Somalia: international support and scrutiny should continue despite UN shift
8 October 2025
After the UN Human Rights Council changed its approach to
After the UN Human Rights Council changed its approach to
Since August 2024, and under the leadership of Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders and Chairperson of AfricanDefenders, two missions have been deployed to Somalia to evaluate the current landscape for human rights defenders (HRDs), 10 years after the launch of the report titled Between the Rock and the Hard Place.
Amid ongoing political uncertainty in Somalia, the international community should
In a submission released ahead of the third Universal Periodic
Through a resolution adopted at the close of the 45th
DefendDefenders is concerned over a statement released by Somalia’s intelligence service, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), in which the agency accused renowned journalist, author, and Al-Shabaab expert Harun Maruf of being “a threat” to national security and contemplated legal action against him.
February was a hectic month for DefendDefenders with many progressive endeavours. As we continued to monitor the situation for human rights defenders (HRDs) in the East and Horn of Africa sub-region, we particularly followed the progressive, yet fragile, developments in South Sudan.
DefendDefenders joins civil society organisations in calling on the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders.
Dear friends and colleagues, 2020 is an auspicious year for