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.
Yaxue Cao, the founder and editor of ChinaChange.org, amplifies the voices of human rights defenders in China from her base in Washington, D.C. Her platform translates and reports critical insights, affecting global understanding of China’s civil society challenges.
Karla Avelar, a finalist for the Martin Ennals Award in 2017 and a former ISHR trainee, is a dedicated advocate for LGBTI rights in El Salvador. As a trans woman and activist for over two decades, she has continued her fight despite facing intensified persecution, threats, and extortion.
Doaa Hassan, Director of the Criminal Justice Programme at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Justice, dedicates her work to combating enforced disappearances and advocating for civil liberties amid increasing governmental crackdowns on civil society in Egypt.
Maria Sánchez Torres works at the International Institute on Law and Society in Peru, focusing on defending Indigenous peoples' rights through litigation and advocacy, including a significant case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Juan Auz, a dedicated legal adviser and co-founder of Terra Amata, an NGO advocating for Indigenous peoples’ rights in Ecuadorian Amazonian region, focuses on environmental justice and legal support against threats from State and corporate entities.
Adaobi Egboka works at the Legal Defence and Assistance Project in Nigeria, focusing on access to justice, good governance, and human rights protection, particularly through legal reforms and support for marginalised individuals.
Ligia Bolivar, the director of the Human Rights Center at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela, advocates for children's rights and provides legal assistance to students, focusing on freedoms of association, expression, and assembly.
Betty Barkha, an advisor for the FRIDA Young Feminist Fund in Fiji, supports grassroots organisations through innovative grant-making models and advocates for stronger human rights protections and accountability.
Rose Trajano is the secretary-general of the Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocate (PAHRA) and a prominent human rights advocate in the Philippines, who tirelessly campaigns for the protection and recognition of human rights defenders in her country.
Cleopatra Kambugu, a transgender activist and grants administrator at UHAI EASHRI in Uganda, successfully campaigned for transgender rights, becoming Uganda’s first recognised trans citizen in 2021.
Andrew Makoni, a lawyer in Zimbabwe, works with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to defend freedom of expression and assembly, highlighting challenges as Zimbabwe approached key elections in 2018. Andrew also participated in an ISHR training in 2016.
Ximena Ramos Pedrueza Ceballos, a lawyer at the Mexican Centre for Environmental Law, defends environmental rights through litigation and advocacy amid increasing threats to activists.
