91. States should also refrain from any other action, including legislative measures,
that may frustrate or undermine the right of human rights defenders to provide
information, submit cases or participate in meetings with international bodies,
including: OSCE institutions; the United Nations and its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights; the institutions of the Council of Europe and
the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); international courts
and tribunals; and any other human rights mechanisms at the international and
regional level. States must refrain from actions that might prevent human rights
defenders from travelling abroad to attend formal and informal meetings with
international bodies. Moreover, they should not prevent human rights defenders
from meeting with international delegations when these visit the country.
92. States should take proactive steps to facilitate communication between human
rights defenders and international bodies with a view to improving the protection
of human rights in the country. They should, for example, actively disseminate
information in the country’s local languages about international human rights
mechanisms, related human rights instruments, recommendations, decisions and
jurisprudence. They should consult with human rights defenders when drafting
periodic reports to human rights monitoring bodies and other mechanisms and
should actively consult with them in ensuring adequate follow-up. They should
accept visit requests from the UN, its representatives and mechanisms in the field
of human rights, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders. Furthermore, they should facilitate in good faith the conduct of
such visits, as well as those by regional institutions, including of the Council of
Europe and the IACHR, and provide space for human rights defenders to hold private meetings and confidentially share information with these bodies and institutions in the course of their visits. Furthermore, states should welcome ODIHR and
other OSCE institutions to conduct visits and other monitoring activities.
IV. FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDELINES
National implementation
93. To ensure the protection of human rights defenders, participating States are
encouraged to carry out – in consultation with civil society – a baseline review of
laws and practices affecting human rights defenders. They should repeal or amend
any laws and regulations that impede or hinder the work of human rights defenders
and adjust their practices accordingly.
94. Participating States should strengthen the role of independent NHRIs and their
mandate in accordance with the Paris Principles, and should consider granting
them the competence to receive individual complaints if not yet done so. Where
this is not yet the case, states should specifically mandate and resource NHRIs
to systematically and impartially monitor and regularly report on the situation of
human rights defenders, and to support them in obtaining redress for violations
they experience as a result of their work. They should not in any way restrict the
Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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