Brussels-Geneva-Paris, 24 June 2026. Across the world, governments increasingly use arbitrary detention to silence human rights defenders and suppress dissent. In 2024, the SOS-Defenders initiative documented 93 new detentions in 11 of the 17 pilot countries covered by the project. Yet, sustained advocacy, legal action, international pressure and solidarity contributed to the release of 50 defenders, according to the same report.
Drawing on exchanges among relevant stakeholders, the Observatory publishes today a paper offering recommendations on how to secure the release of human rights defenders arbitrarily detained and strengthen their protection. The follow-up paper is based on discussions held during the Observatory’s 2025 Inter-Mechanisms Meeting, where former detainees, United Nations experts, regional human rights mechanisms, European Union representatives, lawyers and civil society organisations examined what contributes to successful releases and how international actors can respond more effectively when defenders are imprisoned.
A growing tool of repression
Human rights defenders document abuses, expose corruption and defend fundamental freedoms. For this work, many are targeted by authorities seeking to silence criticism and discourage civic engagement. To date, over 550 cases of arbitrarily detained defenders have been documented on SOS-Defenders.
Arbitrary detention has become one of the most effective tools of repression. It isolates defenders, weakens civil society organisations, intimidates communities and restricts participation in public life.
“Arbitrary detention is not only an attack on an individual. It is an attack on civil society as a whole, as it discourages political participation. Securing the release of detained defenders is therefore essential to protecting civic space and fundamental freedoms,” said Alexis Deswaef, president of the FIDH.
Lessons from defenders who regained their freedom
The paper builds on exchanges around recent cases in which human rights defenders were released after years of arbitrary detention and judicial harassment.
During the meeting, participants engaged in discussions on concrete cases from Belarus, Nicaragua, Togo and Tunisia. By the time the paper was finalised, four human rights defenders whose cases had been discussed had regained their freedom. Such releases come following a long-standing commitment by various stakeholders to highlight the arbitrary nature of their detention and to pursue their release through advocacy, legal and diplomatic strategies, underscoring the need for a collective and multi-faceted approach.
“There is no single formula for securing a defender’s release. But one lesson is clear: when defenders are not forgotten, when their cases remain visible and multi-stakeholder pressure is sustained over time, the chances of release increase,” said Gerald Staberbock, Secretary General of the OMCT.
From individual cases to systemic change
The paper also highlights the intersectional impact of arbitrary detention on women human rights defenders, Indigenous defenders, LGBTQI+ defenders and defenders exposed to racism and other forms of discrimination. It calls for protection strategies that better reflect these realities.
Beyond individual cases, participants stressed that arbitrary detention undermines entire communities and weakens democratic participation. Preventing such practices and ensuring rapid, coordinated responses when defenders are detained must remain a priority for states, international institutions and civil society alike.
The Observatory calls on governments to end the use of arbitrary detention against human rights defenders and urges international actors to strengthen support for those imprisoned because of their peaceful human rights work.
The Observatory is a partnership between the FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights) and OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture).