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	Report analyses the global situation for human rights defenders by Frontline Defenders Ireland   On 25 March 2011, Front Line launched its second Annual Report on Human Rights Defenders which highlights global trends and developments in the situation of human rights defenders in 2010 and analyses the situation in each region of the world.   The Report highlights the fact that despite some positive developments and the wave of uprising sweeping across the Middle East at year end, overall 2010 was not a good year for human rights defenders who continued to face harassment and repression in many countries.   The Report is based on Front Line"s work in support of human rights defenders at risk. In 2010, Front Line issued 253 urgent appeals on 369 human rights defenders at risk in 65 countries; it provided 180 security grants and trained more than 500 human rights defenders. Overall, more than 1100 HRDs benefited from Front Line’s protection support in 2010.   We cannot but start this year’s overview by mentioning the historic developments taking place in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The spontaneous protests that started in Tunisia in December 2010 have spread to the entire region and beyond. The ousting of President Ben Ali in Tunisia and President Mubarak in Egypt has given courage and hope to thousands of protesters and pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders (HRDs) and ordinary citizens in neighbouring countries.   While protests were far from ending at the time of writing, important results have already been achieved. In Bahrain, more than 300 political prisoners including several human rights defenders were released from prison on 23 February 2011. A day later, the state of emergency that granted the Algerian military extra-ordinary powers was finally lifted after 19 years. In Yemen, the President announced a transition to a parliamentary democracy. These events are inspiring civil society in countries beyond the Middle East and North Africa.   Authoritarian governments however have already started acting preemptively in the hope of avoiding similar mass-scale protests. In Zimbabwe, more than 40 people were put on trial on charges of treason for watching videos of the protests in Egypt and the presence of security forces patrolling the streets was reinforced.   In China, anonymous online calls from an overseas website for people to participate in a so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ – to consist of peacefully gathering on Sundays for walks in major towns and cities – prompted an intense crackdown and more than 20 HRDs were arrested or disappeared.. Visit the related web page
	Joint statement on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by FRA, ODIHR & ECRI   21 March 2011   In a joint statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Nils Muiznieks, Chair of the Council of Europe"s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), Morten Kjaerum, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), and Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), strongly condemned manifestations of racism and related intolerance.   "Today we jointly commemorate the tragic events of 1960 in Sharpeville, which led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. On this day we renew our call to be vigilant in the face of acts motivated by racism and xenophobia".   "We acknowledge that in some European States, surveys show that tolerance and the rejection of discrimination has improved somewhat. These positive developments need to be strengthened, since discrimination and victimisation still remain far too widespread. At the same time, levels of reporting by victims of racist assaults, threats or serious harassment and awareness of how to access redress mechanisms remains low."   "We are convinced that persistent racist and xenophobic speech from public figures and in the media do fuel prejudice and hatred against ethnic minorities and migrants, leading to discrimination in many areas of social and economic life, particularly in access to employment, health care, education, and housing. This creates a situation of social exclusion and, in some cases, leads to open hostility and violence."   "Our monitoring and research shows that the Roma are the ethnic group most discriminated against across Europe. In particular, our findings highlight recurring forms of stigmatisation of Roma communities in public discourse."   "We acknowledge that the primary responsibility to protect the rights of Roma lies with the States of which Roma are citizens or long-term residents. However, a coordinated response at the European level is needed to address the cross-border dimension of the problems that these people experience."   "We, the signatories of this statement, believe that to combat racism and xenophobia proactively, States should ensure, that barriers to education, health care, housing, and employment are removed.   Such policies should include the reintegration into mainstream schools of Roma children currently enrolled in special schools, desegregation in the area of housing; adequate data is collected about the participation of vulnerable groups in these areas, in order to target policies better and to allow their impact to be assessed.   Legislation prohibiting racially motivated crime should be introduced and enforced, along with training for law-enforcement officials in preventing and responding to these offences.   Measures should be taken to address discrimination on other grounds in addition to ethnicity; national bodies responsible for the protection of human rights should be adequately resourced to monitor the prevalence of racism and related intolerance and to take measures to promote equality, including advice and support for victims; and measures should be taken to increase awareness of rights and complaints mechanisms, in order to address low reporting levels.   It is important that journalists are provided with training to challenge prejudice and stereotypes, in order to encourage informed public debate; and educational programmes and awareness-raising campaigns are designed to challenge prejudice and stereotypes and strengthen a climate of mutual tolerance and intercultural dialogue. Visit the related web page
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