Intro paragraph:
JOINT SUBMISSION ON THE ACHPR DRAFT DECLARATION ON THE PROMOTION OF THE ROLE OF HUMAN AND PEOPLE’S RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND THEIR PROTECTION IN AFRICA
African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders, Article 19, Centre for Environmental Rights, Centre for Health Education and Vulnerable Support (CHEVS), Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (CHR), Equality Now, Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, International-Lawyers.Org (INTLawyers), Ipas Africa Alliance, Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network (KELIN), KUTAKESA| Movimento dos Defensores de Direitos Humanos de Angola, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), Pan Africa ILGA, Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), African Renaissance, Rights Bridge Africa, Right to Protest Project Africa (R2P), Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center (RFK), Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Southern Defenders), Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), Synergía – Initiatives for Human Rights, Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH), Women’s Association for Women & Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE-Gambia) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders welcome the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) initiative to adopt an African Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of the Role of Human and Peoples’ Rights Defenders (‘the Draft Declaration’).1 The recognition that defenders are indispensable to the realisation of the African human rights system is long overdue. This submission is made jointly on behalf of the aforementioned human rights organisations, which have focus areas relating to the right to freedom of association, assembly and expression, environmental rights, gender equality and equal protection before the law.
Download the full report here.
Sign up for our email newsletter to receive monthly updates about our work, event announcements and advocacy opportunities. Sign up for our email newsletter to stay up to date on the latest action items, educational tools, and campaign victories from LHR. We will email you once a month with the latest news in Human Rights and more.
