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'International advocacy is a tool to advance our human rights work, but it is also a tool that will support us in consolidating our protection as women human rights defenders.'

On 1 July 2022, during the 50th session of the Human Rights Council, Uganda presented the outcome of its 3rd Universal Periodic Review. Only 54% of the recommendations given for review were accepted by Uganda and none of them were related to the protection of human rights defenders. Uganda can and should do better!

States should encourage Uganda to refrain from criminalising the legitimate activities of human rights defenders and repeal all laws and policies which restrict their rights and activities through its forthcoming UPR, ISHR, Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum and Chapter Four Uganda have said in a joint briefing paper.

We look back at all that the 17 inspiring human rights defenders participating in our 2017 Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Programme achieved during their intense time in Geneva.

ISHR was honoured to meet Cleopatra Kambugu, grants administrator at the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative (UHAI EASHRI) and transgender activist in Uganda.

The third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review should be marked by an increased focus on the participation and protection of human rights defenders and other civil society actors, both in the process itself and through the implementation of recommendations at the national level.

The Ugandan Government must repeal domestic laws that restrict the work of human rights defenders and should refrain from criminalising their legitimate activities, say ISHR and the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum.

The recent strong stand taken by UN agencies for LGBTI people should be matched with renewed efforts by States to tackle the violence they suffer, writes Anna Brown.

Lassana Koné is a lawyer in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, working for Forest Peoples Programme, an international NGO working to protect the rights of those who live in the world’s forests.

The work of human rights defenders, political activists and journalists across many States in Africa is impeded through restrictive laws and frameworks which fail to adequately promote or protect the rights to freedom of expression or access to information, ISHR has told the African Commission.