In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice has found that Hungarian legislation restricting the work of migrant and refugee rights defenders is unlwful and must be rescinded.
States should encourage Hungary to protect human rights defenders and civil society space through its forthcoming UPR, ISHR and TASZ said in a new briefing paper launched today.
European governments have a legal obligation to support and enable the work of NGOs, networks and human rights defenders who provide assistance to asylum seekers, according to a ground breaking legal analysis.
From rescuing vulnerable people drowning at sea to rescuing a planet which is suffocating and burning, human rights defenders are working to serve humanity. By contrast, governments and businesses which smear, criminalise and kill defenders are working to the detriment of us all, ISHR Director Phil Lynch has told the UN Human Rights Council.
ISHR and Amnesty International have called on the Human Rights Council President to push for responses where States have failed to reply to UN experts' requests for information on alleged human rights violations, including reprisals.
ISHR has called on the Human Rights Council President to urge 55 States to respond to communications by UN experts regarding alleged human rights violations.
The Human Rights Council will hold a dedicated dialogue to address acts of intimidation and reprisals following the adoption of a significant resolution at its 36th session. The Council has also affirmed the particular responsibilities of its Members, President and Vice-Presidents to investigate and promote accountability for such acts.
Reacting to a report by UN experts exposing ongoing threats and attacks against human rights defenders across the globe, ISHR calls on States to work together and cooperate with the UN to protect civil society.
The Human Rights Council has united to adopt a consensus resolution on the protection of human rights defenders. The resolution, extending the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur, comes at a time when the work of defenders has never been more important nor more threatened.
Human rights defenders and other civil society actors and organisations have a crucial role to play in upholding migrant rights, providing services to vulnerable groups, and working with governments to address the refugee policy crisis. They should be supported and not restricted in this vital work.
