Rights On The Line

This is a special episode, produced by the Coalition for Human Rights in Development. in collaboration with Front Line Defenders. Ahead of the upcoming Finance in Common Summit in Paris, we speak with defenders in Kenya, Guatemala and India, about the human rights impact of projects imposed in the name of development From the 9th to the 12th of November, all public development banks in the world will be together for the first time ever. Over 450 finance institutions and heads of governments will meet to discuss their response to global challenges such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the flag of "sustainable development", these banks often present themselves as the world's saviours. But their investments come at a high price. Activities they finance have been linked to thousands of human rights violations. Human rights defenders who oppose harmful projects are being accused of being “anti-development” and they are being threatened, attacked and killed. Indigenous Peoples are seeing their

Episodio SP 2 - Defender Derechos En Tiempos De COVID - 19 Una conversación con Sandra Patago, Front Line Defenders; Guillermo Rodríguez García. Oficial de incidencia del programa para México y centroamérica del Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL); Argentina Casanova, codirectora ejecutiva de la RNDDHMX; Waquel Drullard, facilitadore de proyectos en Artículo 19 en la oficina de Mx y Centroamérica y colabora en la facilitación del Espacio OSC en México; María Martín, coordinadora de incidencia de la IM-Defensoras; y Lesly Guerrero, encargada área legal internacional de UDEFEGUA (Guatemala). Además del fuerte impacto que ha tenido la crisis sanitaria generada por la pandemia de COVID-19 en el acceso a derechos y servicios básicos, esta ha resultado también en una profundización de la crisis democrática y de derechos humanos en la región mesoamericana. Como respuesta a la pandemia, algunos Estados de la región han implementado acciones de carácter punitivo, como toques de queda, estados

Interview with Palestinian artist and human rights defender Hafez Omar for Cypher 02: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/cypher02.pdf

Episode 9 - Watched & Monitored: Protecting HRDs from Surveillance - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 01:20 - Hussein Radhi, Bahrain: 01:20 - 04:38 - BIll Marczak, The Citizen Lab, Canada: 04:39 - 16:11 - Tahir Imran, Pakistan: 16:12 -30:02 - Zehida Bihorac, Bosnia & Herzegovina: 30:03 - 36:02

Episode 8 - HRDs & Wellbeing: Rest & Respite For Resiliency - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 01:50 - Abdifatah Hassan Ali, Somalia: 01:50 - 13:05 - Anna Sharyhina, Ukraine: 13:05 - 18:41 - Atziri Avila, Mexico: 18:42 -24:50 With the global pandemic continuing to impose social distancing and other changes to our lives, human rights defenders are increasingly dealing with new types of stress, on top of the regular barrage of threats, harassment and smearing, among other risks and threats. In this episode we go a bit behind the scenes with three human rights defenders to discuss how they deal with the impact of the work on their lives and wellbeing. One of the supports that Front Line Defenders offers to HRDs for their wellbeing and stress management is the Rest & Respite Programme. The programme provides an opportunity for HRDs who are exhausted, experiencing burnout or facing temporary safety issues to take some time out from their work and the stressful environment in which they are working. Front Line Defenders has

Season 2, Episode 7 - HRDs Defending Digital Space - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 01:18 - Rabah Nouami, Morocco: 01:18 - 09:42 - Larisa Schmillevitch, Brazil: 09:43 - 22:45 - Asan 'AJ', South Sudan,: 22:46 - 29:31 - HRD, Sri Lanka: 29:32 - 39:54 In this episode of the Front Line Defenders podcast Rights on the Line, we’ll hear from human rights defenders in Morocco, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, and Brazil talk about the unique online threats to their work and when the significance of digital protection can mean the difference between life and death. Through the global pandemic, we are all making adaptations to new modes of working. Many of us are now work remotely, in different physical and emotional environments. But for those human rights defenders whose work always posed threats to their wellbeing and safety, the crisis has no doubt been abused to further repress their activities. Defending digital safety has never been more urgent. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, governments around the world have introduced and impl

Season 2, Episode 6 - Hong Kong Moment This episode takes us to Hong Kong, where citizens are facing an unprecedented crisis brought on by China’s announcement that it would introduce new national security legislation to control the territory. Hong Kong saw a massive uprising of protest in 2019 against what was seen as moves by the Chinese government to infringe on the basic freedoms enjoyed in the city-state. It was the second mass movement in the decade, following the Umbrella Movement a few years before. Yet now, with the world focused on dealing with a global health pandemic, Chinese authorities are moving to consolidate power in what is seen as an existential crisis for Hong Kong and its people. Front Line Defenders discussed the situation and what it might mean for the future of human rights in Hong Kong with human rights defenders and journalists. Joining us for this episode are Mabel Au, a long time human rights campaigner, working on labour and gender rights; Lee Cheuk-yan, General Secretary of th

Episodio SP 1 - COVID-19, Respuestas de los Gobiernos & Las Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en América Latina - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 02:52 - Sara García Gross, El Salvador: 02:52 - 07:52 - Manuela Roya, Chile: 07:52 - 15:41 - Miriam Miranda, Honduras: 15:41 - 31:04 - María Ciro: 31:04 - 40:28 Front Line Defenders presenta una edición especial del podcast Rights on the Line, enfocándose en las defensoras de derechos humanos en América Latina con el episodio completo en español. Hasta el momento, la pandemia de la COVID-19 ha afectado a América Latina en menor medida que a otras regiones del mundo, con la notable excepción del Brasil, pero esto no significa que la región esté a salvo, ni que algunas medidas que han tomado los gobiernos se ajusten bien a sus poblaciones, en particular a los grupos más vulnerables, especialmente los pueblos indígenas. El Salvador fue el primer país que aplicó las medidas más estrictas de la región para hacer frente a la crisis, pero éstas no estuvieron exentas de controversia po

Season 2, Episode 5 - The COVID-19 Crisis & Prisons in Iran - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 02:02 - Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Prize Winner & Lawyer: 02:03 - 05:03 - Roya Boroumand, Executive DIrector, AB Center: 05:03 - 20:44 (including testimonies from Iranian prisoners) This episode of Rights on the Line focuses on the prison situation in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is a collaboration between Front Line Defenders and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, a non-governmental non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran. In its documentation of human rights defenders cases in Iran, Front Line Defenders has often drawn attention to the poor health conditions in the prisons. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center has also documented these conditions, most recently in its April 2020 report, “COVID-19 Fear in Iran’s Prisons”, available on the Center’s website, www.iranrights.org The first COVID-19 cases were reported in Iran on February 19th in Qom. A month

Season 2, Episode 4 - COVID-19, HRDs & Government Response: Focus on India - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 04:22 - Gayatri Khandhadai, Tamil Nadu: 04:22 - 24:48 - Anindya Hajra, West Bengal: 24:48 - 37:25 - Sadam Hanjabam, Manipur: 37:25 - 50:32 - HRD, Kashmir: 50:32 - 1:08:58 India has not been hit as hard by the COVID-19 pandemic as other countries, at least not in official statistics. While undercounting might be due to lack of available testing, the steps the Indian government took, including a 21-day lockdown may have proven effective in staving off worst-case scenarios. However, that does not mean the government's response has been welcomed in the country. And the measures the Modi government has taken have been widely seen as fitting into a larger trend characteristic of its Hindu-nationalist policies. From the earliest days of the crisis, the Muslim minority has been blamed for the spread of the virus. While the blaming of minorities or marginalized groups is not unique to India, the fact that this comes so

Season 2, Episode 3 - When COVID-19 Cleared the Streets: What Next for Social Protests in Chile, Iraq & Algeria? - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 01:38 - Interview Manuela Royo, Chile: 01:38 - 09:49 - Interview with Mariam Al-Ashbal, Iraq: 09:49 - 16:23 - Interview with Leila Chaimaa Souama, Algeria: 16:23 - 21:53 Across the globe, 2019 was the year of packed squares and swarming streets, as tens of thousands of people gathered or marched to protest against deep economic inequality, call for greater civil and political rights, speak up against rampant corruption, and fight for a better future. From Chile to Iraq, demonstrations were largely peaceful. Yet, the crackdown was brutal. Human rights defenders, who were often at the front lines of those protests – documenting violations, assisting those who were arrested or organising peaceful actions – were particularly targeted. Despite the violent repression, mass protests seemed unstoppable. But the coronavirus outbreak has now succeeded where governments had failed. So

Season 2, Episode 2 - COVID-19 & HRDs: Defending the Marginalized - China, Poland & Rohingya In Bangladesh - FLD Intro: 00:00 - 02:07 - Interview with Lu Pin, China: 02:07 - 16:03 - Interview with Karolina Wieckiewicz, Poland: 16:04 - 27:01 - Interview with Rohingya HRD, Bangladesh: 27:02 - 31:52 Across the world, human rights defenders are adapting to life under the COVID-19 pandemic and working to both continue their regular work and also to provide additional support to groups who were already vulnerable and marginalized. In this episode of the Front Line Defenders ‘Rights on the Line’ podcast, we continue to learn about the impact of the health crisis on the work of HRDs on the front lines. In China, even as the complete closure of Wuhan was still in full effect, human rights defenders and organizations reported spikes in the number of cases of domestic violence being called in to hotlines. What has now emerged as a consequence of the stay at home policy in numerous countries is that the virus has lef

www.frontlinedefenders.org Season 2, Episode 1 FLD Intro: 00:00 - 02:51 Interview with Yara Hawari, Palestine: 02:51 - 12:48 Interview with William Amanzuru, Uganda: 12:48 - 26:36 Interview with Sara García Gross, El Salvador: 26:36 - 33:03 As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, and communities seek to protect themselves however they can, governments are being challenged to respond. While the vast majority of governments have not done well in initial responses, some have been transparent, direct and engaged with their citizens – and the global community. Others, particularly those with authoritarian features or tendencies, are engaged in responding to the crisis that puts political and economic interests out front, crafting policy and decree accordingly. The declaration of emergency rule in too many countries only solidifies what was already there in practice, and leaves many people scared not only of the virus itself, but what may come next when life returns to what we now call normal. Human r

#UDHR70 Listen to this episode of #RightsOnTheLinePodcast to hear HRDs reflect firsthand on the importance of - and limitations of - UN Declarations on the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration on #HumanRights and 20th anniversary of the Declaration on #HumanRightsDefenders.

Rights on the Line brings you a brief bulletin from Paris today where a hundred and fifty human rights defenders from across the globe have gathered for the Human Rights Defenders World Summit.

Brazilian human rights defender Pâmella Passos. Pamella spent six weeks in Dublin as part of Front Line Defenders’ Rest and Respite program earlier this summer, just months after the death of her friend and well-known human rights defender and councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was murdered in Rio de Janeiro in on the 14th of March.

On this episode we talk about elections and how they can impact human rights defenders. By looking at some of the federal elections that have taken place this year, we’ll be able to see the different and nuanced ways political changes at the national level can impact the situation for those fighting for human rights in that country. Over the next half hour we’ll be moving region to region across the globe to discuss recent elections in Mexico, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Cambodia.

Front Line Defenders boardmember Arnold Tsunga speaks from Mozambique today, to give update on the situation in Zimbabwe following Monday's presidential election. Six people have been killed by police who fired at protestors with live rounds, tear gas and water cannons. In addition to the violent response to demonstrations, there are reports of the military preemptively targeting Human Rights Defenders to prevent dissent.

Today, Rights on the Line brings you a brief bulletin on the current election in Zimbabwe. Front Line Defenders Boardmember, Africa Director of the International Commission of Jurists and Executive Director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Arnold Tsunga, has returned to Zimbabwe to participate in today’s federal election. Arnold, who is part of a team conducting election monitoring, spoke with Rights on the Line from a polling station in Mutare earlier today to update us on how election day is going.

On 20 June, at an event alongside the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Front Line Defenders released a report on the killings of HRDs wordlwide. Focusing on the six countries with the highest number of killings, and by that we mean targeted attacks, assassinations, extrajudicial killing by the state or authorities. To bring you additional insight into this issue, Rights on the Line spoke to human rights defenders from Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil, three of the six countries profiled in the report.