Newsletter: Defenders in Focus, Issue 8 (August- December 2014)

Reflections on the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council

A relatively short session due to the UN’s liquidity crisis, the Human Rights Council’s (HRC) 59th session (HRC59) took place from 16 June to 8 July 2025. Three session days were cut, a number of debates could not be held, and a number of reports could not be delivered by the UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR). This is a regrettable situation.

Eritrea: UN mandate extended despite government’s attempt to end scrutiny

The UN Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution on

From Exile to Influence: Kamau Ngugi’s Journey with DefendDefenders

“It is interesting that we are talking about 20 years of DefendDefenders. It actually feels like two years, because it feels like DefendDefenders keeps recreating itself. Its presence and the energy feels like it has just begun its work. The staff, the management, everyone at DefendDefenders, is very, very committed to defending human rights defenders and I can only wish them well and wish that we can grow as Defend Defenders, beyond 20 years, into the kind of future that they deserve.”

Reflections on the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)

The African Union’s 2025 theme, “Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” set the tone for the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), held from 2 to 22 May 2025 in Banjul, The Gambia.

Eritrea: Do Not Create a Precedent, Maintain HRC Scrutiny

Eritrea: Do Not Create a Precedent, Maintain HRC Scrutiny All

DefendDefenders’ oral statements at HRC59

Oral statements delivered during the 59th session of the UN