News Archive
Page 74 of 134 (1332 articles)
Ethiopia: detained journalist missing, denied access to family and medical care
Ethiopian authorities should immediately disclose the location of Temesgen Desalegn, who was jailed on spurious charges two years ago, and give him access to medical care, said the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) and DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) today. Temesgen Desalegn is serving a three-year sentence in […]
Sudan: Human rights defenders detained and facing spurious criminal proceedings
We, the undersigned African and international non-governmental organizations, are writing to bring to your attention in your capacities as Special Procedure mandate holders worrying developments concerning the detention and trial of ten human rights defenders in Sudan. We urge you to call on the Government of Sudan to immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against ten staff members and affiliates of the Centre for Training and Human Development (TRACKs), an organization which provides training on a range of issues from IT to human rights, in two overlapping cases that include crimes against the state. Crimes against the state charges carry the death penalty […]
Rural activists celebrated in new video on International Human Rights Defenders Day
In a new video launched on the International Human Rights Defenders Day by DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) and the Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network (PAHRDN), grassroots human rights defenders (HRDs) from the Ssese Islands and Bulissa district in Uganda speak about their work within their community and the […]
Defenders Speaking Out: IGAD should address urgent South Sudan crisis
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation, speaks on the current situation in South Sudan, and shares his recommendations ahead of the December 9 meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Reflections on the 59th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) concluded its 59th session on 4 November 2016, with the adoption of 10 resolutions. Among other decisions, the ACHPR considered fifteen communications, granted observer status to six NGOs, and considered the adoption of draft principles and the Operational Standards for Policing of Assemblies by Law Enforcement […]
ProtectDefenders.eu: Human Rights Defenders are not criminals
For its first annual meeting, ProtectDefenders.eu, an international consortium comprised of twelve organisations including DefendDefenders, warns about the worrying pattern of criminalisation used against Human Rights defenders throughout the world.
Egypt: Draft NGO law dismantles civil society
60 organisations call on the Egyptian government to cease silencing civil society, and to allow NGOs to conduct their mandates within Egypt’s constitutional framework and in full respect of its international legal commitments to freedom of association.
South Sudan: A Way forward for the Hybrid Court
An Open Letter to H.E. Mme. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, from South Sudanese and International Non-Governmental Organisations
ACHPR59: Statement on the report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
Governments in the sub-region continue to restrict legitimate expressions of dissent, individually and collectively, online and offline, through repressive legislation, physical attacks, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and harassment.
ACHPR59: Statement on the report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression
Throughout the East and Horn of Africa sub-region, the fundamental right to expression continues to be undermined by attacks both on an individual and collective level. Governments have forcibly closed NGOs and media outlets, and obstructed online expression through Internet and social media shutdowns. At the same time, journalists and human rights defenders face intimidation, physical attacks, arrests and detentions as a result of their work.