Thailand: arrested student Human Rights Defenders will be released but pending charges remain against them
July 7th, 2015 The 14 students and allied Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) will be released in the morning of 8 July, the Bangkok Military Court ruled today dismissing the police request for further pre-trial detention. However, the charges against the activists, who have been under custody since 26 June, are not dropped and the military prosecutor will decide whether to […]
Thailand: Khon Ruk Ban Kerd Conservation Group denounces threats and intimidations since allowing Dao Din activists to come work in the village
On the 25th of June the Khon Ruk Ban Kerd (KRBK) Conservation Group, a community organization based in Loei province, North-Eastern Thailand, released a statement to express its solidarity with the Dao Din student Human Rights Defenders, who have been issued with arrest warrants for having peacefully demonstrated in honor of the first anniversary of the country’s coup-d’état on June 24th. […]
Conflicting Minerals: The European Parliament voted for a mandatory certification of EU importers.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Mining May 2012″ by www.sourcingnetwork.org on Flickr On 20 May, in a plenary assembly, the European Parliament voted in favor of a mandatory certification scheme for all importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold to ensure supply chain due diligence for possible conflict minerals. The law, approved by 402 votes […]
Security incident in Thailand’s Klong Sai-Pattana community while SPFT death threats persist
Around 100 rubber trees were destroyed last night, the 21st of May, in the Klong Sai-Pattana community, Thailand, a member village of The Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT). The SPFT, a movement of people and farmers fighting for land reform to contrast the private companies system that dominates the workers and the farmers in […]
Civil Society comments on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy (2015-2019)
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (HRDs) (Actions 9 and 10) The European External Action Service shared with civil society the 28 April 2015 Joint Communication by the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the elaboration of a new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for […]
The Women Who Defend Human Rights – Mary Jane Real
PI: Can you tell us a bit about how you have become a woman human rights defender? MJR: Well, I´ve been active in defense of human rights and women´s rights since I was a student. The more I became aware of how gender inequality impacted my personal and professional life, the more I became involved […]
Protection International listed as one of the World’s Top 10 Human Rights Organisations
This February 13, Protection International was listed as one of the World’s Top 10 Human Rights Organisations. The listing published by FUNDSFORNGOS and written by Ambreen Muzaffar highlighted the work done by Amnesty International, Global Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation for Human Rights, Norwegian Refugee Council, Refugees International, […]
In pictures: The long struggle for land rights in Las Pavas (Colombia)
Defending territory is one activity that generates risk for human rights defenders in Colombia; during 2013 alone, 37 human rights defenders were murdered, and at least 30% of these deaths were related to land restitution. The majority of these assassinations are the responsibility of paramilitary groups, now named the “anti-land restitution army”, which operate in […]
Quotes from the Platform : DIY*, then we come and assist !
“When I come to countries, I regularly get asked “what can you do for us?” says Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur for the Freedom of Assembly and Association, telling about his encounters with human rights defenders at risk around the world. The Special Rapporteur tells the 7th Front Line’s Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders his default answer: “I cannot […]
Protection International Participates in Project to Promote the Protection of Defenders in Osce/odihr Countries
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has recently embarked on an ambitious project to promote the effective protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) in its 57 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America. Protection International (PI) was invited along with 24 other […]