New Delhi: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has noted that for human rights defenders, working in the field is not a job but a calling.
In a speech on January 13, as reported by UN News, Türk highlighted the critical role of human rights defenders in today’s tumultuous global landscape.
He observed that many rights activists “work out of a deep sense of service to others, and a desire to make a meaningful impact.”
From conflict zones to post-war societies, they provide crucial support to detainees and victims of torture, deliver emergency relief, document violations and expose the root causes of conflict, he noted.
Despite this, rights defenders face “unacceptably high” threats, with some attacks amounting to war crimes.
He also highlighted journalists and humanitarian workers who in the course of doing their jobs have been killed, kidnapped, harassed or detained. Women are particularly vulnerable, he said, and are often targeted by sexual violence, online threats and risks to their family.
Türk stressed the importance of ensuring defenders’ safety, arguing that it is both a legal imperative and a vital step toward achieving justice and peace.
He urged governments to take decisive action, including establishing well-resourced national protection systems and supporting civil society networks that provide cross-border protection. He also noted the importance of reacting swiftly to emerging threats.
Earlier this year, after over six years and six months of incarceration, the Bombay high court granted bail to two human rights defenders, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale. Their arrest was in connection with the Elgar Parishad case in which India’s National Investigation Agency held 16 individuals, which included human rights activists.
The Wire, as part of the international consortium ‘The Pegasus Project,’ had investigated the use of the sinister malware Pegasus in the phones of many human rights defenders, including Wilson and others accused in the case.
“The full impact of digital technologies on the work and safety of human rights defenders is not yet known,” Türk warned in his speech, underlining the urgency of addressing these modern threats.
