Read on to remain up to date with the latest international human rights news, views and developments!
Check out our updated world map on legislative protection, which collates developments in national legal instruments related to defenders and compares existing and draft instruments with the standards set by the Model Law.
ISHR, along with multiple other NGOs, released a joint statement condemning the criminalisation of women human rights defender Milena Quiroz and calling for her right to a fair trial and her right to defend human rights to be guaranteed.
In two open letters to the UN Secretary-General and UN member States, NGOs insist that the post of High Commissioner should be filled by someone of high moral standing and personal integrity, and who is independent and impartial and possesses competency and expertise in the field of human rights.
Hong Kong should repeal the National Security Law and release detained activists, say UN experts.
In a rare and unwelcome move, Nicaragua has escaped scrutiny from three UN human rights bodies, most recently with the Committee against Torture. Adding insult to injury, the Nicaragua Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote an insulting letter to the Committee. The Committee took the welcome decision to proceed with the review despite the absence of a State delegation.
ISHR welcomes the adoption of predictable cycles of reviews by all Treaty Bodies with full reviews every eight years, followed by focused reviews after four. It remains to be seen if and how implementation will work out in practice though.
On the third anniversary of the arrest of Cheng Yuan, Wu Gejianxiong and Liu Dazhi (the 'Changsha Three'), ISHR and eight rights groups urge Beijing to ensure Wu is effectively released, and Cheng is able to meet with his family, and not subjected to ill-treatment. Cheng Yuan's wife, Shi Minglei, has reported that Cheng still faces strict limitations in access to his relatives, and is subjected to forced labour in Chishan Prison.
As part of a 5-week project aimed at furthering the reach of effective narratives on human rights beyond familiar audiences, ISHR conducted a training and writing contest with five young journalists and encouraged them to rethink the coverage of human rights and the people who defend them.
Europeans have shown unity and decisiveness in taking action to shelter Ukrainian refugees. But as the humanitarian crisis unravels, long-term solutions will require policies that promote collaboration and distributed leadership.
This week ECOSOC members could break years of deadlock for civil society participation at the UN through a vote that would give consultative status to six civil society groups.
At their review before UN rights committee, representatives from Hong Kong dodged questions on the implications of the 2020 National Security Law and refused to address fears of reprisals against civil society actors taking part in the process.
In the case of ‘Ecodefence and Others v. Russia’, the European Court of Human Rights found the Russian ‘Foreign Agents Act’ incompatible with rights to freedom of expression and association.
