News Archive
Page 27 of 134 (1332 articles)
Updates from August 2022
Dear Friends, Dear friends, Greetings from DefendDefenders and AfricanDefenders. I hope you had a productive month of August. Our highlight was the launch of a new Ubuntu Hub City – Cape Verde’s Praia, bringing it to now eight Ubuntu Hub Cities. Human rights defenders (HRDs) in Lusophone Africa can now confidently go about their work […]
Burundi: Extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate
Ahead of the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC51, 12 September-7 October 2022), 54 NGOs are joining DefendDefenders in calling for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Burundi. “We believe that all components of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate can contribute to imÂproving Burundi’s human rights situation,” the […]
Human Rights Defender of the month: Issah Musundi
At first encounter, Issah Musundi is a coy, if not shy, mostly reserved lad. But behind that quiet disposition is a steely character and an enforced existence. Born 27 years ago in Kenya’s border district of Busia, Issah belongs to Kenya’s sexual minorities community, who have had to win majority rights that other Kenyans take for granted.
Updates from July 2022
Dear Friends, This month, we concluded a busy and productive engagement at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC50), which stretched from 13 June to 8 July. Among others, we successfully advocated for new resolutions on Sudan and Eritrea, ensuring that the human rights situation in both countries remains on the Council’s […]
RWCHR Press Release – Dawit Isaak
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RWCHR Files Complaint to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Behalf of Dawit Isaak and his Colleagues, the Longest Detained Journalists in the World International Coalition Calls for Accountability for Eritrean Government’s Gross Human Rights Violations Montreal – July 21, 2022 – The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR), in […]
Reflections on the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council
After two years of online and hybrid sessions, we finally resumed in-person advocacy at the Human Rights Council. The Council’s 50th session (13 June-8 July 2022) marked a full return of DefendDefenders’ staff and partners at the Palais des Nations to engage states and other stakeholders. During the first week of HRC50, with our Representative […]
The UN takes a step toward condemning all violations in Eritrea
DefendDefenders welcomes the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution on Eritrea today. In a clear vote (21 in favour, 10 against, with 16 abstentions), the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea. This will allow him to conÂtinue his work, which […]
Sudan is not business as usual, the UN repeats
By adopting a new resolution on Sudan today, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council makes it clear that the situation in the country, including grave human rights violations committed against SudaÂnese citizens, calls for continued international attention. DefendÂDefenÂders urges the Council to look beyond its 50th sesÂsion (13 June-8 July 2022) and to adopt […]
Human Rights Defender of the month: Agather Atuhaire
In late May this year, Agather Atuhaire, via her twitter account, broke the story that the Parliament of Uganda had spent a whopping Shs. 2.8billion to purchase two luxury vehicles for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Aside from the fact that the expenditure was unnecessary – both the Speaker and her Deputy already have two luxury vehicles for their official duties, the purchase flouted all public procurement procedures, and when Parliament’s contracts committee could not approve the procurement, the members of the committee were fired and new ones immediately appointed to approve the purchase.
Updates from June 2022
Dear Colleagues, Greetings from DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) and AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network). I also bring you greetings from the UN Human Rights Council, where, for the first time since the pandemic began, we were able to fully  reconvene for in-person advocacy, at the council’s 50th session […]