À propos de l'exposition

However, the very nature of their work often places human rights defenders in significant danger. They face a range of threats, including harassment, intimidations, physical and digital attacks, unfair trials on spurious charges, imprisonment, and in the most extreme cases, enforced disappearances, torture and killings. Front Line Defenders documented the killings of at least 300 human rights defenders around the world in 2023, a third of whom were indigenous people’s rights defenders. Long term imprisonment is also a tactic and trend used by oppressive governments to neutralise their work and get them out of the way. At least 100 human rights defenders in 16 countries are currently serving at least 10 years and in some cases life imprisonment due to their peaceful and legitimate work. Long term imprisonment is for me one of the cruellest violations, as the defenders fade from the mind as they fade from the sight – helpless, hopeless and forgotten. In many countries, repressive governments are enacting laws specifically designed to stifle human rights defenders’ efforts, or abuse the existing legal system, including anti-terror legislation, to prosecute them. ​Women human rights defenders and LGBTQI+ rights defenders, who often challenge traditional patriarchal and heteronormative systems, face additional threats and challenges because of who they are. Human rights defenders working to protect the environment, defend land rights or indigenous rights, are amongst those most at risk of being killed. Defenders of the rights of refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers are increasingly vilified and criminalised for trying to save lives and assist those in danger. Being a human rights defender takes courage, resilience and a largeness of spirit in the face of such adversity. I am in constant awe of their fiery hearts, filled with passion, compassion and care. And let me tell you, the next generation of human rights defenders, children and young people with whom I have spoken over the years, are beyond worthy successors of the global human rights movement. Human Rights Defenders, young and old, all over the world, in democracies and dictatorships, in cities, in forests and in deserts, are achieving huge successes often in the face of terrible danger. Supporting human rights defenders is not an act of charity. It is a moral imperative and a strategic necessity. Human rights defenders must have the freedom to highlight and expose human rights violations, regardless of who commits them. They must have the freedom to peacefully assemble, and to be involved in the civic life of their country. They must have the freedom to seek resources, including from abroad. In short, they must have the right to defend rights. To ensure a safe and supportive environment for human rights defenders, recognition, visibility and legitimacy are key. Human rights defenders are not the enemies so States should respect their work and put in place protection mechanisms that are implemented, in consultation with them. In the words of disability rights defenders: “Nothing about us without us”. The failure of governments and corporate leaders to listen to human rights defenders’ voices has contributed to many of the problems we are facing today. At a time when the forces of authoritarianism and repression are on the rise, the work of human rights defenders is more vital than ever. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that they have the support and protection they need to continue their essential work. We stand in solidarity with them and recognise that their fight is not just a local or national issue, but a global one, that affects the very fabric of our shared humanity. In 2023, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, I commissioned a poem from British-Kashmiri writer Nikita Gill. The following verses are drawn from the work she created, ‘Seeds of Hope’, which perfectly captures the spirit of human rights defenders: