Read on to remain up to date with the latest international human rights news, views and developments!
At the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, during the debate on Sudan, Nahlla Yousif, woman human rights defender from Darfur, delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, Sudanese Women Rights Action, Future for Enlightenment and Development Organization and WHRDMENA Coalition.
During the enhanced interactive dialogue on 19 June 2023 with the High Commissioner and the designated Expert on Sudan, ISHR, Sudanese Women Rights Action (SURWA), and WHRDMENA Coalition delivered a joint statement drawing attention to the deteriorating situation in Sudan.
A joint report by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan and the Working Group on Discrimination against Women in law and practice found that grave, systematic and institutionalised discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule.
On 15 June 2022, the National Assembly of Niger passed a law on the rights and duties of human rights defenders. This makes Niger the fourth African country to adopt such a law. However, for the law to produce the desired effects, it must be widely known and understood by all stakeholders. The establishment of an independent and inclusive protection mechanism will ensure the full implementation of the law.
The adoption of the draft law approving the status of Non-Governmental Organisation in Angola by the National Assembly considerably limits in its provisions the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and shrinks civic and democratic space. We are calling the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders to help address this situation.
Civil society organisations and groups urge the international community to take action responding to the ongoing war in Sudan and ensure protection of refugees and internally displaced persons including women and women human rights defenders.
On 10 May 2023, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) held a panel aiming to discuss ways to realise States’ obligations regarding the production of ESCR data and its use in policy-making, as well as how the Commission could work with States in realising them.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) examined the combined 12th to 15th periodic reports of the Republic of Senegal during its public session held from 3 to 13 May 2023 in Banjul, The Gambia. The report presents the progress made by Senegal to effectively implement the African Charter between 2015 and 2022.
During the 75th session of the African Commission, ISHR delivered a statement on the situation of human rights defenders in Africa. The aim was to highlight the impact of anti-constitutional changes of government on the rights of human rights defenders and to call on the Focal Point on Reprisals to publish his first report.
Today, the UN Human Rights Council held the 36th Special Session on the human rights impact of the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Sudanese women human rights defenders and women’s groups, supported by ISHR, urged the international community to effectively respond to the devastating humanitarian crisis and the impacts on women and girls including women human rights defenders (WHRDs), and urged the Council to establish an international investigation mechanism with sufficient resources including to investigate the threats and reprisals against WHRDs for their work, and to document sexual and gender-based violence.
On 3 May, ISHR delivered a statement on the situation of human rights in Africa, with a particular focus on the necessity to implement adopted defenders’ protection laws, the violations faced by women defenders in Sudan as well as the rejected applications for observer status of NGOs working on LGBTIQ rights in Africa.
During the General Debate Item 5, ISHR and Association Stop Violences delivered a joint statement highlighting the case of reprisals against woman human rights defender Vanessa Mendoza Cortes in Andorra, following her participation in CEDAW in 2019.
