80 civil society organisations from 30+ countries urge Honarable Secretary of State, Antony Blinken to strengthen U.S. government foreign policy to support human rights defenders globally
Hon. Antony Blinken Secretary of State
United States of America
CC: Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman,Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator James Risch, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman,House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Representative Michael McCaul, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Dear Secretary Blinken:
We, the undersigned organisations, work to promote human rights, democracy, media freedom, environmental sustainability, and an end to corruption around the world. The protection of human rights defenders — such as activists, lawyers, and journalists — is critical to each of our missions. We are deeply concerned by the unabated rise in reprisals against human rights defenders, both globally and within the United States, and the chilling effect that these attacks have on fundamental freedoms and civic space.
We would like to request the opportunity to begin a discussion with the incoming State Department political leadership on the role that the Biden Administration will play in protecting human rights defenders.
As the Administration prepares to re-engage the U.S. government at the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, we encourage you to elevate the protection of human rights defenders as a U.S. foreign policy priority and commit to play a global leadership role on this issue.
Signed by
- Access Now
- Accountability Counsel
- African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies Al-Haq
- Alliance of Baptists Amazon Watch
- American Jewish World Service
- Amnesty International USA
- ARTICLE 19
- Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)
- Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc (BALAOD Mindanaw)
- Bank Information Center
- Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
- Center for Civil Liberties
- Center for Human Rights and Environment
- Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
- China-Latin America Sustainable-Investments Initiative Church World Service
- CIVICUS
- Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach Committee to Protect Journalists
- COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding Nigeria
- Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
- Crude Accountability
- DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
- EarthRights International
- Ecumenical Advocacy Network on the Philippines Equitable Cambodia
- FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders FORUM-ASIA
- Freedom House
- Freedom Now
- Front Line Defenders
- Gender Action
- Global Witness
- Green Advocates International (Liberia)
- Greenpeace
- Human Rights First
- Inclusive Development International Indigenous Peoples Rights
- International International Accountability Project International Rivers
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Jamaa Resource Initiatives Kenya
- Japan NGO Action Network for Civic Space Just Associates (JASS)
- Kaisa Ka (Unity of Women for Freedom) KILUSAN
- Latin America Working Group
- Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
- National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
- Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala - NISGUA
- Network Movement for Justice and Development
- Odhikar – Bangladesh OECD Watch
- Oil Workers Rights Protection Organization Public Union Azerbaijan
- OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Open Briefing
- OT Watch
- Oxfam America
- Peace Brigades International - USA (PBI-USA)
- Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies
- Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
- Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
- Project HEARD
- Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER) - Latin American NGO
- Protection International
- Rivers without Boundaries Coalition Mongolia Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
- Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS)
- Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network Swedwatch
- Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)
- Transparency International
- United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights
- Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
- Witness Radio – Uganda
Civic space in United States of America is rated Obstructed by the CIVICUS Monitor, see country page.