Human Rights Defenders

Human rights defenders play a crucial role in promoting human rights and ensuring justice. Yet they face many obstacles, judicial harassment and violence. The Commissioner supports their work through recommendations to state authorities, awareness-raising and ongoing engagement with defenders and international bodies.

Commissioner calls on states to support and to protect human rights defenders in the context of multiple crises affecting Europe

“The growing gap between the risks and the obstacles faced by human rights defenders in Europe and the standards States have agreed to must be a call to action”, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović upon the release today of a report on a round-table with human rights defenders from across Europe, held in Dublin in October 2022.  full article

Europe must end repression of human rights defenders assisting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants (2024)

Available versions:  English | French (currently being translated)
Introduction and recommendations: French