporate accountability.
Emmanuel Umpula Nkumba highlights the systemic challenges facing human rights defenders in DRC, emphasising the struggle for corporate accountability amid governmental and legal indifference.
Sukhgerel Dugersuren champions corporate accountability in Mongolia, highlighting the urgent need for legal reforms to protect the environment and communities from the mining industry's impacts, while facing challenges against human rights defenders.
17 year-old British human rights defender, Fahma Mohamed, is committed to freeing the world of female genital mutilation, starting with her own community in Bristol, UK.
'If you threaten human rights defenders, you break the eyes, mouths, legs, and arms of the people', says the Director of Women Peace Network Arakan, ahead of the vote on a UN General Assembly resolution on Myanmar.
Sheila Keetharuth, with her extensive background in human rights advocacy and as a Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, highlights the critical role of defenders in driving human rights change, emphasising the power of international mechanisms in providing visibility and protection.
Born and educated in Geneva, ISHR founder Adrien Zoller’s lifelong commitment to non-governmental and human rights work began as a hobby. Adrien spoke to ISHR about what drove him towards his human rights vocation, and about ISHR’s founding and profound impact to the global human rights movement.
Three courageous activists have been recognised for their work to promote and protect human rights at great personal risk with the conferral of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award and Prizes at a ceremony in Geneva today.
Khartini Slamah, a dedicated Malaysian transgender rights defender, works tirelessly on HIV/AIDS and LGBTI rights, facing challenges in a country where legislation and societal norms significantly hinder the LGBTI community's freedoms.
Henri Tiphagne, of People’s Watch, details the resilience in promoting human rights in India, despite governmental hindrances like the FCRA suspension, emphasising the essential role of international engagement and local solidarity in defending human rights.
Michel Forst, in reflecting on his initial objectives as the then-newly elected UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, emphasises a preventative approach to safeguard defenders, advocating for supportive laws and policies against growing global challenges.
The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, led by Gissou Nia, seeks UN consultative status to bring Iranian human rights violations to international attention, despite being hindered by bureaucratic challenges and the inability to conduct fieldwork in Iran.
