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This briefing highlights ISHR’s key priorities at HRC63, including safeguarding Special Procedures reporting, addressing reprisals and transnational repression, upholding the universality of the Universal Periodic Review, and advancing environmental and racial justice. It also identifies country situations requiring principled scrutiny and action, including Afghanistan, China, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Venezuela, Western Sahara and the United States. Particular attention is needed to renew key investigative and monitoring mandates on Sudan and Venezuela and to ensure meaningful civil society participation throughout the session.

The UN Committee against Torture has found that Morocco violated the Convention Against Torture in the case of Abdelmoula El Hafidi, a Sahrawi human rights defender who was subjected to degrading detention conditions.

ISHR has urged UN human rights experts on freedom of assembly and torture to publicly address the unlawful use of metallic pellet guns by India’s law enforcement against protestors taking part in the peaceful ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party on 20 July 2026.

The granting of bail to Kashmiri human rights defenders Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj marks an important step after years of arbitrary and unlawful detention, but it does not end the serious concerns surrounding their cases.

On 22 June 2026, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs adopted the 'Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules', granting the Indian government sweeping new powers to police the activities, operation, management and leadership of non-governmental organisations receiving foreign funding.

ISHR is deeply concerned by the deteriorating health of Sahrawi human rights defender Naâma Asfari, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since 8 June while detained in Kénitra prison, in Morocco.

While they acknowledged the interlinkages between human rights, peace and security, and the importance of adequate and sustainable financing of the Human Rights Council, UN Member States decided to maintain the Council’s position as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly.

DefendDefenders, Front Line Defenders and ISHR are organising an in-person training to equip African defenders with the knowledge and skills to integrate the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights into their existing work at the national level in a strategic manner.

This year eleven activists completed ISHR’s flagship training, the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme, to strengthen their advocacy skills and develop an individual roadmap to push for change in their country.

At the 62nd Human Rights Council session, civil society organisations shared reflections on key outcomes and highlighted gaps in addressing crucial issues and situations.

A landmark decision by the General Assembly has overturned an archaic rule that forced the UN to return cash to States that paid their dues so late each year that the organisation was unable to spend it, despite being starved of funds for the majority of the year.

On 3 July 2026, the Human Rights Council held an urgent debate to discuss the situation in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan. Sudanese activist Noon Kashkoush delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR and other groups.