Latest updates

At the margins of the 89th session of the African commission, civil society groups discussed the growing challenges and threats weighing on journalists working the Sahel.

On 15 October, the West African Human Rights Defenders Network organised a side event on human rights defenders and civic space in west Africa.

UN experts officially warned Russian authorities they were looking at allegations of laws placing strict and discriminatory burdens on the work of Indigenous rights groups and activists.

The panel discussion titled “Invisible in the Climate Crisis: The Impact of Climate Change on the Human Rights of Persons with Albinism and Disabilities in Africa” highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalised communities and the urgent need for inclusive, rights-based climate action.

Zambia must ensure that human rights defenders can speak out, organise and work freely. In a joint submission to the African Commission, ISHR, SACCORD and ZNHRD highlight restrictive legislations and call for progress towards the adoption of the law for the promotion and protection of the rights of defenders.

On the sidelines of the NGO Forum and the 89th Ordinary Session of ACHPR, ISHR, DefendDefenders and Front Line Defenders held an event on the intersection of environmental and digital rights. Defenders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Nigeria and Western Sahara discussed their contexts and recommendations.

From 5 to 13 October, ISHR, DefendDefenders and Front Line Defenders organised the second edition of the training for civil society ahead of the African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights. Participants also took part in the NGO Forum to raise their issues.

At the NGO Forum ahead of the 89th session of the African Commission, a high-level panel discussion tackled the growing issue of transnational repression in Africa.

Ahead of the 89th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the NGO Forum convened a panel on cross-border issues affecting human rights defenders in Central Africa and presented a new publication.

ISHR delivered a statement before the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) during its hearing on the “Question of Western Sahara" on 8 October 2026. Watch and read the statement below.

At the 89th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, civil society organisations held a side event on confronting reprisals against environmental human rights defenders in Africa.

At the 89th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, ISHR shared concerns about the situation of human rights defenders in Cameroon, Zambia and Guinea, especially in regards to the restrictive legal framework they work in and drew their attention to the state of civic space in Africa.