Human rights defenders

Human rights defenders are individuals or groups who act to promote or

protect human rights and include NGOs, lawyers, journalists, academics and
politicians. In many countries they and their families face the risk of
harassment, arrest, detention or death.

Human Rights Day 2010 focused on honouring those who defend human
rights around the world. To mark the day, William Hague highlighted “those
who champion the rights and freedoms of their fellow men and women, often
at great personal cost”, including Liu Xiaobo who was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize but remains imprisoned in China; the 2,200 prisoners of
conscience still detained in Burma; the four people, including Le Cong Dinh,
imprisoned in Vietnam for expressing their opinions; the human rights activist
Azimzhan Askarov, imprisoned for life in Kyrgyzstan; and human rights
defenders in Iran who are harassed, intimidated and imprisoned, including the
lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

We encourage governments to see human rights defenders as legitimate

actors working in the interests of their countries. Our support can have a real
and positive impact, particularly in countries where they face an unfriendly or
intimidating government. In 2010, ministers raised individual cases of
persecution or harassment, for example when Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State Henry Bellingham called upon the government of the Democratic
Republic of Congo to ensure a full, proper and transparent investigation into
the death of the human rights defender, Mr Floribert Chebeyain. This
ministerial support is underpinned by our embassies and high commissions.
In Belarus, the Embassy worked with the EU and the US to urge the
government to uphold the rights of those detained on political grounds
following the flawed elections on 19 December. William Hague urged the
Belarusian authorities to ensure that all detainees were given access to
adequate medical care and legal representation. He also called on President
Lukashenko and his government to engage in a dialogue with political parties,
NGOs and civil society with a view to allowing them to fulfil their role in a
democratic society. Some political activists have since been released.
In Colombia indigenous and Afro-Colombian human rights advocates are
routinely subjected to threats and intimidation. Many organisations have told
us that visible contact with our Embassy improves their security. The
Embassy has therefore set out a high-profile programme of support which has
included visits to threatened communities in remote parts of the country such
as Chocó and Nariño to draw attention to their plight. Jeremy Browne visited
Cartagena in August and met representatives of the Association of Displaced
Afro-Colombians. He condemned threats against them and gave his public
support for the organisation and its work.