Sierra Leone | Human rights activists demand legal recognition and protection
The Human Rights Defenders Network of Sierra Leone and Amnesty International are campaigning for the adoption of a new law on the protection of human rights activists in Sierra Leone, with ISHR support.
At the request of the Sierra Leone NGOs, ISHR supported a policy dialogue between NGO and governmental actors to discuss and enrich a draft law on the protection of human rights defenders, which took place in Freetown on 30 May. The draft Sierra Leone law is substantially inspired from the model national law on the recognition and protection of human rights defenders.
On 31 May, ISHR and partners met with members of the Sierra Leone legislative and human rights parliamentary committees, to further discuss the draft law and the next stages of approval.
“We’re impressed and pleased to see the major progress made in the preparation of a draft law on the protection of human rights defenders in Sierra Leone” says ISHR’s Adélaïde Etong Kame. “But we’re also concerned by NGO regulations which are restricting freedom of association” she warned.
UN experts and Sierra Leone NGOs have also expressed concern with restrictive NGO policies which “impose severe restrictions to CSOs and impinge on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association which are guaranteed under international human rights law”.
“We hope that Sierra Leone authorities will send a strong signal to the international community by adopting the new law on the protection of HRDs, and reviewing restrictive NGO policies. This would be in direct compliance with SDG 16 –peace, justice and strong institutions” Etong Kame concludes.
Video: ISHR on Ayvnews TV about Sierra Leone’s efforts towards a law protecting human rights defenders
The policy to silence and quash opposition to the Venezuelan government continues, says the UN’s body of experts on Venezuela in its report to the Human Rights Council.
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.
Civil society organisations sent a joint letter to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, and the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the Gulf region, urging the European Union to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those sentenced for their political beliefs in Bahrain.
Stay in the loop!
Would you like to be informed of future events, news, updates on our work, invitations and appeals? Please enter your email address below!