• #StandAsMyWitness campaign launched two years ago on Nelson Mandela Day
• Campaign has been part of successful global calls to release incarcerated human rights defenders 
• 21 human rights defenders currently featured in the campaign have spent 50 years collectively in prison

In honour of Nelson Mandela Day 18 July, global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls for renewed efforts to help free 21 human rights defenders featured in its #StandAsMyWitness global campaign. Altogether, they have been imprisoned for half a century - and some face many more years behind bars. Activism makes a difference - #StandAsMyWitness has already been part of successful global calls leading to the release of 20 activists across the world.

Launched two years ago on Mandela Day,  #StandAsMyWitness urges governments to free activists in prison or facing pre-trial detention after protecting and promoting human rights. 

“Over 30 years since Nelson Mandela was released from prison and still human rights defenders are wrongfully incarcerated in both authoritarian regimes and democratic states. Their crime? Standing up for the rights of women, children and Indigenous people; fighting for climate justice; advocating for free and fair elections; and promoting democratic freedoms,” said David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead at CIVICUS.

Human rights defenders in the #StandAsMyWitness campaign include Iranian lawyer Nasrin al-Sotoudeh, sentenced to 38 years on charges that include insulting Iran’s supreme leader; Mexican Kenia Hernandez, facing a decade in prison in retaliation for her work defending Indigenous communities; and Buzurgmehr Yorov, a 50-year old lawyer from Tajikistan, sentenced to 22 years behind bars after defending government opponents.

Mr Mandela, perhaps the most iconic and respected human rights defender, was released after 27 years following global opposition to his incarceration. Similar efforts by civil society and sustained public pressure are needed to secure the freedom of rights defenders currently facing long sentences.

“We urge people across the world to demand the release of brave activists in the #StandAsMyWitness campaign: sign a petition, use our hashtag on social media, or lobby your government. It is scandalous that those fighting for justice and equality have spent even one day in prison, never mind many years,” said Kode. 

Sustained action from different sources can make a difference; since its launch two years ago, #StandAsMyWitness has worked with human rights organisations and civil society to guarantee the release of 20 human rights defenders. 

They include activist Teresita Naul from the Philippines, released in October after many awareness-raising efforts by civil society; Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, freed in June last year after nearly five years of civil society campaigning and diplomatic pressure from democratic governments; and women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul from Saudi Arabia, released after 1000 days in 2021 following a prominent global campaign demanding her release.  

South Africa’s iconic former president spent 27 years behind bars before his release. Let’s work together to make sure human rights defenders currently languishing in prison are not forgotten - let’s fight for their freedom together. They are urging you to: Stand As My Witness.

Below is a list of the human rights defenders featured in the #StandAsMyWitness campaign. To find out how to get involved, check out CIVICUS’s campaign webpage: Stand As My Witness.

AFRICA:

• Eswatini: Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube - MPs who campaigned for democratic reform

ASIA:

• Hong Kong: Chow Hang-Tung - pro-democracy activist, sentenced for organising unauthorised Tiananmen Square Massacre commemoration vigil
• India: Khurram Parvez - Kashmiri rights activist; listed in Time magazine’s 100 ‘Most Influential People 2022’ 

CENTRAL ASIA:

• Belarus: Viasna Human Rights Defenders - members of Viasna human rights centre; jailed for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression
• Tajikistan: Buzurgmehr Yorov - human rights lawyer representing members of the opposition; recipient of Homo Homini human rights prize

LATIN AMERICA:

• Mexico: Kenia Hernandez - Indigenous and women’s rights activist; arrested after protest
• Nicaragua: Maria Esperanza Sanchez Garcia - targeted for her civic activism
• Nicaragua: Medardo Mairena and Pedro Mena - opposition activists initially sentenced to more than 200 years in prison after taking part in anti-government protests

MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA:

• Algeria: Kamira Nait Sid - Indigenous and women’s rights activist campaigning for the rights of the Amazigh people in Algeria
• Bahrain: Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja - detained after democracy protests in 2011; recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award 2022 for human rights defenders
• Egypt: Hoda Abdel Moneim - human rights lawyer and former member of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights
• Iran: Nasrin Sotoudeh - human rights lawyer specialising in the rights of women, children and human rights defenders
• United Arab Emirates: Ahmed Mansoor - on the advisory boards for Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights; imprisoned for publishing information on social media

Dear World Leaders,

On Nelson Mandela Day, civil society organisations across the globe call on you to release imprisoned human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience.

Like Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid, there are thousands of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience wrongfully accused and in jail around the world. They have been imprisoned for seeking gender, social, political, economic and environmental justice, for defending excluded people, and for promoting democratic values. 

Many of these human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience are serving sentences for crimes they never committed, after being convicted in unfair trials. Our organisations have for several years documented the unlawful jail terms handed down to human rights defenders in several countries.

We are particularly concerned that the authorities in many countries continue to detain human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise the governments of Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, Bahrain and Cameroon for releasing prisoners as part of their response to this unprecedented health crisis. However, not many human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience were included, and it is now more urgent than ever to release them.  

There are also hundreds of human rights defenders who remain in pretrial detention who have not been charged or tried. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in jails increase the risk of COVID-19 infection and should be strong factors for the reduction of prison populations.

We also urge you to stop the arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists in jail solely for reporting on human rights violations during the pandemic. Although COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted in some parts of the world, some countries have used the pandemic as a pretext to restrict civic freedoms. Journalists and human rights defenders have been physically assaulted and subjected to arbitrary detention and judicial persecution for reporting on the virus. 

We need human rights defenders now more than ever. It is their duty to hold governments to account, to ensure states respect international human rights laws during the pandemic, and to tackle environmental degradation and inequalities that have accelerated the impact of COVID-19.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, recently said:

“Governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having to take difficult decisions. But I urge them not to forget those behind bars, or those confined in places such as closed mental health facilities, nursing homes and orphanages, because the consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic.”

Sadly, some imprisoned human rights defenders have died under suspicious circumstances in various countries during the pandemic.

As we commemorate Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July, we remember that Mr. Mandela urged all of us to take on the burden of leadership in addressing social injustices. We call on you to give millions of families, friends and colleagues of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience around the world a reason to renew their hope for a better future during these unprecedented times.

We urge you to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience in jail solely for their peaceful human rights activities, and stop all judicial persecution against them.
• Prioritise and release detainees who have not been charged, and those held in pretrial detention.
• Stop carrying out new arrests and detentions, particularly on journalists and activists reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, and those accused of breaking lockdown regulations.

Endorsed by:

• 197 organizaciones de derechos humanos firman una carta para exigir a los Estados que pongan fin al encarcelamiento y al acoso que sufren las personas que defienden los  derechos humanos. 
• Instamos a los Estados a que pongan fin a los nuevos arrestos y detenciones de defensores que se están produciendo durante la pandemia del COVID-19, con el aumento de riesgo que ello supone
• Lanzamiento de la campaña "Conviértete en mi testigo" el 18 de julio, Día de Nelson Mandela, con la participación de defensores de los derechos humanos de todo el mundo.

CIVICUS welcomes this celebratory discussion of a true icon of our times. For an organization headquartered in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela has been for us a constant reminder and an inspiration to engage in the fight for justice, to call for the release of prisoners of conscience and to continue to protect the space for a vibrant civil society to operate.

But today this is also my personal witness:

I was privileged to meet and look into the eyes of Nelson Mandela on 9 June 1990 when he had come to pay tribute to the World Council of Churches (WCC) here in Geneva for their long-standing support, shortly after his release from 27 years in prison.   It was a moment I will never forget.

Later, during extensive visits in South Africa, in 1998, I was awed by his prison cell in Robben Island. I met with Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and was inspired by the institutions Mandela had created to help overcome the hate and mistrust of the long standing racial segregation but also as a mechanism to hold violators of the worst crimes to account.

In the same year, at the 8^th World Assembly of the WCC in Harare I saw President Mandela with a broad smile and as Statesman and committed activist dancing,.. spreading joy and love to the whole world.

Where in the world do we have such an Icon today?

Distinguished panelists, how can Mandela’s visionary legacy, his long peaceful march to freedom, to human rights, democracy and social justice be the inspiration and hope for many who are still suppressed and enslaved, but above all how can he be the example for many governments today?

Por Mandeep Tiwana, Director de Programas en CIVICUS y Benjamin Tonga, Coordinador de la campaña #StandAsMyWitness en CIVICUS

El próximo 18 de julio, Día de Mandela, es un buen momento para redoblar los esfuerzos por la libertad de los activistas de derechos humanos actualmente en prisión en todo el planeta.

Lee el artículo completo: Democracia abierta

• 197 organisations de défense des droits de l'homme signent une lettre appelant les États à mettre fin à l'emprisonnement et au harcèlement des défenseurs des droits de l'homme
• Les États sont priés de mettre fin aux nouvelles arrestations et détentions de défenseurs, notant un risque accru lors du COVID-19
• Lancement de la campagne #StandAsMyWitness le 18 juillet, lors de la journée Nelson Mandela, avec des défenseurs des droits de l'homme du monde entier

• 197 human rights organisations sign letter calling on states to end the imprisonment and harassment of human rights defenders
• States urged to stop new arrests and detentions of defenders, noting heightened risk during COVID-19
• #StandAsMyWitness campaign launches on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July, featuring human rights defenders from around the world

By Benjamin Tonga and Mandeep Tiwana

On 18 July, people in South Africa and around the world will mark Nelson Mandela Day to commemorate the courage and sacrifice of one of the greatest political leaders and human rights defenders of our times. Nelson Mandela was unjustly imprisoned for over a quarter of a century until South Africa’s apartheid regime finally acknowledged the travesty of his incarceration and ordered his release. It took concerted global pressure and organising by concerned citizens and civil society groups to achieve this feat.

Chers dirigeants mondiaux,

À l'occasion de la Journée Nelson Mandela, les organisations de la société civile du monde entier vous demandent de libérer les défenseurs des droits de l'homme et les prisonniers d'opinion emprisonnés.

Comme Nelson Mandela qui a passé 27 ans en prison pour son opposition à l'apartheid, des milliers de défenseurs des droits de l'homme et de prisonniers d'opinion sont accusés à tort et emprisonnés dans le monde entier. Ils ont été emprisonnés pour avoir recherché la justice sociale, politique, économique et environnementale, pour avoir défendu les personnes exclues et pour avoir promu les valeurs démocratiques. 

Nombre de ces défenseurs des droits de l'homme et prisonniers d'opinion purgent des peines pour des crimes qu'ils n'ont jamais commis, après avoir été condamnés à l'issue de procès inéquitables. Depuis plusieurs années, nos organisations ont documenté les peines de prison illégales infligées aux défenseurs des droits de l'homme dans plusieurs pays.

Nous sommes particulièrement préoccupés par le fait que les autorités de nombreux pays continuent de détenir des défenseurs des droits de l'homme et des prisonniers d'opinion pendant la pandémie COVID-19. Nous remercions les gouvernements d'Iran, d'Éthiopie, de Turquie, de Bahreïn et du Cameroun d'avoir libéré des prisonniers dans le cadre de leur réponse à cette crise sanitaire sans précédent. Cependant, peu de défenseurs des droits de l'homme et de prisonniers d'opinion ont été inclus, et il est maintenant plus urgent que jamais de les libérer.  

Il y a également des centaines de défenseurs des droits de l'homme qui sont toujours en détention préventive et qui n'ont pas été inculpés ou jugés. La surpopulation et les mauvaises conditions sanitaires dans les prisons augmentent le risque d'infection au COVID-19 et devraient être des facteurs importants de réduction de la population carcérale.

Nous vous demandons également de mettre fin aux arrestations et aux détentions arbitraires de journalistes en prison uniquement pour avoir fait des reportages sur les violations des droits de l'homme pendant la pandémie. Bien que les restrictions relatives au COVID-19 soient levées dans certaines régions du monde, certains pays ont utilisé la pandémie comme prétexte pour restreindre les libertés civiques. Des journalistes et des défenseurs des droits de l'homme ont été agressés physiquement et soumis à des détentions arbitraires et à des persécutions judiciaires pour avoir fait des reportages sur le virus. 

Nous avons plus que jamais besoin de défenseurs des droits de l'homme. Il est de leur devoir de demander des comptes aux gouvernements, de veiller à ce que les États respectent les lois internationales sur les droits de l'homme pendant la pandémie et de s'attaquer à la dégradation de l'environnement et aux inégalités qui ont accéléré l'impact du COVID-19.

La Haut Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme, Michelle Bachelet, a récemment déclaré:

"Dans cette crise, les gouvernements sont confrontés à d'énormes besoins en ressources et doivent prendre des décisions difficiles. Mais je leur demande instamment de ne pas oublier ceux qui sont derrière les barreaux, ou ceux qui sont confinés dans des lieux tels que les établissements fermés de santé mentale, les maisons de soins et les orphelinats, car les conséquences de leur négligence sont potentiellement catastrophiques".

Malheureusement, certains défenseurs des droits de l'homme emprisonnés sont morts dans des circonstances suspectes dans différents pays pendant la pandémie.

Alors que nous commémorons la Journée Nelson Mandela le 18 juillet, nous nous souvenons que M. Mandela nous a tous exhortés à assumer le fardeau du leadership dans la lutte contre les injustices sociales. Nous vous demandons de donner à des millions de familles, d'amis et de collègues de défenseurs des droits de l'homme et de prisonniers d'opinion du monde entier une raison de renouveler leur espoir d'un avenir meilleur en ces temps sans précédent.

Nous vous invitons à :

• Libérer immédiatement et sans condition tous les défenseurs des droits de l'homme et les prisonniers d'opinion emprisonnés uniquement pour leurs activités pacifiques en faveur des droits de l'homme, et cesser toute persécution judiciaire à leur encontre.
• Donner la priorité aux détenus qui n'ont pas été inculpés et à ceux qui sont en détention préventive, et les libérer.
• Cesser de procéder à de nouvelles arrestations et détentions, en particulier pour les journalistes et les militants qui font des reportages sur la pandémie COVID-19, et pour ceux qui sont accusés d'avoir enfreint les règles de confinement.

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