Steadfast in Protest

14/03/2007
Press release
Annual Reports
en fr ru

Launching of the English version of the 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) publish today the English version of the annual report of their joint programme, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.

The 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory documents acts of repression faced by 1,311 human rights defenders, as well as obstacles to freedom of association, in about 90 countries around the world.

This new edition, of which Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, is the author of the foreword, and which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Observatory, pays tribute to these women and men who, every day, and often risking their own lives, fight for law to triumph over arbitrariness.

At the occasion of the launching of this report, several press conferences and meetings are being organised throughout March, in particular in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Georgia, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Egypt, Colombia, Philippines, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Malaysia, Burundi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Italia, etc. thanks to the support of the member organisations and partners of OMCT and FIDH.

This report, which was launched on March 14, 2007 in its French version, will also be published in Spanish in its entirety, in Russian for the section on Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and in Arabic for the North Africa and Middle East section.

Foreword by Kofi Annan

"Human rights defenders have played an irreplaceable role in
protecting victims and denouncing abuses. Their commitment
has exposed them to the hostility of dictatorships and the most
repressive governments. [...] This action, which is not only
legitimate but essential, is too often hindered or repressed -
sometimes brutally. [...] Much remains to be done, as shown
in the 2006 Report [of the Observatory], which, unfortunately,
continues to present grave violations aimed at criminalising
and imposing abusive restrictions on the activities of human
rights defenders. [...] I congratulate the Observatory and its two
founding organisations for this remarkable work [...]".
Mr. Kofi Annan
Former Secretary General of the United Nations (1997 - 2006)
The 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory for the Protection
of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH) documents acts of
repression faced by more than 1,300 defenders and obstacles to
freedom of association, in nearly 90 countries around the world.
This new edition, which coincides with the tenth anniversary of
the Observatory, pays tribute to these women and men who, every
day, and often risking their lives, fi ght for law to triumph over
arbitrariness.
The Observatory is a programme of alert, protection and mobilisation,
established by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) in 1997. It aims
to establish a systematic response from the international community
in the face of repression of defenders, and to end the isolation of these
courageous activists.

Press Kit

– Foreword by Kofi Annan > p. 2
– The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders > p. 3
– Testimonials > p. 4
– Executive Summary and Regional Summaries > p. 6
– Anna Politkovskaya : the honour of the Russian defenders > p. 9
– Some Defenders > p.10

  • Chen Guangcheng (China)
  • Bernadette Sayo (Central African Republic)
  • Yessica Sanchez Maya (Mexico)
    – Typologies and statistics > p. 12
Press Kit

***

The 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory presents an analysis of the situation of human rights
defenders in each region of the world. These analyses are followed by compilations of all the cases
handled by the Observatory in 2006, and by updated information on cases from the 2005 report. In
addition to reporting the repression affecting individuals or groups, this report also aims at analysing
trends in the repression targeting defenders and the strategies implemented by a number of actors,
first among them being States.

The cases presented reflect the alert, mobilisation and support activities conducted by the Observatory, on
the basis of information received from member organisations and partners of OMCT and FIDH.

Side-events et press conferences

March 13 :

– in Geneva (Switzerland) - Press Contact : Delphine Reculeau : 00 41 22 809 52 42

March 14 :

– in Brussels (Belgium) - Press Contact : Grégoire Théry : 00 322 209 62 89

– in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in the presence of many leaders of African Human Rights Organisations -members of FIDH- Press Contact : Florent Geel : 00 336 822 321 87

March 16 :

– in Tunis - Press Contact: Antoine Madelin : 00 32 48 52 22 287

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