Photo: Screenshot UNWebTV. Vanessa Mendoza Cortes delivers her statement on behalf of ISHR and Association Stop Violence.
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HRC52: Andorra must guarantee Vanessa Mendoza Cortes’ right to reparations for the reprisals against her
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.
Vanessa Mendoza, the president of Associació Stop Violències, is demanding that all women in Andorra are able to enjoy their rights to sexual and reproductive health, in particular the decriminalisation of abortion. Due to her advocacy including with the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), she is facing intimidation, judicial harassment and defamation.
During the General Debate on Item 5, Vanessa Mendoza Cortes delivered a joint statement with ISHR. Read the statement and watch it below:
This is a joint statement of ISHR and Association Stop Violences.
My name is Vanessa Mendoza Cortes. I am a social psychologist expert in sexual violence and president of the Association Stop Violences in Andorra, an organisation that fights against violence against women and girls, defends sexual and reproductive rights, and we are the only ones to offer specialised therapies in sexual violence and intimate partner violence.
In my country there is still a total prohibition of abortion, so women and girls have to travel to Spain or France for it.
As of today, I am awaiting a trial date for my participation in CEDAW in 2019. Following which, the government of Andorra launched a criminal complaint accusing me of defamation against the prestige of the institutions. I will face a trial where I will be facing civil liability and I can be fined up to 30,000 euros. I was released provisionally and I suffer a constant smear and hate campaign that is affecting my private and professional life, and therefore that of many women we cannot help or care for.
We call on all countries of this Human Rights Council to pressure the authorities to close the case against me.
I ask for support from networks to attend in person the trial that will take place soon. And we demand the Government of Andorra to:
Legalise the right to abortion
Decriminalise defamation from the Penal Code
Provide me with reparations for the violations and harm caused in these years with its denunciation.
Civil society organisations demand a swift, decisive action and a comprehensive investigation into the crisis in South Kordofan, Sudan, highlighting the urgent need for global intervention.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights concluded its 77th Ordinary Session held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania from 20 October to 9 November 2023. During the session, the Commission renewed its Bureau. It received solemn declarations from elected and re-elected members and launched several documents and newsletters, among others.
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.
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