The Observatory (OMCT-FIDH) and Partners Launch the SOS-Defenders Platform to Expose Arbitrary Detention of Human Rights Defenders Worldwide
Geneva (13 December). A collective of local, regional and international human rights organisations unveils SOS-Defenders, an action platform that exposes the alarming scale of arbitrary detention of human rights defenders worldwide. This information hub, which will progressively expand to cover more countries, has already documented 274 cases of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders across 17 countries (Bahrain, Belarus, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) – with Belarus and Iran leading at 64 cases each.
"SOS-Defenders is a game-changer in our efforts to stop the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders," said Claudia Samayoa, Chair of the SOS-Defenders Advisory Group. "By centralising information and fostering collaboration to collect solid and reliable data, we are emphasising the daily risks faced by human rights defenders and the challenges for organisations working to obtain their release. As detention conditions evolve over time, SOS-Defenders also serves to inform collective advocacy to reaffirm the legitimacy of human rights work and our right to defend human rights”
Key findings from the countries in which SOS-Defenders is being piloted reveal:
- Gender disparity: 184 men and 90 women among the detained.
- Detention status: 191 sentenced, 42 in pre-trial detention, 37 released, 2 released on bail, 1 acquitted, and 1 released on parole.
- Most targeted human rights defenders categories: social and community leaders (85), journalists/bloggers (78), NGO members (47), trade union leaders (41), and lawyers (35).
- Thematic areas at highest risk: civil and political rights (200), women's rights (46), labour rights (39), economic, social and cultural rights (28), and environmental rights (13).
- Most common trumped-up charges: subversion (66), extremism (53), spreading fake news (42), making propaganda against the government (41), and creating disturbances (39).
Giuseppe Scirocco, Coordinator of the SOS-Defenders Initiative, stated, "The data from SOS-Defenders underscores the urgent need for action. By identifying the most vulnerable groups and common pretexts for detention, we can develop more targeted and effective strategies to protect human rights defenders, empower advocacy campaigns, strengthen global networks, and provide crucial data for policymakers to take immediate action."
"Arbitrary detention is often one of the first and most frequently used repressive tools to silence human rights defenders, aiming to disrupt their vital work and instil fear", says Hugo Gabbero, head of the human rights defenders desk at FIDH. “SOS-Defenders brings this alarming trend to light, documenting the cases and reinforcing the urgency of collective action to protect those who dedicate their lives to defending human rights.”
SOS-Defenders is a collective mobilisation of HRD-protection organisations from all parts of the world under the auspices of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH). The full list of partners is available at https://sos-defenders.org/en/page/7hg5udz2vs9/about
To access the platform, visit https://sos-defenders.org
The development of the SOS-Defenders Platform is made possible thanks to the contribution of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Misereor-KZE, the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Contact:
Francesca Pezzola, OMCT Director of Communications, fpe@omct.org
Raphaël Lopoukhine, FIDH Editorial and Press Communication Manager, +33672284294 | rlopoukhine@fidh.org