FIDH Annual Report 2013

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Cover photo: Bombing wreckage, Aleppo, Syria. © AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF

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04 Our Fundamentals

05 A Universal and Federalist Movement

06 FIDH 38th Congress

08 178 Member Organisations

09 International Board

10 International Secretariat

12 Priority 1 Supporting Human Rights Defenders

19 Priority 2 Promoting and Protecting Women’s Rights

25 Priority 3 Promoting and Protecting Migrants’ Rights

29 Priority 4 Promoting the Administration of Justice and Combat Impunity

38 Priority 5 Strengthening Respect For Human Rights in the Context of Globalisation

44 Priority 6 Conflicts, Closed and Transition Countries: Defending Democratic Principles and

Providing Support For Victims of the Most Serious Human Rights Violations

44 > North Africa and the Middle East

50 > Sub-Saharan Africa

56 > The Americas61 > Asia

66 > Eastern Europe and Central Asia

70 Organisational Challenges

78 Financial Report 2013

79 Acknowledgements


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4 — F IDH ANNUAL REPORT 2013

Our FundamentalsOur mandate: Protect all rightsThe International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is aninternational NGO. It defends all human rights – civil, political,

economic, social and cultural – as contained in the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

Our commitment: Three pillars of actionFIDH acts in conjunction with its member and partner

organisations. Its actions are founded on three strategic pillars:

securing the freedom and capacity to act for human rights

defenders, the universality of rights and their effectiveness.

Guiding principle: The accountability of allFIDH’s work is directed at States as primary human rightsguarantors. However, it also addresses non State actors such

as armed groups and multinational corporations. FIDH is

committed to holding individual perpetrators of international

crimes to account through the international criminal justice

system.

Ethics: Independence and objectivityFIDH is a non partisan, non sectarian, apolitical and not for profit

organisation. Its secretariat is headquartered in France, whereFIDH is a recognised NGO. FIDH’s independence, expertise

and objectivity are the hallmarks of its credibility. It maintains

this by acting with complete transparency.

Interaction: Local presence - global action As a federal movement, FIDH operates on the basis of

interaction with its member organisations. It ensures that

FIDH merges on-the-ground experience and knowledge with

expertise in international law, mechanisms of protection

and intergovernmental bodies. This unique combination

translates through joint actions between FIDH and its member

organisations at national, regional and international levels toremedy human rights violations and consolidate processes of

democratisation. It makes FIDH highly representational and

legitimate.

A system of governance: Universality and transparencyFIDH’s structure and operations place its member organisations

at the heart of the decision making process, and reflect its

principles of governance.

38th FIDH International Congress, May 2013, Support for detained human rights defenders Ales Bialiatski (Belarus) and Nabeel Rajab (Bahrain). © FIDH


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FIDH ANNUAL REPORT 2013 — 5

A Universal and

Federalist MovementThe Congress• Is composed of the 178 member organisations of FIDH since

the end of the FIDH Congress in Turkey in 2013;

• Meets every three years;

• Discusses the FIDH thematic and geographical priorities and

decides on the policy orientations of FIDH.

The International Board• Comprises 22 volunteers from FIDH member organisa -

tions. The Board is elected by the Congress and consistsof the President, the Treasurer, 15 Vice-Presidents and 5

Secretaries-General;

• Determines FIDH’s main strategic goals and orientations,

according to the policy orientations set by the Congress

and approves the annual accounts;

• Meets three times a year and reports to the Congress.

The Executive Board• Is composed of the President, the Treasurer, 5 Secretaries

General and 5 Deputy Secretaries General;

• Prepares and organises the meetings of the International

Board;

• Meets once a month and reports to the International Board.

The International Secretariat• Based in Paris, it is composed of a team of professionals

managed by a Chief Executive Officer and an Executive

Director, who sit as non-voting advisory members of the

International and the Executive Boards. The team is

structured by regions, action priorit ies, and delegations.

The International Secretariat has permanent delegations at

the United Nations in New York and Geneva, at the EuropeanUnion in Brussels, before the International Criminal Court

in The Hague; regional offices in Cairo, Nairobi, Tunis,

Lima, and Bangkok; and offices in conjunction with

member organisations in Conakry, Abidjan, and Bamako.

It also comprises a Communications and Public Relations

department, and an Administrative and Financial Support

department.

• In permanent contact with the actors in the eld, the

International Secretariat implements the decisions of the

FIDH policy-making bodies in conjunction with the member

organisations, the chargés de mission, and members of the

International and Executive Boards.

Fact-finding

reports

and

position

papers

30

International

missions

53

Material

support

to defenders

at risk

60

Advocacy

missions

before inter-

governmental

organisations

100

K e y ac t i v i t i e s

2 0 13 Alerts

on the

situation

of

defenders

400

Judicial

actions

on behalf

of victims

110


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FIDH 38th Congress held in Istanbul in 2013

FIDH and member organisations met in Turkey in May 2013 for

their 38th Congress.

The Forum: “Political Transitions and Human Rights: experiences and

challenges”

On 23 and 24 May 2013 FIDH and its member organisations, the

Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and the Human RightsFoundation of Turkey (HRFT), held a forum for 400 participants

consisting of representatives of FIDH member organisations

from around the world, human rights experts, members of the

diplomatic community, the highest Turkish authorities, and

representatives of Turkish civil society.

The FIDH governing bodies chose “transitions” as the theme

of the Forum, a theme which was made prominent by the Arab

Spring uprising and has become of increasing interest to most

FIDH member organisations.

Transitions are not linear. Experience has shown that they havetheir advances and setbacks. Discussions during the Forum

illustrated indivisibility and interdependence of human rights.

Periods of transitions are especially revealing. The Forum also

highlighted the importance of the judicial process in transitions

and the need for special attention to the rights of women,

minority groups, and indigenous peoples – all of whom are often

forgotten in the transition process. The connection between

religion and human rights also generated much interest and

discussion.

The Forum provided an opportunity to assess the growing

role of the so-called “emerging countries” on the regional

and international scenes. A certain number of countries are

going through political transitions, the outcomes of whichare still uncertain. Adapting strategies, especially advocacy,

communications and alliances, to constantly changing settings

is one of the main challenges the human rights movement will

face in the coming years.

The tight link between development, human rights, and

environmental protection was high on the agenda in discussions

regarding the rights of indigenous peoples and regarding human

rights violations by businesses. This issue will also require

innovative responses by human rights organisations in the

future.

A report summarised the presentations and experiences shared

during the Forum with emphasis on the discussion outcomes

and lines of actions identified by the participants who will

continue to bolster and guide strategies implemented by FIDH

through its multi-year strategic plan.

The 38th FIDH

Congress

Members of the new International Board

elected in 2013. © FIDH


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The FIDH Internal Congress

For three days (25-27 May 2013) FIDH member organisations

discussed actions to cope with human rights situations

throughout the world and internal matters of importance.

Geographical groups met to establish the main strategies

for FIDH over the next three years. The Congress adopted

ordinary and urgent resolutions on: political transitions and

human rights; the right to education; strengthening the inter-

American human rights system; multinational enterprises; free

trade agreements; development models and their impacts on

human rights; reforms to the League of Arab States; and the

human rights situations in Honduras, Iran, Tibet, Cuba, Canada,

Guatemala, Vietnam, Russia, Sudan, Mali, CAR, Syria, etc.

The member organisations also continued the FIDH+10 process

by amending the FIDH Statutes. FIDH+10, which was initiatedat the Yerevan Congress in 2010, is an on-going process,

implementing the wishes of the FIDH members on the unity of

the organisation; geopolitical, political and economic changes;

technological changes; and the actors involved in and affected

by FIDH’s work. The goal of FIDH+10 is to strengthen FIDH’s

mandate, functioning and resources, thereby enabling FIDH to

better contribute to the protection of human rights.

Furthermore, 19 human rights organisations from Syria, Egypt,

South Africa, Uzbekistan, China, Honduras, and Kuwait became

members of FIDH, bringing the total number of members to

178.

Lastly, the Congress elected a new FIDH International Bureauincluding its new president, Karim Lahidji, successor to Souhayr

Belhassen who served for two terms.

The 39th Congress will be held in 2016.

The Congress and Turkey

The presence of FIDH in Turkey provided an opportunity for

multiple meetings and exchanges with the highest Turkish

authorities, including the President, on the situation of human

rights in this country. FIDH called on its interlocutors to

respect the rights of human rights defenders, and in particularrequested the release of Muharrem Erbey, the imprisoned Vice-

President of the Turkish Association of Human Rights (IHD),

one of FIDH’s member organisations. As a result of continuous

advocacy by FIDH and its member organisations, on 12 April

2014 the Turkish court finally ordered the provisional release of

Muharrem Erbey due to “lack of evidence,” after he spent more

than four years in custody.

Muharrem Erbey, Vice-President of the Turkish Association of Human

Rights (IHD) in his jail cell. © IHD

Public demonstration in Ankara (Turkey) © OZAN KOSE / AFP


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178 Member Organisations AFGHANISTAN, ARMANSHAHR/OPEN ASIA / ALBANIA, ALBANIAN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP (AHRG) / ALGERIA, COLLECTIF DES FAMILLES DE DISPARU(E)SEN ALGÉRIE (CFDA) / ALGERIA, LIGUE ALGÉRIENNE DE DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LADDH) / ANGOLA, ASSOCIAÇÃO JUSTIÇA PAZ E DEMOCRA-

CIA (AJPD) / ARGENTINA, LIGA ARGENTINA POR LOS DERECHOS DEL HOMBRE (LADH) / ARGENTINA, COMITÉ DE ACCIÓN JURÍDICA (CAJ) / ARGENTINA, CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS LEGALES Y SOCIALES (CELS) / ARMENIA, CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE (CSI) / AUSTRIA, OSTERREICHISCHE LIGA FUR MENSCHEN-RECHTE (OLFM) / AZERBAIJAN, HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF AZERBAIJAN (HRCA) / BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN HUMAN RIGHTS SOCIETY (BHRS) / BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (BCHR) / BANGLADESH, ODHIKAR / BELARUS, HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER VIASNA / BELGIUM, LIGA VOORMENSCHENRECHTEN (LVM) / BELGIUM, LIGUE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME - BELGIQUE / BENIN, LIGUE POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME AUBÉNIN (LDDHB) / BOLIVIA, ASAMBLEA PERMANENTE DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DE BOLIVIA (APDHB) / BOTSWANA, THE BOTSWANA CENTRE FOR HUMANRIGHTS – DITSHWANELO / BRAZIL, MOVIMENTO NACIONAL DE DIREITOS HUMANOS (MNDH) / BRAZIL, JUSTIÇA GLOBAL (CJG) / BURKINA FASO, MOUVE-MENT BURKINABÉ DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ET DES PEUPLES (MBDHP) / BURMA, ALTSEAN BURMA / BURUNDI, LIGUE BURUNDAISE DES DROITS DEL’HOMME (ITEKA) / CAMBODIA, CAMBODIAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (ADHOC) / CAMBODIA, LIGUE CAMBODGIENNE DE DÉ-FENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LICADHO) / CAMEROON, MAISON DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (MDH) / CANADA, LIGUE DES DROITS ET DES LIBERTÉS DUQUÉBEC (LDL) / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, LIGUE CENTRAFRICAINE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LCDH) / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, ORGANISA-

TION POUR LA COMPASSION DES FAMILLES EN DÉTRESSE (OCODEFAD) /CHAD, LIGUE TCHADIENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LTDH) / CHAD, ASSOCIA- TION TCHADIENNE POUR LA PROMOTION ET LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (ATPDH) / CHILE, OBSERVATORIO CUIDADANO / CHILE, CORPORA-CION DE PROMOCION Y DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS DEL PUEBLO (CODEPU) / CHINA, CHINA LABOUR BULLETIN (CLB) / CHINA, HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA

/ CHINA (TIBET), INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET (ICT) / COLOMBIA, CORPORACION COLECTIVO DE ABOGADOS JOSÉ ALVEAR RESTREPO CCAJAR / COLOMBIA, INSTITUTO LATINOAMERICANO DE SERVICIOS LEGALES ALTERNATIVOS (ILSA) / COLOMBIA, ORGANIZACIÓN FEMENINA POPULAR (OFP) /COLOMBIA, COMITE PERMANENTE POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS (CPDH) / CONGO, OBSERVATOIRE CONGOLAIS DES DROITS DEL’HOMME (OCDH) / COSTA RICA (ASEPROLA), ASOCIACIÓN DE SERVICIOS DE PROMOCIÓN LABORAL (ASEPROLA) / IVORY COAST, MOUVEMENT IVOIRIEN

DES DROITS HUMAINS (MIDH) / IVORY COAST, LIGUE IVOIRIENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LIDHO) / CROATIA, CIVIC COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS(CCHR) / CUBA, COMISION CUBANA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS Y RECONCILIACION NATIONAL (CCDHN) / CZECH REPUBLIC, HUMAN RIGHTS LEAGUE(HRL) - LIGA LIDSKYCH PRAV / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, LIGUE DES ÉLECTEURS (LE) / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, GROUPE LO-

TUS / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, ASSOCIATION AFRICAINE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (ASADHO) / DJIBOUTI, LIGUE DJIBOUTIENNE DESDROITS HUMAINS (LDDH) / DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, CND COMISIÓN NACIONAL DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS, INC / ECUADOR, FUNDACIÓN REGIONALDE ASESORIA EN DERECHOS HUMANOS (INREDH) / ECUADOR, CENTRO DE DERECHOS ECONOMICOS Y SOCIALES (CDES) / ECUADOR, COMISIÓN ECU-MÉNICA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS (CEDHU) / EGYPT, CAIRO INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES (CIHRS) / EGYPT, HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION FOR

THE ASSISTANCE OF PRISONERS (HRAAP) / EGYPT, EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE FOR PERSONAL RIGHTS (EIPR) / EGYPT, EGYPTIAN ORGANIZATION FOR HUMANRIGHTS (EOHR) / EL SALVADOR, COMISION DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DEL SALVADOR (CDHES) / ETHIOPIA, HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL (HRCO) / EUROPE,

ASSOCIATION EUROPÉENNE POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (AEDH) / FINLAND, FINNISH LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (FLHR) - IHMI-SOIKEUSLIITTO / FRANCE, LIGUE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ET DU CITOYEN (LDH) / FRANCE (NEW CALEDONIA), LIGUE DES DROITS ET DU CITOYEN DENOUVELLE CALÉDONIE (LDHNC) / FRANCE (FRENCH POLYNESIA), LIGUE POLYNÉSIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS (LPDH) / GEORGIA, HUMAN RIGHTSCENTER (HRIDC) / GERMANY, INTERNATIONALE LIGA FUR MENSCHENRECHTE (ILMR) / GREECE, HELLENIC LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (HLHR) / GUA-TEMALA, COMISION DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DE GUATEMALA (CDHG) / GUATEMALA, CENTRO DE ACCIÓN LEGAL EN DERECHOS HUMANOS (CALDH) /GUINEA-BISSAU, LIGA GUINEENSE DOS DIREITOS HUMANOS (LGDH) / GUINEA-CONAKRY, ORGANISATION GUINÉENNE DE DÉFENSE DES DROITS DEL’HOMME ET DU CITOYEN (OGDH) / GULF, GULF CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (GCHR) / HAITI, CENTRE OECUMENIQUE DES DROITS HUMAINS (CEDH) /HAITI, RÉSEAU NATIONAL DE DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (RNDDH) / HONDURAS, CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y PROMOCIÓN DE LOS DERECHOS

HUMANOS (CIPRODEH) / HONDURAS, COMITÉ DE FAMILIARES DE DETENIDOS-DESAPARECIDOS EN HONDURAS (COFADEH) / INDIA, COMMONWEALTHHUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE (CHRI) / INDONESIA, KONTRAS / IRAN, DEFENDERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER IN IRAN (DHRC) / IRAN, LIGUE POUR LA DÉ-FENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME EN IRAN (LDDHI) / IRELAND, FREE LEGAL ADVICE CENTRES LIMITED (FLAC) / IRELAND, IRISH COUNCIL FOR CIVIL LIBER-

TIES (ICCL) / ISRAEL, B’TSELEM / ISRAEL, ASSOCIATION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN ISRAEL (ACRI) / ISRAEL, PUBLIC COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE IN ISRAEL(PCATI) / ISRAEL, ADALAH / ITALY, LEGA ITALIANA DEI DIRITTI DELL’UOMO (LIDU) / ITALY, UNIONE FORENSE PER LA TUTELA DEI DIRITTI DELL’UOMO (UFTDU)

/ JAPAN, CENTER FOR PRISONERS’ RIGHTS (CPR) / JORDAN, AMMAN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES (ACHRS) / KAZAKHSTAN, KAZAKSTAN IN- TERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW (KIBHR) / KENYA, KENYA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (KHRC) / KOSOVO, COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS (CDHRF) / KUWAIT, HUMAN LINE ORGANISATION (HLO) / KYRGYZSTAN, HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT(BIR DUINO-DYRGYZSTAN) / KYRGYZSTAN, KYRGYZ COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (KCHR) / KYRGYZSTAN, LEGAL CLINIC ADILET / KYRGYZSTAN, KYLYM SHAMY / LAOS, MOUVEMENT LAO POUR LES DROITS DE L’HOMME (MLDH) / LATVIA, LATVIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE (LHRC) / LEBANON, PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION (PHRO) / LEBANON, CENTRE LIBANAIS DES DROITS HUMAINS (CLDH) / LIBERIA, REGIONAL WATCH FORHUMAN RIGHTS (LWHR) / LIBYA, HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION FOR RECORDING AND DOCUMENTING WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY /LIBYA, LIBYAN LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (LLH) / LITHUANIA, LITHUANIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (LHRA) / MALAYSIA, SUARA RAKYAT MALAY-SIA (SUARAM) / MALI, ASSOCIATION MALIENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (AMDH) / MALTA, MALTA ASSOCIATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS/ FONDATION DEMALTE / MAURITANIA, ASSOCIATION MAURITANIENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (AMDH) / MEXICO, LIGA MEXICANA POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOSHUMANOS (LIMEDDH) / MEXICO, COMISION MEXICANA DE DEFENSA Y PROMOCION DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS (CMDPDH) / MOLDOVA, PROMO-LEX

/ MOROCCO, ORGANISATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (OMDH) / MOROCCO, ASSOCIATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS HUMAINS (AMDH) /MOZAMBIQUE, LIGA MOCANBICANA DOS DIREITOS HUMANOS (LMDDH) / NICARAGUA, CENTRO NICARAGUENSE DE DERECHOS HUMANOS (CENIDH) /

NIGER, ASSOCIATION NIGERIENNE POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (ANDDH) / NIGERIA, CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANISATION (CLO) / NORTHERNIRELAND, COMMITTEE ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (CAJ) / PAKISTAN, HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN (HRCP) / PALESTINE, ALMEZAN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (AL MEZAN) / PALESTINE, PALESTINIAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (PCHR) / PALESTINE, AL HAQ / PALESTINE, RAMALLAH CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES (RCHRS) / PANAMA, CENTRO DE CAPACITACIÓN SOCIAL DE PANAMÁ (CCS) / PERU, ASOCIACION PRODERECHOS HUMANOS (APRODEH) / PERU, CENTRO DE DERECHOS Y DESARROLLO (CEDAL) / PHILIPPINES, PHILIPPINE ALLIANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

ADVOCATES (PAHRA) / PORTUGAL, CIVITAS / ROMANIA, THE LEAGUE FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS (LADO) / RUSSIA, ANTI-DISCRIMINATIONCENTER MEMORIAL (ADC MEMORIAL) / RUSSIA, CITIZENS’ WATCH (CW) / RWANDA, COLLECTIF DES LIGUES POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME(CLADHO) / RWANDA, ASSOCIATION RWANDAISE POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE ET DES LIBERTÉS PUBLIQUES (ADL) / RWANDA, LIGUERWANDAISE POUR LA PROMOTION ET LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LIPRODHOR) / SENEGAL, ORGANISATION NATIONALE DES DROITS DEL’HOMME (ONDH) / SENEGAL, RENCONTRE AFRICAINE POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (RADDHO) / SENEGAL, LIGUE SÉNÉGALAISE DESDROITS HUMAINS (LSDH) / SERBIA, CENTER FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT (CPDD) / SOUTH AFRICA, LAWYER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (LHR)

/ SPAIN, ASOCIACION PRO DERECHOS HUMANOS DE ESPANA (APDHE) / SPAIN, FEDERACION DE ASOCIACIONES DE DEFENSA Y PROMOCION DE LOSDERECHO (FDDHH) / SUDAN, SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR (SUHRM) / SUDAN, AFRICAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE STUDIES (ACJPS) / SWIT-ZERLAND, LIGUE SUISSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LSDH) / SYRIA, DAMASCUS CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES (DCHRS) / SYRIA, SYRIAN CENTERFOR MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (SCM) / SYRIA, COMMITTEES FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS (CDF) /TAIWAN, TAIWAN ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (TAHR) / TAJIKISTAN, TAJIK « BUREAU ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW » (BHR) / TANZANIA,

THE LEGAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE (LHRC) / THAILAND, UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES (UCL) / THE NETHERLANDS, LIGA VOOR DE RECHTEN VAN DEMENS (LVRM) / TOGO, LIGUE TOGOLAISE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LTDH) / TUNISIA, LIGUE TUNISIENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (LTDH) / TUNISIA,

FORUM TUNISIEN POUR LES DROITS ÉCONOMIQUES ET SOCIAUX (FTDES) / TUNISIA, ASSOCIATION TUNISIENNE DES FEMMES DÉMOCRATES (ATFD) /TUNISIA, DOUSTOURNA / TUNISIA, CONSEIL NATIONAL POUR LES LIBERTÉS EN TUNISIE (CNLT) / TURKEY, INSAN HAKLARI DERNEGI (IHD) / DIYABAKIR /TURKEY, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION OF TURKEY (HRFT) / TURKEY, INSAN HAKLARI DERNEGI (IHD) / ANKARA / UGANDA, FOUNDATION FOR HUMANRIGHTS INITIATIVE (FHRI) / UNITED KINGDOM, LIBERTY / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (CCR) / UNITED STATESOF AMERICA, CENTER FOR JUSTICE & ACCOUNTABILITY (CJA) / UZBEKISTAN, ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE DE DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME« CLUB DES CŒURS ARDENTS » / UZBEKISTAN, HUMAN RIGHTS SOCIETY OF UZBEKISTAN (HRSU) / UZBEKISTAN, LEGAL AID SOCIETY (LAS) / VIETNAM, COMITÉ VIETNAM POUR LA DÉFENSE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (CVDDH) / YEMEN, HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION AND TRAINING CENTER (HRITC) /

YEMEN, SISTERS’ ARAB FORUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (SAF) / ZIMBABWE, ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (ZIMRIGHTS).


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International Board

Ezzedine AL ASBAHIYemen

Zohra YUSUF

Pakistan

YUSUF ALATASTurkey

Aliaksandr BIALIATSKIBelarus

Noeline BLACKWELLIreland

Rosemarie R. TRAJANO

Philippines

Katherine GALLAGHERUnited States of America

Drissa TRAORÉ

Ivory Coast

Sheila MUWANGA

Uganda

Dismas KITENGE SENGA Democratic Republicof Congo

Tolekan ISMAILOVA Kyrgyzstan

Shawan JABARINPalestine

PAULINA VEGA GONZALEZ

Mexico

Elsie MONGEEcuador

Dimitris CHRISTOPOULOSGreece

VICE-PRESIDENTS

Karim LAHIDJIIran

Jean-François PLANTINFrance

PRESIDENT TREASURER

Debbie STOTHARDBurma

Pierre ESPERANCEHaiti

Paul NSAPU MUKULUDemocratic Republicof Congo

SECRETARIES GENERAL

Souhayr BELHASSENTunisia

Patrick BAUDOUINFrance

Daniel JACOBYFrance

Michel BLUMFrance

HONORARY PRESIDENTS

Artak KIRAKOSYANArmenia

Florence BELLIVIERFrance

Khadija CHERIFTunisia

Nabeel RAJABBahrain

Alice MOGWEBotswana

DEPUTY SECRETARIES GENERAL

Luis Guillermo PEREZ CASAS before the Organizationof American States (OAS)

Mabassa FALLbefore the AfricanUnion (AU)

PERMANENT DELEGATES

Amina BOUAYACHMorocco

Dan VAN RAEMDONCK Belgium

Sidiki KABA Senegal

Dobian ASSINGAR before the Economic andMonetary Communityof Central African States

and in cooperation with:


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I n t e r n

a t i o n a l S

e c r e t a r i a t

U p d a t e d J u n e 2 0 1 4

A n t o i n e B E R N A R D

C h i e f E

x e c u t i v e O f fi c e r

J u l i a n e F A L L O U X

E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r

E X E C U T I V

E D I R E C T O R A T E

D E P A R T M

E N T D I R E C T O R S

C o r i n n e B E Z I N

D i r e c

t o r , F i n a n c e a n d

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n

A n t o i n e M A D E L I N

D i r e c t o r , I n t e r n a t i o n a l

A d v o c a c y

I s a b e l l e C H E B A T

D i r e c t o r , C o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d

P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s

M a r c e a u S I V I E U D E

( I s a b e l l e B R

A C H E T u n t i l e n d o f N o v . 1 3 )

D i r e c t o r , O p e r a t i o n s

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N , F I N A N C E S A N D H U M A N R

E S O U R C E S

H E A D Q U A R T E R S

( P A R I S )

S e r g u e ï F U

N T

D i r e c t o r , F i n a n c i a

l C o n t r o l

T a n i a D U C H E N E

( A d i n t e r i m d u r i n g S a m i a M E R A H ’ s l e a v e )

F i n a n c e O f fi c e r

N i n a N O U Y O N

G O D E

D i r e c t o r , A c c o u n t i n g

T o n y M I N E T

A c c o u n t a n t

K a t e C O L E S

D i r e c t o r , F u n d r a i s i n g

N a t h a l i e L A S S L O P

F u n d r a i s i n g O f fi c e r

M a r i e - F r a n c e

B U R Q

D i r e c t o r , H u m a n R

e s o u r c e s

C h a r l i n e F R A L I N

A s s i s t a n t t o t h e E

x e c u t i v e

D i r e c t o r a t e

E r i c J O S E P H

A s s i s t a n t A c c o u n t a n t

C O M M U N I C A T I O N A N D P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S

N i c o l a s B A R R E T

O D I A Z

D i r e c t o r , I n f o r m

a t i o n

S y s t e m s

N i c o l a s B A U D E Z

T e c h n i c i a n , I n f o r m a t i o n

S y s t e m s

A r t h u r M A N

E T

D i r e c t o r , P r e s s R e l a t i o n s

A u d r e y C O U P R I E

P r e s s O f fi c e r

C é l i n e B A L L E R E A

U T E T U

D i r e c t o r ,

P u b l i c a t i o n

s

C h r i s t o p h e G A R D A I S

P u b l i c a t i o n s

O f fi c e r

L i d y a O G B A Z

G H I

E x e c u t i v e A s s i s t a n t

S e c r e t a r y

R E S E A R C H A N D O P E R A T I O N S

M i c h e l l e K I S S E N K O E T T E R

( D a v i d K N A U T E u n t i l D e c . 1 3 )

D i r e c t o r , A s i a

F l o r e n t G E E L

D i r e c t o r , A f r i c a

H a s s a t o u B

A

P r o g r a m m e O f fi c e

r , A f r i c a

N a t a l i a Y A Y A M A R T E L L O

( C l a i r e C O L A R D E L L E u n t i l D e c . 1 3 )

P r o g r a m m e O f fi c e r , A m e r i c a s

L é a S A M A I N - R A I M B A U L T

( u n t i l M a y 1 4 )

C o o r d i n a t o r ,

B e l a r u s P r o g r a m m e

A l e x a n d r a K O U L A E V A

D i r e c t o r , E a s t e r n E u r o p e

a n d C e n t r a l A s i a

M a r i e C A M B E R L I N

D i r e c t o r ,

N

o r t h A f r i c a a n d M i d d l e - E a s t

J o a n n a H O S

A

A s s i s t a n t , E a s t e r n

E u r o p e

a n d C e n t r a l A

s i a

G e n e v i è v e P A U L

( E l i n W R Z O N C K I u n t i l D e c . 1 3 )

D i r e c t o r , G l o b a l i s a t i o n

a n d H u m a n s R i g h t s

M a r i o n C A D I E R

( G e n e v i è v e P A U L u n t i l D e c . 1 3 )

P r o g r a m m e O f fi c e r ,

G l o b a l i s a t i o n a n d H u m a n R i g h t s

K a t h e r i n e B O O T H

D i r e c t o r , W o m e n ’ s R i g h t s

a n d M i g r a n t s ’ R i g h t s

D a i s y S C H M I T T

A s s i s t a n t , W o m e n ’ s R i g h t s

a n d M i g r a n t s ’ R

i g h t s

K a r i n e B O N N E A U

D i r e c t o r ,

I n t e r n a t i o n a l J u s t i c e

D e l p h i n e C A R L E N S

D e p u t y D i r e c

t o r ,

I n t e r n a t i o n a l J u

s t i c e

A l e x a n d r a P O M E O N

D i r e c t o r , O b s e r v a t o r y

f o

r t h e P r o t e c t i o n o f H u m a n R i g h t s

D e f e n d e r s

H u g o G A B B E

R O

P r o g r a m m e O f fi c e r , O b s e r v a t o r y

f o r t h e P r o t e c t i o n o f H u

m a n R i g h t s

D e f e n d e r s

N a n c y D E M I C H E L I

P r o g r a m m e O f fi c e r ,

N o r t h A f r i c a a n d M i d d l e - E a s t

J e a n - B a p t i s t e P A U L H E T

D i g i t a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n

O f fi c e r


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M O B I L I S A T I O

N O F I N T E R G O V E R N M E N T A L O R G A N I S

A T I O N S

D E L E G A T I O N S , R E G

I O N A L O F F I C E S A N D J O I N T O F F I C E S F I D H / L

E A G U E S

G a e l l e D U S E P U L C H R E

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o t h

e E U

M i c h e l l e K I S S E N K O E

T T E R


e U N

( u n t i l e n d o f M a r c h 1

4 )

J e a n - M a r i e R O G U E

D e l e g a t e t o t h e E

U

S t é p h a n i e D A V I D


e U N

( f r o m A p r i l 1 4 )

C a t h e r i n e A B S A L O M

L i a i s o n O f fi c e r ,

D e l e g a t i o n t o t h e E U

J u l i e G R O M E L L O

N


e U N

N i c o l a s A G O S T I N I

D e l e g a t e t o t h e U

N

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

A N D

P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S

J o s é C a r l o s T H I S S E N

C o n s u l t a n t – C o m m u n i c a t i o n

O f fi c e r o n L a t i n A m e r i c a

a n d t h e C a r i b b e a n

R E S E A R C H A N D O P E R A T I O N S

A n d r e a G I O R G E T T

A

D i r e c t o r ,

A s i a / S o u t h - E a s t A s

i a

T c h é r i n a J E R O L O

N


r ,

A d v o c a c y C o o r d i n a

t o r

b e f o r e t h e A U

M o n t s e r r a t C A R B O

N I

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e b e f o r e t h e I C C

J i m e n a R E Y E S

D i r e c t o r , A m e r i c a s

E l e n a C R E S P I


r ,

W e s t e r n E u r o p e

A n t o n i n R A B

E C Q

D e l e g a t e i n I v o r y C o a s t

a n d G u i n e a ( P r o g r a

m m e O f fi c e r

i n G u i n e a u n t i l e n d o f D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 3 )

S t é p h a n i e D A V I D

D i r e c t o r , N o r t h A f r i c a / M

i d d l e

E a s t ( u n t i l M a r c h 1 4

)

A m a d o u B A

R R Y

P r o g r a m m e O

f fi c e r ,

O G D H / F I D H j o i n t p

r o g r a m m e

S a l m a E L H O S E I N

Y

C o n s u l t a n t – M i d d l e E a s

t / N o r t h

A f r i c a P r o g r a m m e

M a m a d o u B o u s s o u

r i o u D I A L L O

P r o g r a m m e O

f fi c e r ,


r o g r a m m e

Y o s r a F R A W E S

C o n s u l t a n t -

F I D H D e l e g a t e T u n

i s

A b o u b a c a r S

Y L L A

A c c o u n t a n t S e c r e t a r y ,


r o g r a m m e

D r i s s a T R A O R E

P r o g r a m m e O

f fi c e r ,

A M D H / F I D H j o i n t p

r o g r a m m e

W i l l y N E T

H

D e p u t y C o o r d i n a t o r ,

M I D H / L I D H O / F I D H

j o i n t p r o g r a m m e

B R U S S E L S

G E N E V A

N E W Y

O R K

L I M A

L a l l a T O U R E

P r o g r a m m e O

f fi c e r ,

A M D H / F I D H j o i n t p

r o g r a m m e

N A I R O B I

B A N G K O K

T H E H A G U E

B R U S S E L S

C A I R O

T U N I S

A B I D J A N

C O N A K R Y

B A M A K O


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(Belarus, Cameroon, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Moldavia, Uganda,Russia, Ukraine).

Many defenders are arbitrarily detained. For example, 2013

saw FIDH International Bureau members (Ales Bialiatski in

Belarus and Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain) endure yet another year

in detention – as did FIDH member organisation representativesin Iran, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Turkey, Syria, and Bangladesh.

Defenders subject to legal harassment face either expedited

trials or long drawn-out legal proceedings that become a form

of punishment in themselves and prevent these individuals fromcontinuing their human rights work (Bangladesh, Syria, Turkey).

In several countries the degree of liberty enjoyed by civilsociety has considerably diminished, especially following

the adoption or the implementation of restrictive legislation.

Initiatives designed to prevent NGOs from having access to

sources of funding, particularly from abroad, have become

widespread. At the same time, nancial smears have been used

to discredit NGOs in the eyes of the public and of the donors

(Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Israel,

Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela).

The vulnerability of defenders is often compounded by a lack oflocal, regional and international visibility of their situation and

the impunity of perpetrators of violations, as well as by limitsto the capacity of protection mechanisms.

FIDH and its member and partner organisationsin action

In accordance with its multiannual strategic action plan, FIDH

and its member and partner organisations have carried out

numerous activities in order to meet the objectives of protectingendangered defenders and reinforcing their capacity to act. The

activities designed to protect defenders have been carried out

within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders (the Observatory), a joint programme

set up in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against

Torture (OMCT).

Context and challenges

The safety of human rights defenders is especially precarious

in conict, post-conict and security crisis situations. In 2013,

these situations were prevalent in Syria, Colombia, Mexico, the

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Philippines, Nepal,

Sri Lanka and Chechnya/Russian Federation. Hampered in theiractions, defenders operating in these contexts have often been

caught in the crossre and accused by protagonists of taking

sides.

Human rights defenders working under authoritarian regimes

or in situations of political crises and popular protest are alsoseverely repressed in a bid to stie both the denunciation of

human rights abuse or criticism of the authorities. Such was

especially the case in 2013 in the countries of the 2011 Arab

Spring (Egypt, Bahrain), but also in the Maldives, Iran, Belarus,Bangladesh, Cambodia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Sudan,

Djibouti, etc.

Certain categories of defenders are particularly vulnerable due

to the very nature of the rights they defend. Such defenders are

targeted either because their action hinders politico-nancial

interests or because they come up against intolerance and

discrimination. This is the case for land and environmental rightsdefenders (LERD), and is a trend that has continued throughout

2013. With an increase in the number of conicts linked to

land tenure and ownership of natural resources, more and more

defenders of rights associated with these issues, whether leadersof rural or indigenous communities, journalists, lawyers or NGOactivists, are targeted by acts of violence and criminalisation

campaigns. This is particularly the case in Latin America (Brazil,Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru), Asia(Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines), Africa

(Cameroon, DRC) and Eastern Europe (Russia). Defenders of

the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex

persons (LGBTI) are also especially vulnerable, often facingdiscrimination and criminalisation, as well as falling prey to

heinous crimes of violence in many countries where sexual

orientation and gender identity rights are not recognised

Priority 1

Supporting Human Rights Defenders


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Objective 1 > Protecting defenders in

situations of insecurity or repression

Establishing the facts and alerting on a daily basis

Public denouncements of violations of defenders’ rights direct-ed at all actors concerned (state and non-state actors, including

armed groups and corporations), and mobilising the media and

decision makers on this issue can often cause such violations to

cease and even prevent their recurrence.

Thus, on the basis of reliable, detailed information that has beenveried and cross-checked by FIDH member and partner or-

ganisations and the OMCT network, FIDH issued 239 urgent

interventions (urgent appeals, press releases and letters to the

authorities) concerning over 400 defenders in 51 countries.

“This morning I have just spoken to my son Onyx

on the telephone. Hearing his voice has reassured me, after

the anguishing moments we have lived through, following

his abduction and connement. My thoughts go out to you,

because with your messages and advice on strategy you have

always been by our side, myself and the family. Thanks to

your support, my child is alive and sheltered among our small

circle back home. For all such solidarity I should like to say,

on my behalf and on behalf of my family, thank you. This has

marked us profoundly, and we shall remain deeply grateful.”

Paul Nsapu Mukuku, president of the Ligue des électeurs(DRC), refugee in Belgium

“I would like to express my warmest thanks to

you for your support during my latest period of arbitrary

detention. It was extremely useful. Again many thanks.”

Houssein Ahmed Farah, journalist of La Voix de Djibouti ,

a member of the Ligue djiboutienne des droits humains

In accordance with the objectives listed in FIDH’s multiannual

strategic action plan, these gures show a decline compared toearlier years. The aim was to establish priorities for FIDH’s pub-lic communications, so as to highlight emblematic cases, or casesrequiring increased visibility, and countries where violations aresystematic and/or serious.

Thanks to this orientation it has been possible to intensify the

follow-up of cases, notably by specically addressing the au-

thorities concerned, as well as intergovernmental mechanisms

for the protection of defenders, thereby achieving a stronger im-pact. FIDH missions in the eld have provided opportunities for

advocacy vis-à-vis the authorities on the situation of defenders

subject to insecurity or repression. FIDH’s congress in Turkeywas also an occasion for considerable public mobilisation for

addressing the highest authorities of the State on the situation

of defenders in prison.

Another characteristic feature of urgent interventions in 2013

was that FIDH was especially mobilised not only in follow-

ing up in cases of arrest and arbitrary detention, but also in the

violation of the rights of LGBTI defenders and defenders of

rights linked to land tenure and management of natural resources

and the environment. In that regard, FIDH has commissioned acommunications agency to design a social network campaign

on the detention of defenders, and consolidated its information

network with NGOs specialised in such elds through strategy-

dening meetings, such as those held with Global Witness, ILC,

Inter-LGBT, ILGA, IGLHRC and, during sessions of the AfricanCommission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), with lo-cal and regional African NGOs defending LGBTI rights.

On the basis of information gathered and its urgent interventions,FIDH has produced a map showing the most serious types of

violations of defenders’ rights by country, a popularisation instru-

ment much appreciated and used by decisionmakers.

Activation of the protective capacity of intergovernmental

organisations

All the Observatory’s urgent interventions are systematically sentto international and regional mechanisms for the protection of

defenders (Special Procedures of the UN, ACHPR, CIDH, Coun-cil of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, OSCE Focal Point

and EU mechanisms), according to their eld of competence.

These referrals often lead to interventions by these internationaland regional mechanisms, including direct appeals to the com-

petent authorities in each case.

FIDH has also referred cases to other bodies in order to mobilisethem on cases of repression against defenders (European Parlia-ment, UN Council for Human Rights, etc.) and for that purpose

has organised advocacy meetings between representatives of itsmember organisations and the institutions concerned.

Providing emergency assistance in the presence of threats

and danger

In situations where defenders are under threat or in danger

of being physically or psychologically attacked, FIDH has

provided material assistance to 58 defenders and/or members

of their families, as well as to 2 Human Rights NGOs. It has

Adilur Rahman Khan, Secretary of the NGO Odhikar, arrested on the basis of false allegations

in August 2013 in Bangladesh. © Demotix / Ibrahim Ibrahim


14/80


thus been possible to meet immediate needs regarding prevention(e.g. making ofces and homes secure, communication costs,

protection during travel: Cambodia, Cameroon, Uganda),

protection (e.g. cost of temporary or permanent relocation: Syria,the DRC, Cameroon, the Gambia, Uzbekistan), legal and medical

costs (the DRC, Sri Lanka, Russia).

“In the difcult situation that REDHAC, my col-

leagues and my family nd ourselves in, your moral support

has been invaluable. The Network of human rights defenders

wishes to express its warmest thanks for what you have done

to provide security for our ofces, myself and my children.

REDHAC also wishes to thank you for what you are doing

to help us to work under better conditions.”

Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, President of REDHAC

(Cameroon)

Responding to judicial harassmentResponding to the use or instrumentalisation of justice to hinderor criminalise defenders’ actions, FIDH organises observation,

legal defence and solidarity missions. Such missions serve sev-

eral purposes: providing expert legal aid specialised in such casesin support of the victims; providing solidarity and attracting

public attention, which can contribute to the right to a fair trial

being respected; helping to draw attention to violations of legal

procedures, in order to make the international community react.

In 2013 FIDH organised 4 trial observation missions to Turkey:

to observe the trial of Pinar Selek, sentenced to life imprisonment

despite the fact that the same court had acquitted her on threeprevious occasions, in 2006, 2008 and 2011; to observe the trialof 47 lawyers accused of terrorism for having appeared for the

head of the PKK; and the trial of 22 members of the CHD (Turk-ish Contemporary Lawyers Association) for having appeared forpersons accused of terrorism. FIDH also observed the civil trial

of its Russian member organisation, ADC Memorial, for failure

to register as a “foreign agent” under new liberty-depriving ruleson associations. In Bangladesh, FIDH also observed a hearing

on a plea for the conditional release of Adilur Rahman Khan,

Secretary of Odhikar, who was released on that occasion.

2013 also saw FIDH go to the DRC to investigate the legality ofproceedings against Bantundu defenders accused of disturbing

the peace for having exercised their right to demonstrate, as wellas to review the situation with lawyers of the families of the twomurdered defenders in the Chebeya-Bazana case. Lastly, FIDH

pursued the observation of the “trial of the 94” political oppo-nents and defenders in the United Arab Emirates, publishing a

report denouncing serious procedural irregularities.

FOCUS ON

Urgent mission on the situation of Adilur Rahman Khan

in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the authorities make use of a legal arsenal and

restrictive practices in order to prosecute and exert pressure

on human rights defenders, who face physical attacks, arbitrary

detention and legal harassment. The political atmosphere is fun-damentally polarised, and the situation, already very tense in the

run-up to the general elections in early 2014, remains so in the

present post-electoral climate. These issues were already outli-

ned in a report published by FIDH in November 2013, based on

the results of an international fact-finding mission that took place

in 2012 on the situation of defenders in the country.

Mr Adilur Rahman Khan, Odhikar Secretary, was detained from

10 August to 11 October 2013, and Mr Nasiruddin Elan, Odhikar

Director, from 6 November to 1 December. Both were targeted

following the publication by Odhikar of a report on the police

crackdown on a demonstration last May.

On the occasion of FIDH’s mission, the delegation was able to be

present at the hearing at which the decision to release these two

defenders was taken. It met with representatives of civil society

and embassies, as well as the national authorities and institutions

to discuss the situation of Odhikar, its Secretary and its Director.

The mission contributed to the release of the two Odhikar mem-

bers. However, both remain charged with “cyber-criminality”.

FIDH also published its trial observation report on the trial ofNabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights,and FIDH Deputy Secretary General, who was sentenced to twoyears imprisonment for having exercised his right to peaceful

demonstration and expression. The report served as a basis for

intense advocacy by FIDH to demand his release.

Establishing responsibilities

In accordance with its multiannual strategic action plan, FIDH

has continued to engage in litigation before national courts, and

regional and international mechanisms for the protection of hu-

man rights. It has done so in order to determine governmental or

individual responsibility in emblematic defenders’ rights cases;to support victims’ rights to justice, and to help prevent the recur-rence of such violations, including through the creation of legal

precedents on the protection of defenders’ rights.Mabassa Fall, FIDH Representative to the AU, presides over a panel on human rights defenders

at the ACHPR. © FIDH


15/80


In 2013 FIDH thus initiated 11 new proceedings before competentmechanisms (see the table below of FIDH submissions to quasi-

judicial bodies). FIDH also paid special attention to the progressof proceedings regarding the assassination of two human rights

defenders, Floribert Chabeya and Fidèle Bazana in DRC.

FIDH voiced public criticism over acts of obstruction in appeal

proceedings, organised strategic meetings to support the work ofthe lawyers and victims claiming compensation (parties civiles),and obtained testimony from one of the policemen sentenced in

the lower court conrming that principle responsibility for the

killings lay with the former Inspector General of the police, in

order that he be brought to justice.

Examples of submissions of complaints to quasi-judicial bodies 2013

COUNTRY SITUATION MECHANISM DATE OF COMPLAINT STATUS OR RESULT EVOLUTION OF THE

SITUATION

IRAN Nasrin Sotoudeh United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

April No information yet Provisional freedom

(October 2013)

BANGLADESH Adilur Rahman

Khan

United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

August No information yet Provisional freedom

(October 2013)

BAHRAIN Nabeel Rajab United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

(follow-up)

Follow-up in April July 2013: “The

detention is

arbitrary”

Still detained as of

December 2013

CAMBODIA Yorm Bopha United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

October No information yet Provisional freedom

(November 2013)

AZERBAIJAN Hilal Mammadov

(follow-up)

United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

(follow-up/response)

Follow-up

in November

November 2013:

“The detention is

arbitrary”

Still detained

MEXICO Marcial Bautista Valle and Eva

Alarcón Ortiz

United NationsCommittee

on Enforced

Disappearances

(follow-up/response)

Follow-upin October

No information yet Still missing

SRI LANKA Sinnavan Stephen

Sunthararaj

United Nations

Working Group

on Enforced

or Involuntary

Disappearances

August No information yet Still missing

SYRIA Mazen Darwish,

Mohamed Hani Al

Zaitani, Hussein

Hammad Ghrer

United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

July November 2013:

“The detention is

arbitrary”

Still detained

BURMA Htin Kyaw United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

August November 2013:

“The detention is

arbitrary”

Pardoned

(31 December 2013)

IRAN Khosro Kordpour

and Massoud

Kordpour

United Nations

Working Group on

Arbitrary Detention

August November 2013:

“The detention is

arbitrary”

Still detained

SUDAN Osman Hummaida,

Abdelmoneim Aljak

and Amir Mohamed

Suliman

African Commission

on Human and

Peoples’ Rights

Follow-up

complaint (2009)

No information yet Complaints of torture

and abuse

ETHIOPIA Human RightsCouncil

African Commissionon Human and

Peoples’ Rights

August No information yet Complaints ofviolation of the

right to freedom of

association


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16 — F IDH R A P P O R T A N N U EL 2 0 1 3

Objective 2 > Reinforcing defenders’

capacity to act

Action for a favourable political and normative framework

for defendersIn 2013 FIDH carried out two fact-nding missions on the

general situation of defenders in Angola and Guatemala, another

on land tenure conicts and their impact on defenders of land

and environmental rights in Indonesia, and prepared a mission

on defenders of LGBTI rights in Cameroon (which took place

in January 2014). FIDH also published its fact-nding report on

the situation of defenders in Bangladesh, on the basis of which it

carried out an advocacy mission before the national authorities.

It also published a memorandum on the situation of LGBTI

defenders’ rights in the Eastern Europe Central Asia region;

reports published on Russia and Moldavia also mention the issue

of defenders.FIDH has joined the OSCE advisory group charged with preparingdraft guidelines on the protection of human rights defenders in the

OSCE region, and its explanatory report.

Regarding in particular its mobilisation in respect of freedom of

association, FIDH has also published its annual report on violationsof NGOs’ rights to nancing (see Focus). It has denounced draft

legislation on associations that is contrary to international human

rights law (Kenya, Bahrain, Ukraine and Kyrghyzstan), and has

also continued its advocacy for strengthening national mechanismsfor the protection of defenders (Ivory Coast, Mexico, DRC), in

consultation with national civil society. FIDH has also mobilised

at the regional level, with FIDH participation in the ACHPR groupof experts charged with drafting a report and guidelines on the

freedoms of association and peaceful assembly in Africa.

FOCUS ON

Advocacy against the violation of NGOs’ rights to

funding

The obstacles encountered by defenders raise more and morequestions that are both complex and technical. The format of

the Observatory’s annual report was revised in 2013 in order

better to assist actors in the field and the authorities in deci-

phering and analysing the data. With the new format a more

strategic operational plan can be devised, and the need to

analyse new problem areas can be met.

On February 28, 2013, the Observatory published its annual

report on the violation of NGOs’ rights to funding. The 100-

page report was published in French, English, Spanish, Arabic

and Russian; it was widely distributed to the decision makers

concerned in printed (4,550 copies) and electronic format. Thereport was accompanied by a map of the repression exercised

in particular in the countries on which the Observatory had

been active, highlighting cases of assassination, enforced di-

sappearance and arbitrary detention. To boost the circulation

of the report FIDH organised several press and presentation

conferences: press conferences in Geneva and Cairo, presen-

tation at the EIDHR Forum in Brussels, at the United Nations

Human Rights Council in Geneva, at the ACHPR in Bangui and

at the OSCE in Vienna.

Positive reactions:

“Your annual report is the ‘bible’ on NGOs’ rights to funding”. M. Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Special Representative for Hu-

man Rights, in his speech at the opening session of the FIDH

Congress in Istanbul (May 2013)

“Everyone in this room should take away a copy of the

Observatory’s report on the harassment of NGOs and the

obstacles to access to funding.” Jean-Louis Ville, Directo-

rate-General for development and cooperation EuropeAid,

during the session of the EIDHR forum on the funding of

NGOs (April 2013)

Impact:When the annual report was launched at the Human Rights

Council in February 2013, an important resolution on the pro-

tection of defenders was being negotiated and was due to be

adopted. The parallel event launching the FIDH report, attended

by dozens of diplomats and defenders, along with FIDH’s ad-

vocacy on the issue, was instrumental in the right to funding

being clearly mentioned, for the first time, in a resolution of the

Council on the protection of defenders. The annual report was

also used by the UN Special Rapporteur on the freedoms of

peaceful assembly and association, whose June 2013 report

was devoted to the subject.


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Material support and training for NGOs and defenders

In order to strengthen defenders’ capacity to act, 2013 saw FIDHprovide material assistance to NGOs in the DRC, Syria, Ethio-

pia, Mali and Liberia.

FIDH also helped a human rights centre in the north of Syriabecome operational, and organised several training seminars

on human rights, and how to promote and protect them, for its

members. In addition, in view of the risks involved in docu-

menting human rights violations during the crisis in Mali, FIDHorganised training for Malian defenders on the safe storage and

sending of information. Lastly, FIDH contributed to the train-

ing of defenders in Guinea by the TRACES organisation on the

psychological aspects of gathering testimonies from victims of

human rights violations.

Moreover, FIDH prepared a series of activities in coopera-

tion with TRACES (the rst of which was a seminar held atthe beginning of 2014) to provide psychological support to 20

representatives from our partner and members organizations in

Belarus working in a highly repressive context.

“During the course of this seminar, we obtained

documents that we now use in our daily work. This meeting

allowed us to see our work differently, to ght against

the impact of our professional activities on our private

lives, and to create a protocol for the conduct of evidence

collection that we never had before but that was sorely

needed. We hope to develop these activities in turn at the

national level in order to further spread the benet fromthis little known experience to other colleagues.”

A seminar participant

Visibility of the situation of defenders

Several actions carried out in 2013 have increased awareness

of the situation of defenders, and of the importance of their

protection.

• Advocacy meetings with intergovernmental organisations

(see above) have made defenders better known to such

bodies, thereby increasing follow-up of their actions

• Support for the Geneva International Human Rights Film

Festival• Videos posted on the FIDH website presenting the actions

of defenders and matters of concern to them, such as NGOs'right to funding. Speakers interviewed in the videos includeMr. Maina Kiai (UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to

freedom of peaceful assembly and of association), and

human rights defenders from Bahrain, Bangladesh, and

Egypt

• Updating of the Free Ales website, demanding the release

of Ales Bialiatski, as well as the page of the FIDH website

on imprisoned defenders who are members of the FIDH

movement (with Storifys on Bahrain, Iran and Turkey)

• Contributions to the media coverage of the actions ofdefenders

• Tweets on the situation of defenders

Support for young defenders

In order to further its contribution to training new generations ofhuman rights activists and supporters, FIDH launched a processto strengthen its internship programme. A working group and

focal point were created, which worked on the development

of an action plan for 2014-15. This programme aims tocontribute to enhancing the involvement of youth in FIDH’s

campaign strategies and to encourage interaction between

different generations within the FIDH movement. Among the

key activities will be the establishment of a database of FIDH’s

“alumni” network and the creation of a communications hub

using social media tools to mobilize and organize.

Examples of outcomes

FIDH has enabled or contributed to the following results:

Releases, ending of judicial harassment, progress towards

justice

• 110 releases (in Bangladesh, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia,

China, Djibouti, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, the DRC, Russia,

Tunisia, Turkey and Zimbabwe), charges dropped (Bahrain,

Burma, Russia).

• Cancellation of the issuance by Interpol and Red Alert of an

international arrest warrant for Pinar Selek.

Material protection and safety of defenders

• Medical, safety or judicial assistance measures for29 defenders and NGOs

• Relocation of 15 defenders and/or family members in safe

countries

• Training of 15 defenders on the safe storage and sending

of data

Decisions and declarations of intergovernmental protection

mechanisms and mobilisation of diplomatic representations

• 5 decisions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

recognising the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders

detained in Bahrain, Syria, Burma, Azerbaijan, Iran

• Advocacy and public denunciation of proceedings againstTurkish defenders and ADC Memorial (Russia)

• Resolution of the UN Human Rights Council on the protection

of defenders, with a paragraph on NGOs’ rights to funding

Improvement of legislative framework at national level

• Suspension of the adoption of draft legislation on NGOs that

is contrary to international human rights law in Bahrain and

Kyrgyzstan

• Repeal of restrictive legislation on NGOs in Ukraine

• Suppression of controversial amendments to the law on

NGOs in Kenya

Prizes awarded to defenders for whom FIDH had campaigned

• Vaclav Havel prize to Ales Bialiatski, FIDH Vice President and

President of Viasna (Belarus)

FIDH R A P P O R T A N N U EL 2 0 1 3 — 17


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• “Rights Livelihood” prize to Raji Sourani, Palestinian Center

for Human Rights (FIDH member organisation in Palestine)

• Rafto Foundation prize to the Bahrain Center for Human

Rights (FIDH member organisation in Bahrain)

• UN prize for Human Rights to Khadija Ryadi, former President

of AMDH (FIDH member organisation in Morocco)

• Bruno Kreisky prize to Mazen Darwish, President of the Syrian

Centre for Media (SCM)

• Silver Rose prize to CALDH (FIDH member organisation in

Guatemala)


4 international fact-finding and advo-

cacy missions (Angola, Indonesia,Bangladesh, Guatemala)

7 trial observation and defence

missions (Turkey, DRC, Russia,

Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates)

239 urgent appeals

More than a dozen of legal and quasi-

legal proceedings initiated and pursued

Strategy seminars:

• Mali: Workshop for 15 defenders on

safe storage and sending of data• Guinea: Training workshops for local

NGOs on the psychological aspects

of gathering testimonies from victims

• Syria: Training seminar for 10 trainerson promoting Human Rights

Partnerships: OMCT in the framework ofthe Observatory, and 400 members and

partners.

Reports

Bangladesh: Alarming escalation ofthreats to human rights defenders

Bahrain: Sentenced to two years in

prison for advocating and exercising

the right to peaceful assemblyUnited Arab Emirates: Flagrant disregard

of fair trial guarantees shown in UAE94

trialMoldavia: Torture and ill-treatment

in Moldavia including Transnistria:

impunity prevailsRussia: Discrimination against visual

minorities, Roma, migrants and

indigenous peoples

FIDH INTERACTING WITH ITS MEMBER AND PARTNER ORGANISATIONS

Public demonstration, Sumatra, January 2013 © WALHI


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FIDH R A P P O R T A N N U EL 2 0 1 3 — 19

Priority 2

Promoting and ProtectingWomen’s Rights

Context and challenges

The international context has been characterised by an increasein conservative attitudes that challenge women’s rights. As the20th anniversary of the Beijing World Conference on Women

approaches, the advances made by women’s rights movementsover the last few decades have generally come under threat. Therisk of regression is most severe in the areas of sexual and re-

productive rights, as well as regarding the protection of womenfrom domestic violence, and gender equality within the family.

At the same time, the incidence of international and regional

declarations recognising the critical role of women and theimportance of equality between men and women in the con-

struction of lasting peace, the economy and development has

risen sharply. It is generally accepted that the failure to attain

the Millennium Development Goals, due for renewal in 2015,

is the result of a failure to achieve equality between the sexes.

In 2013, negotiations on the adoption of a declaration concern-ing the elimination of violence against women at the Commis-sion on the Status of Women (CSW) met with strong resist-

ance; there were attempts by a coalition of States, including

the Vatican, Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Russia, to renege on past

agreements on key commitments. In light of these efforts, thenal document produced by the Commission represented a sig-nicant victory, calling for accessible and affordable healthcare

services, including sexual and reproductive health services suchas emergency contraception and safe abortions for victims of

violence.

Whilst in the Middle East and North Africa, the “Arab Spring”created opportunities for the promotion of equality in law and

practice, they have also seen a rise in the risk of regression.

In Tunisia, constitutional reform is underway. The outcome

of negotiations on provisions to guarantee equality and non-

discrimination will have a major impact on women's rights. InEgypt, women’s participation in the transition has been serious-ly threatened by the persistent perpetration of violence againstwomen who exercise their right to participate in public life.

Women demonstrators continue to be targets of acts of sexualviolence, which is committed with complete impunity. In Syria,the ongoing conict has had a particular impact on women

and girls, heightening their vulnerability and the incidence of

gender based violence. In Yemen, the transition process has

brought about opportunities for legislative reform, including

proposals made at the National Dialogue Conference to raise

the minimum marriage age for women to 18.

As women struggle to secure representation in political transi-tion and peace-building processes, in conict zones they con-

tinue to suffer the worst forms of violence against women.

Rape and other forms of sexual violence continue to be usedas a weapon of war with impunity. In the Democratic Republicof Congo (DRC), often referred to as the world's rape capital,

massive and systematic crimes of sexual violence have been

committed over the 20 year conict with few victims having

access to the courts and none receiving reparation. Syria’s on-

going conict has affected girls and women particularly, height-ening their vulnerability with a sharp increase in the incidenceof gender-related acts of violence.

FIDH and its member and partner organisations

in action

Objective 1 > Contribute to securing

equal rights for women and men

Strategic exchanges and advocacy

In 2013, FIDH continued to focus on actions in the Maghreb-

Middle East due to the signicant challenges facing women

in the region, which include serious risks of setbacks in sexualequality, as well as the potential opportunities presented by

the Arab Spring.

Based on its 2012 report entitled Women and the Arab Spring:

Taking their place? (analysing the role of women in protest,


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revolution and transition in the Arab world, as well as develop-ments in women’s rights in eight countries since 2011), FIDH

and its members and partner organisations have conducted a

series of activities to raise awareness on and advocate for re-

forms that guarantee the application of international standards

to protect women’s rights.

These activities have primarily been conducted at the nationallevel and aimed at the relevant authorities. Regional media wasused to disseminate the civil society organisation messaging,

put pressure on decision makers, and raise awareness amongstthe general population. FIDH published a position paper on

proposals for Egyptian Constitutional reform, outlining how

the amendments under consideration are contrary to the Con-

vention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

against Women (CEDAW). The position paper was commu-

nicated to the authorities and the national media and has con-

Documents

FIDH Annual Report 2013