UN publishes Commentary on the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

You probably have seen already references to this new publication which came out during my leave. I still refer to it simply because a blog on HRDs is not complete without it.

The Commentary to the Declaration on human rights defenders is a 100-page document which maps out the rights provided for in the Declaration, based mostly on information received and reports produced by the two Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, Hina Jilani (2000-2008) and Margaret Sekaggya (since 2008), during the past eleven years. The ‘Commentary’ analyses what these rights entail and what is needed to ensure their implementation. It also addressesthe most common restrictions and violations faced by defenders, and provides recommendations to facilitate States’ implementation of each right. As should be expected from a UN publication it is fairly dry and does not break new ground but it certainly is well-organised guide to the work done in the last decade. It is arranged in 10 sections, each addressing a right in the Declaration, namely: the right to right to be protected, the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of association, the right to access and communicate with international bodies, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to protest, the right to develop and discuss new human rights ideas, the right to an effective remedy and the right to access funding. A final section addresses permissible derogations to these rights.

To access the resource in PDF, please control/click here