© ISHR and private (with permission from Lina Al-Hathloul, Kadar Abdi Ibrahim and EIPR)
Packed with Courage: stories of human rights defenders banned from travelling
Listen to the stories of four human rights defenders who have been banned from travelling by their own governments simply for trying to cooperate with the United Nations. Can you guess which suitcase belongs to whom?
Some States use travel bans as reprisals against human rights defenders who cooperate with the United Nations. These acts of retaliation are designed to isolate, intimidate, and silence them.
A travel ban may be less visible than a prison cell, but its impact is deeply damaging. It restricts defenders from attending UN meetings, carrying out their work, reuniting with family or seeking international protection.
Travel bans take many forms, including cancelling or confiscating passports, detaining defenders attempting to exit a country, denying defenders the right to leave or enter back into their own countries, and placing defenders on terrorist lists.
Through this exhibition, we unpack the stories of four human rights defenders who have been barred from entering or leaving in their own countries under arbitrary travel bans. These are not just about State reprisals against activists, they are stories of people whose lives have been disrupted, whose voices have been silenced, and whose basic freedoms have been trampled. They are also stories of resilience and perseverance in seeking positive social change.
Their voices defend human rights. Travel bans silence them: #EndReprisals!
States should publicly acknowledge and raise cases of reprisals at the United Nations to hold their peers accountable and #EndReprisals! Send a letter to State representatives in Geneva.
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