
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
Who is a Human Rights Defender? What can the Special Rapporteur do?Official Statements

Turkey: threats and attack of human rights lawyer Aytekin Aktaş and repression of the “Life Watch” movement (joint communication)
Official Letters and Statements
This is the summary of a communication sent to the Government of Turkey about the threats and attack of human rights lawyer Aytekin Aktaş and the repression of the “Life Watch” movement.
Latest Information Received

Tunisia: restrictions against defenders, violence and reversal of gains
Latest Information[English / العربية / Français]
In a hearing with Tunisian human right defenders, I heard very worrying information about increasing restrictions on their work, danger to their physical safety, and the threat of reversals to significant gains made in fundamental rights in recent years.

Hearing with human rights defenders in the DRC
Latest InformationEarlier this month, I held a hearing with human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was an opportunity for me to learn more about their work and the challenges they face as they go about promoting and protecting human rights.

Concerns for the situation of Quilombola defenders in Brazil
Latest InformationEarlier this month, I participated in an event with human rights defenders from Quilombola communities in the Brazilian Amazon. The speakers talked about the tension under which Quilombola communities live, and the risks for those at forefront of efforts to defend their rights in the face of land-grabs and a predatory model of development.
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“Information received” does not necessarily reflect the views of the Special Rapporteur or the United Nations.
Human Rights Defenders

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) are people who act peacefully to promote or protect human rights in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
“Human rights defenders are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. They work peacefully for the rights of others and help build civil and just societies based on the rule of law.”
Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of HRDs
Violations committed against HRDs
Submit Information on HRDs at risk