Illustration: Charlotte Giang Beuret for ISHR.
13 countries took a stance and cited specific cases and situations of reprisals and intimidation in ten different countries and territories, including cases ISHR has campaigned for, during the Interactive Dialogue on reprisals at the Human Rights Council’s 54th session.
#EndReprisals campaign update | ISHR welcomes that on 28-29 September, during the Interactive Dialogue on reprisals with the Assistant Secretary-General, Ilze Brands Kehris, 13 States publicly raised specific cases and situations of reprisals and intimidation, compaired with 8 States last year – an incrase of 62%.
Among them, Luxembourg, on behalf of the BENELUX States, publicly addressed the situations of the Bangladeshi organisation Odhikar and its members Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in Bahrain, and Félix Alejandro Maradiaga, Aníbal Toruño and Vilma Núñez de Escorcia of the Nicaraguan group Comisión Permanente de Derechos Humanos. They also included in their statement mentions of Belarussian NGO Viasna and Ibrahim Metwally Hegazy in Egypt, Jiang Tianyong in China and Armel Niyongere, Lambert Nigarura, Dieudonné Bashirahishize and Vital Nshimirimana from Burundi, four cases ISHR campaigned for last year.
Germany’s representative also raised the case of Viasna, as well as those of Chinese defenders Gui Minhai, Ilham Tohti, Li Qiaochu, Li Yuhan, Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan, and of Egyptian activists Alaa Abd el-Fattah and Alaa El-Din El-Adly.
The United States cited the targeting of civil society organisations under Hong Kong’s sweeping ‘National Security Law’, a case included in ISHR’s 2023 campaign. They also included in their statement the harassment of the legal team defending the jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai.
Pakistan cited the cases of Kashmiri activists Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj.
Liechtenstein and Czechia also raised the case of Viasna before denouncing legislative measures to criminalise assistance to and cooperation with international bodies in Belarus and Russia. The Russian measures were also mentioned by the representative Lithuania, speaking on behalf of Poland and Ukraine.
Denmark cited the case of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja detained in Bahrain.
The United Kingdom also cited the case of Sebastien Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai from Hong Kong as well as the cases of Anexa Alfred Cunningham from Nicaragua for which ISHR has been campaigning for and submitted a petition to the Secretary-General to have her case included in the report. The UK also addressed the situation of the NGO Viasna and trade unionist Alexander Yaroshuk from Belarus and the lawyers Armel Niyongere, Lambert Nigarura, Dieudonné Bashirahishize and Vital Nshimirimana from Burundi.
The representative of Botswana called out acts of reprisals committed against official UN mandate holders, which are not included in the Secretary-General’s annual report.
We want States to raise cases in New York during the General Assembly’s Third Committee. Join us and write to State representatives in New York.
Join the campaign
Three years after the UN Human Rights Office found that human rights violations in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang) may amount to crimes against humanity, the High Commissioner admits little progress while civil society warns the Council’s credibility is at stake.
The UN Secretary-General’s annual report on reprisals shows that ‘targeted repression across borders appears to grow in scale and sophistication’ against defenders who cooperated with the United Nations'. Notably, 10 of the 32 States reported to have retaliated against individuals or groups who sought to engage with the United Nations are sitting members of the Human Rights Council.
The UN Secretary-General published his annual report on reprisals, expressing concerns over the growing 'scale and sophistication' of 'targeted repression across borders' against human rights defenders. These acts are directly aimed at individuals and organisations engaging with the United Nations, and in some cases, their family members and colleagues.
