On 1st July 2025, during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Angola was adopted. The statement delivered by the ISHR, in partnership with Kutakesa, highlighted the recent adoption of legislation jeopardising the freedom of assembly and association and imposing risks on the work of human rights defenders in Angola.
The statement delivered by Maria Lùcia Silveira acknowledged the acceptance of recommendations related to the rights of defenders and the protection of freedom of assembly and association by the government of Angola. However, it deplored that Angola only noted the recommendations calling not to adopt legislation that seeks to restrict freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Following the non-acceptance of those recommendations, the government of Angola recently approved the Presidential decree 214/24, which not only represents a threat to the work of human rights defenders but also violates constitutional and international human rights standards. The statement highlighted that the decree, in its articles 4, 13, 14, and 15, imposes generalised, disproportionate, and highly intrusive measures on all non-profit organisations, thereby reducing the effectiveness of their work.
For a realignment to international standards on the protection of the rights of defenders and the protection of freedom of assembly and association, the ISHR recommended that Angola:
Following this review, the recommendations accepted by the HRC will serve as a basis to guide Angola in protecting the rights at risk, and most importantly, in complying with internationally recognised standards.
WATCH THE FULL STATEMENT
Human rights defenders in exile face growing acts of transnational repression on a global scale. ISHR interviewed Basma Mostafa, a Berlin-based Egyptian journalist and woman human rights defender, who recounted threats and attacks she faced in exile for documenting enforced disappearances in Egypt and the MENA region.
Ten years after the infamous ‘709 Crackdown’, Chinese authorities continue to target human rights lawyers and their relatives with detention, disbarment and harassment. Civil society worldwide joins hands to mark the crackdown’s tenth anniversary and renew calls for accountability.
The highest human rights court in Latin America delivered its landmark 300-page Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency and Human Rights, reaffirming the right to defend the environment and the obligation to protect those who defend it.
