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	Iran: Young couple filmed dancing in Tehran are jailed for 10 years by OHCHR, UN News, Unicef, agencies   July 2023   Iran: International community must stand with women and girls suffering intensifying oppression - Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International Secretary General   The Iranian authorities are doubling down on their oppressive methods of policing and severely oppressing Iranian women and girls for defying degrading compulsory veiling laws, Amnesty International said today.   In a detailed analysis published today, the organization exposes the authorities’ intensified nationwide crackdown on women and girls who choose not to wear headscarves in public. In the latest escalation on 16 July, the spokesperson of Iran’s police, Saeed Montazer-Almahdi, announced the return of police patrols to enforce compulsory veiling and threatened legal action against women and girls who defy forced veiling.   This coincided with videos circulating on social media, depicting women being violently assaulted by officials in Tehran and Rasht, and security forces firing teargas towards people helping women escape arrests in Rasht.   Official announcements reveal that since 15 April 2023, more than a million women have received text messages warning that their vehicles could be confiscated after they were captured on camera without their headscarves.   Additionally, countless women have been suspended or expelled from universities, barred from sitting final exams, and denied access to banking services and public transport. Hundreds of businesses have been forcibly closed for not enforcing compulsory veiling.   The intensified crackdown exposes the dubious nature of the Iranian authorities’ previous claims of disbanding the “morality” police, amid contradictory official statements over its return to Iranian streets.   “Morality policing in Iran is back. The authorities are not fooling anyone by removing the insignia of the ‘morality’ police from uniforms and patrol vans, while emboldening the enforcers of the Islamic Republic’s oppression and subjugation of women and girls to engage in the same violence that killed Mahsa Zhina Amini with impunity. Today’s crackdown is intensified by mass surveillance technologies capable of identifying unveiled women in their cars and pedestrian spaces,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.   “The intensified crackdown on unveiling reflects the Iranian authorities’ deplorable disregard for the human dignity and rights of women and girls to autonomy, privacy and freedom of expression, religion, and belief. It also underscores a desperate attempt by the authorities to reassert their dominance and power over those who dared to stand up against oppression and inequality during the “Woman. Life. Freedom.” uprising..   http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/07/iran-international-community-must-stand-with-women-and-girls-suffering-intensifying-oppression/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/iran-one-year-anniversary-jina-mahsa-aminis-death-custody-heightened http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140777 http://www.article19.org/resources/iran-tech-enabled-hijab-and-chastity-law-will-further-punish-women/ http://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20230806-iran-forces-women-defying-hijab-laws-into-psychiatric-treatment http://protect-lawyers.org/en/international-day-for-lawyers-in-danger-oiad-press-release/   4 Mar. 2023   Hundreds of schoolgirls report symptoms of poisoning across Iran.   Dozens of Iranian schoolgirls across five provinces have been admitted to hospital in a suspected new wave of poisoning attacks, local media has reported.   More than 1,000 schoolgirls in 15 cities have reported symptoms consistent with those experienced by victims of toxic gas attacks. Girls interviewed by the state media say they were overcome by a noxious smell and felt dizzy and sick and could barely breathe. Many girls were taken to hospital.   The illnesses remain unexplained with some Iranian officials believing the girls may have been poisoned. Iran’s interior ministry reported that investigators had found “suspicious samples” that were being studied. Iran’s deputy health minister, Younes Panahi, said the attacks were aimed at shutting down education for girls. Various extremist groups in Iran have called for girls to be banned from attending school.   The Tasnim and Mehr news agencies on Saturday reported the latest incidents in western Hamedan province, as well as Zanjan and West Azerbaijan in Iran’s northwest, Fars in the south and Alborz province in the north.   Dozens of students were transferred to local hospitals for treatment, the reports said. The Reuters news agency reported that sickness affected more than 30 schools in at least 10 of Iran’s 31 provinces on Saturday.   Videos posted on social media showed parents gathered at schools to take their children home and some students being taken to hospitals by ambulance or buses.   On Wednesday, at least 10 girls’ schools were targeted in suspected poisoning attacks, seven in the northwestern city of Ardabil and three in the capital Tehran, according to local media reports.   "Parents are protesting in front of the schools," a 47-year-old mother from Iran's capital, Tehran, told the DW news agency. "Many are considering not sending their children to school anymore. My adult daughter is a student. She says that these toxic gas attacks started in the dormitories during the nationwide protests. There have been reports for months, but no one has taken them seriously."   The Iranian Teachers' Trade Association has called for a nationwide protest. "Whoever is behind these attacks should know that the safety of students is our red line," Mohammad Habibi, a member of the union's board of directors who has been arrested several times after calling for strikes, posted on social media. On Saturday, parents in Tehran took to the streets in protest.   Most government schools have security cameras outside and inside the institutions, with many parents questioning why officials haven’t been able to find any leads in these cases. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva has called for a transparent investigation into the attacks.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/iran-deliberate-poisoning-schoolgirls-further-evidence-continuous-violence http://www.passblue.com/2023/05/16/irans-latest-hijab-war-on-women-goes-after-businesses/   Jan. 2023   Young couple filmed dancing in Tehran are jailed for 10 years.   An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of more than 10 years each to a young couple who filmed themselves dancing in front of one of Tehran’s main landmarks.   Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, were arrested in early November after a video went viral showing them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower.   Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf, in defiance of Iran’s strict rules. Women are also not allowed to dance in public, let alone with a man. A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as imposing bans on using the internet and leaving Iran.   The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution” as well as “gathering with the intention of disrupting national security”, it said.   Sources close to their families said they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings, and attempts to secure their release on bail had been rejected.   Iranian authorities have clamped down severely on all forms of dissent since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September. The death of Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rules, sparked protests that have turned into a movement against the regime.   At least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations, ranging from prominent celebrities, journalists and lawyers to ordinary people who took to the streets.   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/31/iranian-couple-filmed-dancing-in-tehran-are-jailed-for-10-years http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/13/iran-jails-400-for-up-to-10-years-over-widespread-uprisings http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/iran-critical-situation http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/iran-stop-sentencing-peaceful-protesters-death-say-un-experts http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2022/11/iran-call-immediate-release-peaceful-protesters http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/13/iran-death-sentences-against-protesters   26 Oct. 2022 (UN News, OHCHR, agencies)   Amid ongoing protests sparked by the death in custody last month of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by so-called “morality police”, UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Javaid Rehman, told journalists that since then, many in the UN human rights sphere had made “very strong calls for independent, impartial investigations”, with no response from Iran, other than escalation.   “I would stress the international community has a responsibility to take action, to address impunity for rights violations”, he said, saying it was “really important” the UN and other international bodies, “take concrete action”.   “Iran is in turmoil” he told reporters, with news reports on Thursday broadcasting video showing security forces attacking mourners at the gravesite of teenager Nika Shakarami, after mass protests across the country on Wednesday, to mark 40 days after the death of Ms. Amini.   Predominantly young men and women have led the protest movement, demanding change, justice and accountability.   Mr. Rehman said that not only had the State ignored calls for any impartial and prompt investigation into the crackdown which has left at least 250 dead, including 27 children, but it has increased the violence, asserting no wrongdoing on the part of the authorities.   ‘Women, life and freedom’   He said Iran’s own investigations have “failed the minimum standards of impartiality and independence”, while the call for change on the streets under the slogan, “women, life and freedom”, grows.   The independent expert said Ms. Amini was “not the first woman to face these brutal consequences” of the morality police enforcement of strict dress codes, and will not be the last one.   Just a day earlier, a large group of UN rights experts signed a statement condemning the killings and the crackdown, which include alleged arbitrary arrests and detentions, gender-based and sexual violence, excessive use of force, torture, and enforced disappearances.   “We are deeply troubled by continued reports of deliberate and unlawful use by the Iranian security forces of live ammunition, metal pellets and buckshot against peaceful unarmed protesters in breach of the principles of legality, precaution, necessity, non-discrimination and proportionality, applicable to the use of force,” the experts said.   “An alarming number of protesters have already been detained and killed, many of whom are children, women and older persons. The Government must instruct police to immediately cease any use of excessive and lethal force and exercise restraint.”   They said reports of physical and sexual violence against women and girls during protests and in public spaces, and the denial of other women’s and girl’s rights while in detention, or when active in public, were frightening.   “We see such violations as a continuum of long-standing, pervasive, gender-based discrimination embedded in legislation, policies and societal structures. All of which have been devastating for women and girls in the country for the past four decades.”   Internet communications have been disrupted since the protests started, preventing access and sharing of information.   Reports of acts of intimidation and harassment against protesters’ families by authorities have also emerged. They indicate that family members are being interrogated unlawfully, with a view to extracting false information attributing responsibility for the killing of relatives to “rioters” or individuals working for “enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.   Mr. Rehman, said current investigations and domestic accountability channels had failed to meet the minimum standards of transparency, objectivity and impartiality.   “Chronic impunity and lack of redress for previous violations have culminated in today’s events as we see protests throughout the country calling for justice and accountability for Amini’s death but also demanding respect for fundamental socio-economic and political rights and particularly freedom of expression,” the expert stressed.   “Today’s movement is ushered by different social classes in different regions with women and youth at the forefront. Amini’s death has directly affected women who have, for many years, been subjected to discriminatory laws especially those concerning dress codes,” he said.   “With the dress code laws being enforced through recent decrees, and implemented through the morality police, women are monitored, harassed and sometimes beaten on a daily basis for simply wearing their Hijab inappropriately. This is meant to instil an atmosphere of fear. We have seen, however, the courage of many women who defied security forces by cutting their hair in public and actively participating in protests.”   Rehman expressed alarm at the situation of children who have been disproportionately affected by the latest protests. “More than 27 children have been killed so far, some of them by live ammunition while others were beaten to death. It is clear evidence that excessive, lethal and indiscriminate use of force is the response by security forces.”   The Special Rapporteur also said he was extremely concerned at reports that schools have been raided and children arrested for their alleged participation in protests. “Some principals have also reportedly been arrested for not cooperating with security forces. This instils an atmosphere of fear in these schools with grave consequences on the well-being and education of these children.”   http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129937 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/iran-crackdown-peaceful-protests-death-jina-mahsa-amini-needs-independent http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/iran-special-rapporteur-calls-effective-accountability-deaths-recent   18 Oct. 2022   Guardian News reports fresh protests across Iran ignited by 16-year-old Asra Panahi’s death after schoolgirls assaulted by security forces in raid on high school.   According to the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, 16-year-old Asra Panahi died after security forces raided the Shahed girls high school in Ardabil on 13 October and demanded a group of girls sing an anthem that praises Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.   When they refused, security forces beat the pupils, leading to a number of girls being taken to hospital and others arrested. On Friday, Panahi reportedly died in hospital of injuries sustained at the school.   Iranian officials denied that its security forces were responsible, after her death sparked outrage across the country.   Iranian authorities have responded to schoolgirls protests by launching a series of raids on schools across the country, with reports of officers forcing their way into classrooms, violently arresting schoolgirls and pushing them into waiting cars, and firing teargas into school buildings.   In a statement, Iran’s teachers’ union condemned the “brutal and inhumane” raids and called for the resignation of the education minister, Yousef Nouri.   News of Panahi’s death has further mobilised schoolgirls across the country to organise and join protests over the weekend. Among them was 16-year-old Naznin*, whose parents had kept her at home for fear that she would be arrested for protesting at her school.   “I haven’t been allowed to go to the school because my parents fear for my life. But what has it changed? The regime continues to kill and arrest schoolgirls,” says Naznin.   19-year-old Nergis also joined the protests, and was hit by rubber bullets in her back and legs. She says Panahi’s death has motivated her and her friends to continue to protest, despite the danger.   She says what happened to Panahi – as well as the deaths of two other schoolgirls, 17-year-old Nika Shahkarami and 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh, both at the hands of the Iranian security forces – has united young people across Iran under a common cause.   “I don’t have a single relative in Ardabil, but with this brutal crackdown on our sisters, who were just 16 years old, they’ve awakened the whole nation,” she says.   http://www.dw.com/en/iran-deaths-of-schoolgirls-further-stoke-public-fury/a-63494532 http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/12/iran-schoolgirls-leading-protests-freedom http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/10/iran-at-least-23-children-killed-with-impunity-during-brutal-crackdown-on-youthful-protests/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2022/10/iran-protests-reports-child-deaths-detentions-are-deeply-worrying   17 Oct. 2022   Iran: End killings and detentions of children immediately, UN Child Rights Committee   As at least 23 children were reportedly killed by Iranian security forces and hundreds more were injured, detained and tortured during recent peaceful protests, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the grave violations of children's rights in the country and urged the authorities to stop all violence against children. The Committee issued the following statement today.   “The Committee on the Rights of the Child strongly condemns the grave violations of the rights of the child that are taking place in Iran in the context of peaceful protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022.   The Committee is alarmed by the killings by security forces of at least 23 children, including an 11-year-old boy. According to reliable reports, some children were shot with live ammunition, while others died as a result of beatings. Many families reported that, despite grieving for the loss of a child, they were pressured to absolve security forces by declaring that their children had committed suicide and making false confessions.   The Committee is also deeply concerned at reports that children have been arrested in schools and detained together with adults, and that some have been subjected to acts of torture. The announcement made by the Ministry of Education on 12 October that children arrested were being transferred to psychological centres for correction and education to prevent them from becoming anti-social characters and numerous reports of retaliatory expulsions of many high school students are also matters of concern to the Committee.   We strongly urge Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations, particularly those under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This begins with the fundamental obligation to protect children’s right to life under any circumstances.   The Committee reaffirms the obligation incumbent on the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect and protect children’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.   Many children, including many girls, are protesting to make their opinions known on issues that matter to them. Their right to be heard should not be stifled by any level of force. The Committee strongly urges Iran to cease the use of force against peaceful protests and protect the children participating in peaceful demonstrations.   Grave violations of children’s rights in Iran need to be thoroughly investigated by competent, independent and impartial authorities and those responsible prosecuted.   The Committee on the Rights of the Child will continue to closely monitor the situation in Iran and liaise with other relevant human rights bodies to bring an end to the grave violations of the rights of Iranian children.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2022/10/iran-end-killings-and-detentions-children-immediately-un-child   10 Oct. 2022   UNICEF calls for the protection of children and adolescents amid public unrest in Iran   Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell:   “We are extremely concerned by continuing reports of children and adolescents being killed, injured and detained amid the ongoing public unrest in Iran. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have been killed and injured, and we share their grief.   "In addition to the reported casualties, many children have witnessed violence either on the streets or through media broadcasts, which could leave a long-lasting impact on their wellbeing.   “UNICEF calls for the protection of all children from all forms of violence and harm, including during conflict and political events. Violence against children – by anyone and in any context – is indefensible.   “We echo the Secretary-General’s call to the authorities to ‘refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.’ Children and adolescents must be able to exercise their rights in a safe and peaceful manner at all times.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-calls-protection-children-and-adolescents-amid-public-unrest-iran   22 Sep. 2022   Iran: UN experts demand accountability for death of Mahsa Amini, call for end to violence against women.   UN experts today strongly condemned the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after her arrest for allegedly failing to comply with Iran’s strict rules on women’s dress by wearing an “improper hijab”.   The experts also denounced the violence directed against peaceful protesters and human rights defenders demanding accountability for Amini’s death in cities across the country by Iranian security forces. They urged the Iranian authorities to avoid further unnecessary violence and to immediately stop the use of lethal force in policing peaceful assemblies.   “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Ms Amini. She is another victim of Iran’s sustained repression and systematic discrimination against women and the imposition of discriminatory dress codes that deprive women of bodily autonomy and the freedoms of opinion, expression and belief,” the experts said.   Amini was arrested by the Iran’s morality police on 13 September for being perceived as wearing “improper hijab”. Reports indicate she was severely beaten by members of the morality police during her arrest and transfer to the Vozara Detention Centre.   Amini fell into a coma at the detention centre and died in hospital on 16 September. Iranian authorities said she died of a heart attack, and claimed her death was from natural causes. However, some reports suggested that Amini’s death was a result of alleged torture and ill-treatment, the experts said.   “We strongly condemn the use of physical violence against women and the denial of fundamental human dignity when enforcing compulsory hijab policies ordained by State authorities,” the experts said. “We call on the Iranian authorities to hold an independent, impartial, and prompt investigation into Ms Amini’s death, make the findings of the investigation public and hold all perpetrators accountable.”   Since 16 September, thousands have taken to the streets in many cities, including Tehran, Ilam, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Mahabad, Saqez, Sanandaj, Sari and Tabriz to demand accountability for the death of Amini and to put an end to violence and discrimination against women in Iran, particularly compulsory veiling for women.   The peaceful protests have been met with excessive use of force, including birdshot and other metal pellets by Iranian security forces, the experts said. According to reports, at least eight individuals, including a woman and a 16-year-old child, have been killed, dozens more injured and arrested.   Following the protests, prolonged internet disruptions have been reported in Tehran, Kurdistan provinces, and other parts of the country since 19 September. This is the third widespread internet shutdown recorded over the past 12 months in Iran.   “Disruptions to the internet are usually part of a larger effort to stifle the free expression and association of the Iranian population, and to curtail ongoing protests. State mandated internet disruptions cannot be justified under any circumstances,” the experts said, warning against a further escalation of crackdown against civil society, human rights defenders and peaceful protesters.   “Over the past four decades, Iranian women have continued to peacefully protest against the compulsory hijab rules and the violations of their fundamental human rights,” the experts said, urging authorities in the country to heed the legitimate demands of women who want their fundamental human rights respected.   As previously reiterated, “Iran must repeal all legislation and policies that discriminate on the grounds of sex and gender, in line with international human rights standards,” the experts said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/iran-un-experts-demand-accountability-death-mahsa-amini-call-end-violence Visit the related web page
	States need to strengthen protection measures for human rights defenders by Global Witness, FIDH, OMCT, ISHR, agencies   Mar. 2023   The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, has called on States to publicly recognise the great successes achieved by human rights defenders all over the world.   “All over the world the positive achievements of human rights defenders too often go unrecognised. Twenty-five years after States agreed on a Declaration to promote and protect the work of human rights defenders, their successes are ignored,” Lawlor said in a report presented to the 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council.   The report includes details of successes achieved by human rights defenders in a wide range of contexts, including changing laws, getting people released from prison, providing humanitarian aid, and exposing corruption. The report shows that for some human rights defenders just continuing their work under immense pressure is in itself an achievement.   “Human rights defenders are often victims of their own success, targeted because they confront powerful vested interests, because they expose corruption, because they refuse to accept injustice, because they challenge criminal gangs, because they talk about things governments want to hide, because they tell the truth, and because they make good things happen,” she said.   “States can and should do more to protect defenders. They can start by publicly celebrating the work of defenders in their own country, and in other countries. Twenty-five years on from the declaration, defenders are right to expect more support and protection than they currently receive.”   The report notes that successes achieved by HRDs rarely happen overnight but are often the result of long struggles requiring perseverance and the help of networks and other allies in a collective effort.   “Ignoring or underplaying the vital contribution of human rights defenders increases the risks to them and their work,” said Lawlor. “This anniversary year of the Declaration should be one of celebration and recognition of the successes of defenders, one of not just recommitting to help them, but of showing in practical terms what that help should be,” she said.   The report includes practical recommendations for States, based on consultations with human rights defenders, NGOs, academic experts and government officials, on how to better support the work of defenders and promote their achievements.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/un-expert-urges-states-recognise-successes-human-rights-defenders http://srdefenders.org/ http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/human-rights-defenders-show-remarkable-courage-face-attacks-and-killings   A deadly decade for land and environmental activists. (Global Witness)   Since 2012, Global Witness has been gathering data on the killings of land and environmental defenders. In that time, a grim picture has come into focus – with evidence suggesting that as the climate crisis intensifies, violence against those protecting their land and our planet remains persistent. Research has found that a total of 1,733 people have been killed over the past ten years, that’s one person killed every two days.   The report highlights that the control and use of land and territory is a central issue in countries where defenders are threatened. Much of the increasing killing, violence and repression is linked to territorial conflicts and the pursuit of economic growth based on the extraction of natural resources from the land.   Evidence also shows that the data on killings does not capture the true scale of the problem. In some countries, the situation facing defenders is hard to gauge – restrictions on a free press and a lack of independent monitoring in many countries often leads to underreporting. Land disputes and environmental damage can also be difficult to monitor in parts of the world affected by conflict.   Research has found that few perpetrators of killings are ever brought to justice due to the failures of governments to properly investigate these crimes. Many authorities ignore or actively impede investigations into these killings often due to alleged collusion between corporate and state interests.   A spokesperson for Global Witness said: "All over the world, Indigenous peoples, environmental activists and other land and environmental defenders risk their lives for the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. They play a crucial role as a first line of defence against ecological collapse, yet are under attack themselves facing violence, criminalisation and harassment perpetuated by repressive governments and companies prioritising profit over human and environmental harm."   "With democracies increasingly under attack globally and worsening climate and biodiversity crises, this report highlights the critical role of defenders in solving these problems and makes an urgent appeal for global efforts to protect and reduce attacks against them.”   The data found within the report shows that over half of the attacks over the 10-year period have taken place in Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines. From the 2021 data specifically, Mexico was the country with the highest recorded number of killings and over three-quarters of the attacks recorded in 2021 took place in Latin America. The research has also highlighted that Indigenous communities in particular face a disproportionate level of attacks – nearly 40% - even though they make up only 5% of the world’s population.   Global Witness is calling for companies and governments to be held to account for violence against land and environmental defenders - the people who stand on the frontline of the climate crisis. Urgent action is needed at regional, national, and international levels to end the violence and injustice that they face. http://bit.ly/3Rp1SQs   http://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/decade-defiance/   Nov. 2022   Human rights defenders urge States to advance the international treaty on corporate accountability - International Service for Human Rights   In 2021, 200 human rights defenders were killed across the world. Latin America accounts for 75% of these killings. ‘The Illusion of Abundance was made to honour the memory of these environmental land defenders who lost their lives to protect nature,’ affirmed the directors of this documentary film that narrates the story of three women human rights defenders fighting for dignity and justice.   Their quest for corporate accountability brought them to Geneva, where ISHR accompanied them during the negotiations at the United Nations Palais des Nations on the elaboration of an international legally binding treaty that seeks to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations.   “Transnational corporations take advantage of legal gaps, weak rules and insufficient international cooperation to profit from abuses in the Global South. The window into the lives of these three women and their communities shows how far corporations are willing to go and how badly EU due diligence legislation is needed,” said Maria Arena, a member of the European Union Parliament during the screening of the film in Brussels.   If the levels of impunity for human rights abuses by corporations in the EU are concerning, the situation at the global level is alarming, where businesses escape accountability through different jurisdictions, legal personalities and tax havens.   The EU Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive is set to pass through the Parliament this year, which is already the scenario of unequal lobbying battles between civil society coalitions and business associations that try to weaken future legislation.   At the international level, for more than seven years, civil society organisations from all regions of the world have committed enormous time and resources to push for a binding treaty on business and human rights. Last week, in Geneva, the eighth yearly negotiations took place. ISHR joined the sessions with concerns about the slow pace of progress on consultations and consensus building that Ecuador, as proponent and leader of the process, agreed to push forward and did not fulfill, including basic steps such as circulating updated drafts of the negotiated text.   ‘While we’re moving closer to a Treaty, this year we saw a messy process and a divisive attempt to water down the Treaty in a non-transparent manner. This approach tried to sideline the hard work by many States across the world. The third revised draft of the Treaty is the result of eight years of negotiations, the Chair cannot simply ignore the contributions of States and civil society,’ said Garry Walsh, Policy and Advocacy advisor at Trocaire in Ireland.   At an event co-organised by ISHR at the UN Palais des Nations, Carolina, protagonist of the film, Brazilian journalist and human rights defender, and international lawyer Danilo Chammas, brought us the perspective from Minas Gerais, where in 2019 a waste dam from the mining giant VALE collapsed.   ‘Being a human rights lawyer for more than 20 years, I have experienced a number of cases of violations by corporations that result in shameful impunity. We are at the beginning of a value chain that involves many international companies. It is time to create strong international legislation to prevent such harm and provide effective access to justice for victims,’ Danilo stated.   (BBC News: The Brumadinho dam contained waste from an iron ore mine but gave way, unleashing a sea of mud which engulfed a staff canteen, offices and farms, leading to the deaths of 270 people.. Brazil's worst industrial accident sent millions of tons of toxic waste gushing into the surrounding area, destroying the rural village of Corrego do Feijao.. In November 2015, a mining dam operated by Vale's subsidiary, Samarco, collapsed in the town of Mariana, just 120km (74 miles) away in the same state of Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and devastating two nearby villages).   Carolina reminded those in the room that ‘we are making our part in this global fight for corporate justice. We ask you UN Delegates to do your part to ensure that what happened in Brumadinho never happens again anywhere.’   The 8th year of negotiations did not meaningfully advance the process for the fulfillment of the rights the Brazilian defenders have been seeking. Andres Zaragoza (ISHR) underlined the links between the admirable work of human rights defenders where abuses happen and the long-term path of reforming international human rights law to ensure that businesses are held accountable for the abuses they commit.   http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/the-illusion-of-abundance-human-rights-defenders-urge-states-to-advance-the-international-treaty-on-corporate-accountability/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/big-issues/binding-treaty/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/wg-trans-corp/igwg-on-tnc   Sep. 2022   COVID-19: How the global crisis has affected human rights defenders. (FIDH, World Organisation Against Torture)   As governments around the world have taken extraordinary measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some have misused them to undermine human rights work and fundamental freedoms. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders - a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) - documents and analyses in a new report the numerous impacts of those measures on human rights defenders and their essential work.   The Covid-19 pandemic has caused broad consequences for civil society organisations and human rights defenders across the world. In this global report, the Observatory highlights several trends of repression that targeted human rights defenders over the past two years.   The report documents and analyses instrumentalisation of COVID-19 by some governments to suppress non-violent human rights activism and reinforce surveillance measures.   Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of the OMCT, added: "Far from supporting civil society as actors who help those most in need, some States have leveraged the pandemic to further suffocate critical voices and challenge the right to defend rights."   Exceptional situations of reduced movement (lockdowns, quarantines and travel bans), and access restriction to public spaces have given rise to authoritarian abuses in several places, directly targeting human rights defenders, dissidents, independent journalists and defenders of the land and the environment.   Many were arrested and harassed in court for criticising their government’s response to COVID-19. Many trials of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders were postponed indefinitely, despite their health conditions and the high risk of contracting the virus in detention. Furthermore, violence against human rights defenders has increased due to a lack or pausing of protection measures.   Far from being limited in time, some measures passed under the guise of the pandemic at local levels could have long-term effects on the activity of human rights defenders. Through this report, the Observatory alerts the international community and states on the need to strengthen protection measures for defenders, and preserve their capacity to act in times of crisis.   http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/covid-19-global-crisis-human-rights-defenders http://srdefenders.org/ http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/01/11/mary-lawlor-states-must-recognise-that-human-rights-defenders-are-not-the-enemy/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/civic-space/declaration-human-rights-defenders http://ishr.ch/our-priorities/topics/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/10/un-censures-42-nations-retaliating-human-rights-activists-journalists/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5147-cooperation-united-nations-its-representatives-and-mechanisms Visit the related web page
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