Paris –
Geneva, 26th March 2003 –
The unilateral way in which the American and British governments
have decided to launch an armed intervention in Irak shows complete
disregard for international law and leaves a large room for
arbitrariness. Unfortunately, this practice did not start on
20th March 2003 at 2h35 GMT.
 Human
Rights Defenders on the Front Line Annual Report 2002 
In 2002, Human Rights Defenders have constantly drawn
the attention to the risks of any kind of arbitrary practices.
The fight against terrorism– while legitimate and necessary
– was increasingly diverted from its primary objective
and used by governments to establish or strengthen their hold
on power at the expense of their commitments to human rights.
Consequently, those who dare to criticise regimes for their
human rights abuses (such as members of NGOs, journalists, trade
union leaders, families of disappeared persons, lawyers, etc.)
are more than ever under fire as governments and government-sponsored
private groups clamp down on them. Defenders' appeals in favour
of the Rule of Law and their denunciations of violations are
perceived as threats for around 80 States whose reaction is
to repress the "unpatriotic troublemakers" who are
tarnishing their country's image, both nationally and internationally.
In 2002, the Observatory intervened on behalf of 388 defenders
and around 80 independent NGOs working for the promotion and
protection of Human Rights. Without being exhaustive, there
were some:
- 76 cases of Defenders who were killed or became victims of
forced disappearances ;
- 267 cases of defenders who were victims of aggressions, threats,
intimidations, smear campaigns. Several NGOs were closed.
- 143 cases of defenders who were arrested, detained and/or
arbitrarily sentenced. In some cases there were reports of ill
treatment or torture.
The 2002 Annual Report examines the situation of Human Rights
Defenders region by region, in the new international context
of the fight against terrorism, as well as the national, regional
and international response to the repression they face in promoting
human rights.
It also highlights a paradox of the beginning of the 21st century:
at the same time as an increasingly sophisticated global system
of communication is developing, governments are moving more
energetically to control the means of communication and information
about them. For the most repressive governments, this information
is of crucial importance. Revelations on human rights violations,
corruption, miscarriages of justice, or abuse by the police
or army can lead to a country's condemnation by the international
community or the suspension of international aid. In any case,
they will tarnish the government's image, both regionally and
internationally. Ironically, this happens at a time when States
are committing themselves to the World Summit on the Information
Society.
On the occasion of the publication of its annual report, the
Observatory organised two press conferences on 26th March, in
Geneva and in Dakar
The Report will be available in Bookshops in France on 4th
April 2003
(ed. de l’Aube, 286 p.)
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