Annual Report 2024
03

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs)

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urgent interventions concerning 206 HRDs in 46 countries.

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HRDs in 20 countruies have been assisted by OMCT's rapid response mechanisms

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institutional grants in eight countries supported over 390 HRDs, 226 of whom are women, members of organizations, groups, and networks facing environmental, social, and political threats.

In 2024, OMCT intensified its efforts to protect human rights defenders (HRDs) globally, despite increasing repression and shrinking civic space, both through restrictive legislation and cuts in funding support. Crackdowns in Tunisia saw the arrest of defenders advocating for migrants’ rights.

Our interventions spanned legal advocacy, material support, and strategic visibility campaigns, with 251 urgent interventions concerning 206 HRDs in 46 countries.

Key achievements include contributing to the release of human rights defenders like Daouda Diallo (Burkina Faso), Jack Sinzahera, Gloire Saasita, and Gloria Singha (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and the acquittal of Fatia Maulidiyanti (Indonesia) following years of judicial harassment. In Türkiye, trial observation missions led to acquittals for Eren Keskin and Güllistan Yarkın—pivotal victories for freedom of expression.

OMCT’s rapid response mechanisms assisted 75 HRDs in 20 countries, providing holistic protection, including legal, medical, and psychosocial support. 11 institutional grants in eight countries supported over 390 HRDs, 226 of whom are women, members of organizations, groups, and networks facing environmental, social, and political threats. These grants covered psychosocial support for HRDs in exile, feminist protection strategies, and security assistance for Indigenous defenders and those in remote areas.

Advocacy through International Mechanisms Proved Impactful

In 2024, OMCT facilitated multiple HRD advocacy missions, ensuring defenders had direct engagement with key decision-makers. Defenders from Kazakhstan, Libya, and Türkiye were represented in Geneva and Brussels. For Latin America, OMCT supported a mission of Colombian defenders in Geneva and defenders from Honduras in Washington, D.C. for the Guapinol hearings. OMCT organized side events at the Human Rights Council, including one on transitional justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Geneva.


The continuation of our campaign #FacesOfHope amplified underreported cases of detained HRDs.

SOS-Defenders

OMCT also celebrated the launch of SOS-Defenders, a platform co-developed with 15 partner organizations documenting arbitrary detentions of HRDs around the world. In 2024, it documented 444 cases of HRDs arbitrarily detained in 17 countries and contributed to securing the release of 41 defenders.