Contents
List of abbreviations vii
Foreword ix
Introduction xi
Section A: Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. . . . . . . . . 1
I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE PROTECTION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
II. PHYSICAL INTEGRITY, LIBERTY AND SECURITY AND DIGNITY OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A. Protection from threats, attacks and other abuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
B. Protection from judicial harassment, criminalization,
arbitrary arrest and detention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C. Confronting stigmatization and marginalization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
III. A SAFE AND ENABLING ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO
HUMAN RIGHTS WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
D. Freedom of opinion and expression and of information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
E. Freedom of peaceful assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
F. Freedom of association and the right to form, join and
participate effectively in NGOs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
G. The right to participate in public affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
H. Freedom of movement and human rights work within
and across borders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
I. Right to private life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
J. Right to access and communicate with international bodies. . . . . . . . . . 18
IV. FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDELINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Section B: Explanatory Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE PROTECTION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
II. PHYSICAL INTEGRITY, LIBERTY AND SECURITY AND DIGNITY OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
A. Protection from threats, attacks and other abuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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