For more information on our Defend the Defender campaign and the courageous individuals mentioned in our report, please visit http://defendthedefender.com.
CSW has worked with human rights defenders (HRDs) from across South Asia and Central Asia for many years. While HRDs in the region have always braved severe risks to carry out their work, in recent years the trend to suppress their voices has worsened.
Perpetrators of violence are increasingly targeting HRDs for speaking up on behalf of victims. Additionally, HRDs are labelled as ‘anti-nationals’ and ‘enemies of the state’ as a result of the narrative that it allowed to be disseminated in the media and government policies.
Internationally, there is a growing acknowledgement of the invaluable role that HRDs play in furthering democracy. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, has stated that HRDs ‘should be recognized as the heroes of our time.’ There is also a growing awareness of the increasing threats HRDs face. However, the severity and specificity of the threats faced by FoRB defenders is under-documented and under-reported.