ISHR
At the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, during the adoption of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report of Burkina Faso, ISHR delivered a statement calling on Burkina Faso to strengthen the protection of civic space and effectively implement the law that guarantees a secure working environment for defenders.
Burkina Faso accepted 206 recommendations out of the 265 recommendations received during its 4th cycle of the UPR. During the session, the delegation noted that 59 recommendations were not supported, including the decree fighting against terrorism, because they were not in line with the legal framework and the national socio-economic context.
In a statement, ISHR welcomed the acceptance of recommendations relating to the strengthening of the protection of civic space and the implementation of the law of 17 June 2017, on the protection of human rights defenders. Nevertheless, there remains concerns on effectively implementing the law to ensure a safe working environment for human rights defenders.
Ahead of the review, in April 2023, ISHR, and the Burkinabe Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (CBDDH) submitted a UPR briefing paper that highlighted issues that defenders face. Following the decree of the adoption of the April 2023 decree, human rights defenders have found themselves enlisted for inscription. Despite there being a law to protect defenders, the civic space continues to shrink, and freedom of expression remains repressed.
Therefore, ISHR called on Burkina Faso to:
Local authorities in Geneva have announced their intention to place a permanent public monument paying tribute to persecuted human rights defenders, including the late Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli. The move follows a civil society petition to have a bust made in honour of Cao placed in a prominent location in the city.
A newly-released confidential letter by a UN Special Rapporteur documents the disbarment of human rights lawyers in China and the tightening ideological control over lawyers and law firms. The UN expert denounces disappearances, closed-door trials, harassment of relatives, travel bans, and other abuses targeting human rights lawyers.
On Tuesday 16 April 2024, ISHR delivered to both Geneva’s Administrative Council and its legislative counterpart, the Municipal Council, physical copies of the more than 1000 signatures collected in support of a memorial honouring Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli.
