On 23 April, 2025 OMCT made public this interview with Armel Niyongere, exiled Burundian lawyer and Secretary General of SOS-Torture Burundi, a member of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) SOS-Torture network. He continues to denounce human rights violations in his home country. Despite 10 years of threats and intimidation from the authorities, Mr. Niyongere continues his fight to promote and protect human rights. In this interview he talks about the difficulties of exile, the challenges facing those who defend human rights, and the role of the international community.
A screening of the feature documentary “Dissidents” will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. EST. The event location is Firehouse Cinema, 87 Lafayette Street, New York. “Dissidents” tells the story of three Chinese dissidents who continue to fight for democracy against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through art, protest, and grassroots organizing despite being exiled from their own home and despite the CCP’s transnational attempts to threaten them with violence, criminal charges, and arson. The film features Juntao Wang, a primary organizer of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests; Weiming Chen, a human rights artist whose sculpture criticizing Xi Jinping was burnt down; and asylum seeker Chunyan Wang, who was arrested for attempting to deliver a petition letter to Chinese vice premiers during the US-China trade talks.
After the film, there will be a panel discussion featuring: Yaqiu Wang, research director for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Freedom House Joey Siu, Hong Kong activist and executive council member at the World Liberty Congress Weiming Chen, human rights artist known for the Liberty Sculpture Park in CaliforniaYi Chen, director of “Dissidents” at C35 FilmsPema Doma, Executive Director, Students For a Free Tibet The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please be sure to RSVP on Eventbrite as soon as possible, as reservations are granted on a first come, first serve basis.
on 31 December 2024 the UN Human Rights Podcast showcases the stories of five of the members of the Youth Advisory Board. The board is made up of young people who work on issues that mobilize and empower others to stand up for human rights. The Board is in partnership with Education Above All and Silatech, to empower young people, especially those in conflict and vulnerable situations.
Jalal Abukhater works as an advocacy manager for 7amleh, a digital rights and human rights organisation based in Palestine.
He spoke to ISHR about what drove him to take action for the digital rights of his fellow Palestinians and about the responsibility of big technology companies and online platforms in the suppression of Palestinian rights and voices.
‘There is a responsibility for big tech companies to uphold human rights to make sure that they are not complicit in the violation of human rights, especially in the context of genocide.’
One of Fasky’s photographs at sn exhibition showcasing his work during the Récréâtrales festival. In this photo, a young woman is weaving a traditional Burkinabe loincloth. Photo by Joel Hevi, used with permission.
Across Africa, art events serve as powerful platforms for activists seeking to raise awareness about social issues and human rights.
Zerbo Siaka, also known as Fasky, is a photographic artist from Burkina Faso operating at the intersection of artistic expression and activist movements. The artist is also the director of the association Photo’age. Through this association, he is dedicated to passing on his photographic expertise to the next generation. His exhibition at the 13th edition of the cultural festival ‘Les Récréâtrales’ — a pan-African space for writing, creation, research, and theatrical dissemination — exemplifies the positive impact art can have on society.
A long-time participant in this significant gathering, Fasky shared his perspectives with Global Voices during Les Récréâtrales, explaining how he uses his photography as a tool to foster resilience and encourage social engagement.
Fasky. Photo by Joel Hevi, used with permission.
Joel Hevi (JH): Could you tell us about what inspired your journey into photography and your role within the Photo’Age association?
Fasky (F): I am Zerbo Siaka, also known as Fasky, a photographer from Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. My journey into photography happened by chance. Initially, I aspired to be a rapper, but my path changed when I discovered photography while accompanying some French friends who were part of an association in Burkina Faso. They gifted me a camera, and that’s when photography became my passion. Today, through Photo’Age, I share this art with the younger generation, including internally displaced children, helping them to express themselves and showcase their realities.
JH: You presented a series of portraits of women at Les Récréâtrales. What message are you hoping to share through these woman-centric pieces?
F: For four years now, I have taken part in Les Récréâtrales. During this time, I have been fortunate to build strong connections with the women I photograph, most of whom are internally displaced [due to the widespread violence caused by terrorist attacks]. The theme of my exhibition, ‘We Shall Overcome,’ reflects their resilience in the face of crisis. These are women who, despite everything, hold on to hope and fight for their dignity. Through their portraits, I invite visitors to witness their strength and vulnerability. My hope is that beyond their faces, one can see a moving and inspiring humanity.
JH: Do you hope to initiate a dialogue about gender equality? What potential impacts could arise beyond the aesthetic appeal of your work?
F: Definitely, photography is for me a political and social act. These portraits are a statement advocating for gender equality and a tribute to these strong women and their struggles. I hope to raise awareness, to showcase their strength, and to emphasize the urgency of achieving equality. If my photographs can spark a debate and motivate others to stand up for these women’s rights, they will have achieved their goal.
JH: Your photographic style conveys an intimate connection with your subjects. How do you manage to establish this trust, especially in often challenging situations?
F: Trust is at the heart of my work. The women I photograph know me; we have built relationships over time. The Terre Ceinte project allowed me to understand their lives and earn their trust. Before taking their pictures, I listen and respect their stories. This bond is reflected in their expressions in my photos — a sincerity that only patience and attentive listening can bring to life.
‘The Egyptian authorities must open the civic space for civil society to play its role. They must stop persecuting human rights defenders, political opponents, and journalists simply for doing their jobs. The UN and the international community must maintain pressure on them to comply with human rights standards.’
Basma Mostafa is an Egyptian investigative journalist and co-founder of the Law and Democracy Support Foundation. She began her journalism career amid the Egyptian revolution, focusing on sensitive issues such as torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
Basma’s commitment to exposing human rights violations in Egypt came at a high personal cost. Over the years, she faced numerous threats and severe reprisals for her work, including being detained three times, forcibly disappeared, and accused of ‘affiliation with a terrorist organisation’ and of ‘spreading false information’. Following a sustained campaign of intimidation, Basma was forced to leave Egypt in 2020.
What happened during the Egyptian revolution strengthened my commitment to the principles of human rights and to defending them.
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Global CITIZENS FESTIVAL 2024
New York
Friends, New Yorkers, global citizens.
Human rights defenders are champions for our future – shining a light on repression, on injustice and on solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges.
In return, they are often smeared, intimidated, imprisoned, and worse.
According to data gathered by my Office, last year, 320 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists in 40 countries were killed. Many of them while protecting nature and the environment.
Across the globe, environmental human rights defenders are leading efforts to tackle a climate crisis that is growing ever more ferocious, more terrifying, and more present.
They are standing up for the marginalized, for the natural world, and for the planet.
For the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
They deserve our gratitude and our protection.
My office is proud to support the Leaders Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD), a new initiative focused on meaningful and safe participation of defenders in climate and environmental discussions.
But they need your support too. So I urge you to join my office.
Take action to protect civic space and help us to build a more sustainable and more equal future.
Óscar Calles is a journalist and human rights defender from Venezuela. Since 2019, he has been working for PROVEA, one of the country’s most prominent rights groups.
In an interview with ISHR, he recalled his experience of witnessing and broadcasting mass protests in his country in 2017, and how harshly these were repressed. This, he said, led him to take direct action in the defence of human rights and civil liberties.
Human rights organisations, activists and defenders only exist to ensure that all persons can live with dignity,’ says Oscar Calles. ‘Do not turn your backs on the hundreds of victims who are still awaiting justice to this day,’ he further urges States at the UN Human Rights Council, calling on to renew a key accountability mechanism for Venezuela.
In June 2024, Óscar was also one of 16 defenders who participated in ISHR’s Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP)
Sara Nabil is a human rights defender and artist from Afghanistan. She spoke to ISHR about her dream of one day seeing a ‘free democratic Afghanistan, where each human being [regardless of which] gender they are, man or woman, neutral or other genders, [would be] treated equally.’
Stand in solidarity with Sara and other women human rights defenders from Afghanistan: join us in our campaign to push for UN experts and States to explicitly and publicly recognise the situation in Afghanistan as a form of gender apartheid and the need for an accountability mechanism to address gross human rights violations against women.
The Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize, sponsored by the European Commission (EU), is inviting applications that recognise excellence in writing, radio, and broadcast journalism on the theme of development, democracy, and human rights around the world. Sewe: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/D49ECF35-4B42-444D-B4FA-F7ACE2BF65BC
This year’s contest is focused on related issues of gender equality, human development, climate, environment and energy, digital and infrastructure, sustainable growth and jobs, youth, migration and forced displacement, peace, and governance.
The application encouraged journalists committed to defending democracy and human rights can enter a competition.
The contest has four award categories: Best Emerging Journalist, Investigative Journalism, Feature Journalism, and Special Photojournalism.
Works must have been published or broadcast between May 30, 2023, and May 24, 2024.
Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei is a human rights defender from Bahrain and the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).
‘All we are asking for are the most basic rights. We hope to see Bahrain healing from over a decade of ordeal, of repression, of imprisonment, of torture, into a State where individuals can challenge their State without fear.’
He spoke to ISHR about how the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Bahrain led him into activism and shared his hopes for a free, democratic future for his country despite the regime’s efforts to silence him and all those it perceives as opponents.
On 3 June 2024, ISHR published Human rights defender’s story: Elham Kohistani, from Afghanistan
Elham Kohistani is a human rights defender from Afghanistan. Having witnessed successive governments trample human rights in her country since her childhood, she has dedicated her life to fighting for the basic rights of women and girls.
In an interview with ISHR, Elham spoke about her hopes for the future of Afghanistan, urging the international community to continue supporting human rights defenders in the long term to achieve peace and prosperity.
Stand in solidarity with Elham and other women human rights defenders (WHRDs) from Afghanistan: join us in our campaign to push for UN experts and States to explicitly and publicly recognise the situation in Afghanistan as a form of gender apartheid and the need for an accountability mechanism to address gross human rights violations against women.
On World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation recognized the talent and courage of cartoonists working under difficult circumstances. The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award 2024 was presented by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi of Iran, during a public ceremony at the Geneva Graduate Institute, in presence of CNN’s international chief anchor Christiane Amanpour. For more on this award see: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/f60cb3d4-c79a-43aa-9b5c-351c56c02ae1. This award is presented every two years in alternance with a prize presented by the allied organization Cartoonists Rights in the United States. The accompanying international exhibition Cartooning for Freedom, visible on the shores of Lake Geneva until June 2, 2024, features nearly 60 press cartoons selected by Freedom Cartoonists, in partnership with Cartooning for Peace in Paris. Chaired by Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, the international jury shares the 2024 Prize between two winners: Rachita Taneja (India) and Zunzi (Hong Kong).
For Chappatte, president of the Foundation, “Both brilliantly embody the fundamental values of editorial cartooning: talent, freedom of spirit, and courage. With a bit of mischief.”
On 3 May, 2024 at 5.30 pm in the Maison de la Paix, Geneva Graduate Institute, and to mark World Press Freedom Day, the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva will be awarding its 2024 international editorial cartoon prize [City of Geneva’s International Press Cartoon Award]. See: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/EBEE0ECF-565B-6614-9B67-A6938EB46155
The public event is fully booked, but a livestream will be available on this page.
Keynote by the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi from Iran, (mentor of Narges Mohammadi, current Nobel Peace Prize winner imprisoned in Teheran), in discussion with Christiane Amanpour, CNN chief international anchor and member of the Foundation’s advisory board.
Followed by a debate on women cartoonists around the world, with Ann Telnaes (USA), Rachita Taneja (India) and Willis from Tunis (Tunisia), moderated by Christiane Amanpour. Presentation of the “Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award 2024” by the City of Geneva and the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation.
Introductions by Chappatte and Marie Heuzé (Chair and Vice-Chair of the Foundation), Sami Kanaan (Administrative Councillor of the City of Geneva) and Volker Türk (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights).
Film made by True Heroes Films.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN anchorwoman, member of the foundation’s advisory board
On 14 March 2024, the FIFDH published the film awards for its 2024 Festival. They include:
Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize
provides a moving account of the daily life of Mohamed Jabaly, who is stranded in Norway after the closure of Gaza’s borders. A call for freedom of movement, but above all freedom to pursue your dreams. “Gaza as depicted in Life is Beautiful no longer exists. Its streets, squares and the faces that populate filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly’s memories have been eradicated in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. What we are left with are the images that tell of the past, already under Israeli occupation. The violence of the borders, but also the solidarity and determination of an individual to lead a dignified existence. Cinema becomes the compass of an odyssey that takes us all to Gaza.”
Prize of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Total Trust follows the daily lives of activists who are watched and oppressed by the Chinese government through the use of technology, artificial intelligence and human rights. “Unveiling what appears to be a real-life Orwellian 1984 scenario, the documentary vividly portrays the persecution of Chinese human rights defenders and exposes the use of cutting-edge state surveillance technology tools to tightly control the lives of millions of people. This disconcerting image of rising authoritarianism prompts an important question: “Is a future controlled by technology, where we are no longer free to exercise our rights, a real risk for us all?” The prohibition of torture is what allows individuals to shape their personality and views, and establish their dignity, which is the very essence of being human.”
On 13 March 2024 Human Rights Watch announced that it would be closing its long-running film festival. Founded in 1988, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival showcased nearly 1,000 independent films, was presented in over 30 cities across the globe, and is the world’s longest running human rights film festival.
“It’s with sadness and deep regret that we have made the difficult decision to close the Human Rights Watch Film Festival,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “The film festival is a celebrated cultural institution that educated and inspired hundreds of thousands of filmgoers and filmmakers around the world over three decades, providing a critical space for connection, conversation, and action on human rights issues.”
The decision to close the festival was part of a wider restructuring due to financial constraints, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch Film Festivals will take place as planned across the United Kingdom and Ireland, opening on March 14, 2024, and across Canada starting on March 21.
Human Rights Watch is immensely proud of the talented film festival leadership and staff, who built partnerships across the human rights community and film industry. The festival established a mainstream platform for impactful films and in-depth conversations about human rights issues, with a priority focus on underrepresented perspectives from around the world.
The festival staff have been instrumental in pushing for increased accessibility standards in the film industry, resulting in three fully inclusive film festivals in the last two years. During the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that shuttered cinemas, the film festival team created a digital streaming site that tripled attendance figures, encouraged festival members to tune in for live conversations, and ensured that the public would not be isolated at home. The innovative site continued the festival’s work of creating spaces for dialogue, connection, and action on human rights issues.
“We owe the Human Rights Watch Film Festival’s success and impact to the longstanding commitment of our festival staff and consultants, volunteers, partners, the filmmakers, and of course our audiences,” Hassan said. “They helped to nurture the human rights storytelling movement that we see thriving today.”
Kadar Abdi Ibrahim is a human rights defender and journalist from Djibouti. He has drawn inspiration from iconic figures in the human rights movement in the hopes of building a genuine and lasting democracy in his country.
Kadar Abdi Ibrahim has also been the subject of acts of reprisals by his government for his engagement with international bodies. In 2018, days after returning from Geneva where he carried out advocacy work ahead of Djibouti’s Universal Periodic Review, intelligence service agents raided his house and confiscated his passport.
On 15 February 2024 Ben Dalton informed that the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX) has unveiled the line-ups for its five competitive sections for its 2024 edition. All films in the main Dox:Award competition are world premieres for the second successive year.
The festival has launched a new section and award for 2024, the Human:Rights award, marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A €5,000 prize sponsored by the Institute for Human Rights will be given to a film that addresses human rights issues.
The festival will also include a series of events and discussions focusing on universal rights, beginning with a photo exhibition at the Pressen venue.
“This year’s competition sharpens its focus on the most urgent issues of our time, from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to gang violence in Sweden, exploring themes of identity politics, colonialism, and the foundational struggles for democracy and the fight against climate change,” said Niklas Engstrom, artistic director of CPH:DOX.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) announced that “Beyond Utopia,” a BAFTA-nominated and du-Pont-Columbia Award-winning film that follows the harrowing journeys of several individuals as they attempt to escape North Korea, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube. Pastor Seungeun Kim, who has made it his life’s work to rescue North Koreans. Over the past 23 years, he has saved more than 1,000 people through a network of smugglers and activists. As the film depicts, Pastor Kim frequently risks his own life by joining defectors on parts of their treacherous journey to safety, a trek that spans thousands of miles through jungles and rivers. Dubbed “an astonishing, real-life geopolitical thriller” by The Hollywood Reporter and “a staggering look at the nightmare of North Korea and the brave souls who tried to escape it” by Variety, the film has already received critical acclaim. It won the Audience Award for US Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, received a du-Pont-Columbia Award, has been nominated for the 2024 British Academy Film Award for Best Documentary, and was shortlisted for the 2024 Oscar for Best Documentary. Stream “Beyond Utopia” today on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.
For those who missed last this year’s #RightLivelihood Award Presentation on Wednesday 29 November 2023. It puts a spotlight on the importance of reconnecting to nature and our communities, calling for the systems that unite us to be built on trust and cooperation rather than suspicion and greed. For the winners, see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2023/09/29/right-livelihood-awards-2023/
More than 10 years ago, in May 2013, Damian Gallardo from Oaxaca, Mexico, was arbitrarily detained, disappeared, and tortured. He was eventually released but lodged a complaint with the UN Committee against Torture, who reviewed Gallardo’s case and adopted an unprecedented decision stating that, in fact, Gallardo had been tortured.
In a decision published on 14 December 2021 the UN anti-torture body found that Damián Gallardo Martínez, a teacher and campaigner for education and indigenous people’s rights, was a victim of torture in Mexico, in violation of Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Committee also requested that Mexico provide Gallardo Martínez with full compensation, make a public apology to the complainants, and widely disseminate the Committee’s decision through a daily newspaper with a large circulation in the state of Oaxaca.
On 18 January 2024, UN Human Rights published the above video clip.
Himself a survivor of the harsh journey across the Mediterranean Sea, Moses Von Kallon SOS Méditerranée’s Aquarius vessel in 2018 – a journey during which his rescue ship was turned away from Italian and Maltese waters. He told ISHR about how he started his organisation after Aquarius Supervivientes after settling in Spain and how he has wrestled with everyday racism. ‘Immigration is not a disease,’ he said, as he shared his hopes for a future where justice and free movement would be guaranteed to those who are forced to leave their homelands to find safety. Learn more about Moses and other human rights activists and defenders like him: https://ishr.ch/defender-stories/
Meet the winners of the Kids 4 Human Rights International Art Contest, an initiative of the Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum of the Gabarrón Foundation, in collaboration with UN Human Rights, to raise awareness of the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Rafto Prize 2023 was awarded to Defence for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) for their persistent work to defend and promote the rights of children living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). [see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2023/09/21/defense-for-children-palestine-winner-of-the-2023-rafto-prize/]. For over 30 years, DCIP has investigated, documented and pursued accountability for grave human rights violations against children; held Israeli and Palestinian authorities accountable to universal human rights principles; and advocated at the international and national levels to advance access to justice and protection for children.
Cyrine Hammemi is a human rights defender and a project manager at the Association for the Promotion of the Right to Difference (ADD) in Tunisia. Her work focuses on the human rights of persons belonging to minority groups, through alerts on discriminatory situations and the violence they suffered.
Speaking to ISHR, Cyrine discussed her journey into activism and her vision for an inclusive future. She shared the personal triggers that led her to become an activist and emphasised her hopes for a world where every individual can fully enjoy their rights without discrimination based on identity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
The World Press Freedom Index ranked Turkmenistan one of the five most repressive regimes globally in 2023. Martin Ennals Award Finalist Soltan Achilova is a 74 years-old photojournalist who captures the lives of ordinary people in Turkmenistan with her camera. Soltan’s pictures describing food insecurity, forced and illegal evictions, lack of adequate healthcare and the discrimination faced by people with disabilities, are an invaluable source of information on human rights violations endured by the people of Turkmenistan. In collaboration with the University of Geneva Human Rights Week this event will explore how independent journalism can push back on the denial of freedom of expression in the toughest authoritarian contexts.
In their series “Activists Up Close” the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) focuses on Samreen, who grew up in Lucknow, India, in a household where her mother wasn’t allowed to do anything without her father’s permission. But when her father passed away, Samreen began to question the patriarchal norms that ruled her family. When she connected with AJWS partner Sadbhavna Trust, her world opened entirely.
Sadbhavna Trust runs leadership workshops and job training for women and girls in Lucknow, creating a world in which early marriage is not their only option. Today, Samreen is one of the organization’s leaders, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.
