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.
Shin Dong-Hyuk was born and spent the first 23 years of his life in prison Camp 14 in North Korea. Shin escaped from the camp in 2005, the only person known to have done so, and has since dedicated himself to exposing gross human rights violations in North Koreas and struggling for the freedom of its people.
Rachel Arinii, representing the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, navigates UN bureaucratic challenges to advocate for youth empowerment and sexual and reproductive rights on a global stage.
Rikke Nöhrlind guides the International Dalit Solidarity Network towards achieving UN consultative status, striving to address caste discrimination globally. Her efforts emphasise overcoming bureaucratic challenges to elevate Dalit rights on the international human rights agenda.
Rolando Jiménez Perez is a Chilean human rights defender and President of Movilh (Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation), which he co-founded as soon as Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile ended.
Suleiman Hussein, a dedicated Eritrean human rights defender and chairman of CDRiE, tirelessly advocates for democracy and human rights in Eritrea, a nation plagued by political repression and human rights violations.
Huy Luong works for iSEE based in Ha Noi City, Vietnam. He is a LGBT human rights defender who undertakes public awareness and education campaigns in Vietnam on LGBT issues. He is also engaging around Vietnam’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review, which will take place in January 2014.
Ilwad Elman, a courageous woman human rights defender in Somalia, combats gender-based violence and champions women's rights amidst formidable challenges and widespread opposition.
Jianli Yang is the founder and president of Initiatives for China, also known as Citizen Power for China. He has been politically active for a better China since witnessing the horrors of Tiananmen Square in 1989. He was imprisoned from 2002-2007.
Cristina Hardaga Fernandez is a human rights defender working to promote and protect women's rights in Mexico and Central America.
Hassan Shire Sheikh, a Somali-Canadian human rights advocate and Chairperson of EHAHRDN, champions the rights of human rights defenders in East and Horn of Africa, engaging with the UN and regional mechanisms to protect those at risk.
Lucia Nader, Executive Director of Conectas, Brazil, empowers global south human rights defenders and advocates for a comprehensive approach to human rights in a nation grappling with violence and inequality.
Mario Domingo, a Guatemalan human rights lawyer, battles corporate human rights violations. He urges international action, highlighting the need for UN scrutiny of business practices prioritizing human rights over profits.
