ACHPR61 | Mandate of African Commission’s Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders comes to an end
After 10 years as Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders and 12 years as a Commissioner, Ms Reine Alapini-Gansou bid goodbye to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) at its 61st session. ISHR took this opportunity to thank the Special Rapporteur for the achievements during her mandate and pointed out emerging threats and challenges in some countries.
In a statement delivered on 9 November, ISHR thanked Reine Alapini-Gansou for her tremendous work for the protection and promotion of human rights defenders’ rights in Africa. We expressed the hope that her successor and the Commission will continue building on her important work and ensure that the standards and resolutions she helped adopting are duly implemented.
The statement also called for States to support and cosponsor the draft resolution A/C.3/72/L.50 on human rights defenders currently being negotiated at the UN General Assembly. This resolution is an important first step in encouraging the implementation of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders and should be adopted without any amendments aiming to undermine the work of human rights defenders.
Of great concern regarding restrictions to the work of defenders are two draft laws in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the draft national law for the promotion and protection of human rights defenders (currently reviewed by the national assembly) and the draft law amending the law N 2001 N°004/2001 on non-profit organisations table before the national assembly by the DRC minister of Justice on 9 October 2017 . ISHR urged the Commission to pressure Congo into ensuring that these laws which current provisions are in contradiction with international human rights standards get back in line and do not hinder the work of human rights defenders.
Hong Kong's new national security legislation has sparked international concerns over its potential to further erode civil liberties and fundamental freedoms, and civil society engagement with the UN. ISHR calls for the repeal of this law and cease to interpret cooperation with UN bodies as a national security threat.
During an interactive dialogue with States at the Human Rights Council, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) once again expressed its frustration at the lack of cooperation from the Nicaraguan authorities.
Nazifa Jalali, along with ISHR, called on UN Member States to establish a mandated investigative mechanism to contribute towards accountability for the Taliban's human rights violations, and for States to continue to support Afghanistan’s human rights movement.
Stay in the loop!
Would you like to be informed of future events, news, updates on our work, invitations and appeals? Please enter your email address below!