Better protection of human rights defenders urgently needed, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR meeting

The urgent need for enhanced protection of human rights defenders was the focus of a side event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human (ODIHR) on 23 September 2014, during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

“It is unacceptable that human rights defenders continue to be targeted for their peaceful activities across the region, despite repeated assurances by OSCE participating States underscoring the central role human rights defenders play in our societies,” said Snježana Bokulić, Head of the ODIHR Human Rights Department.

Human rights defenders at the event drew attention to the severe challenges they often face as a result of their work, including social stigmatization, harassment, the criminalization of their legitimate activities, sometimes leading to imprisonment, and even threats to their lives. They stressed that the sole aim of the authorities in all of these cases was to silence the critical voices of those striving merely for the greater protection of human rights.

“No one should be punished for expressing dissenting views, by being harassed or imprisoned simply for the promotion of human rights,” prominent Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski told participants at the side event. “It is essential that human rights defenders are better protected, not only in theory but also in practice, and that the authorities in all OSCE participating States demonstrate the political will to guarantee a safe and enabling environment conducive to human rights work. This is far from the case today in many of these countries.”

During the event, ODIHR presented its Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which were published in June 2014, and are available in both English and Russian. The Guidelines were prepared to assist participating States in the implementation of their commitments related to the protection of human rights defenders.