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40Journalists on the Frontline of Human Rights Defenceof every citizen as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) arerespected and upheld. Its mission is to maximize the protection of HRDs working in the subregionand to enhance the awareness of human rights work through linkages with national,regional and international like-minded entities.WorkshopsTwo working groups were formed with the aim of examining the use of protectionmechanisms in different work settings. Their results are given below:Workshop A: How to protect one-self when working in situations ofconflictWhat challenges do journalists and other HRDs face in such situations?• State-organized violence;• Conflicts between states (Eritrea/Ethiopia);• Lack of access to information;• Lack of institutions that journalists can access;• No rule of law or functional authorities.What protection mechanisms can be applied in these situations?• Important to understand which treaty/conventions etc. can be used and referred to;• Important to have a good monitoring system;• Remain neutral – do not take sides or become part of the conflict;• Try to identify credible groups that can help or provide support;• Understand the dynamic of the conflict.Workshop B: How to protect oneself when working in situations ofpolitical and legal repressionThere is a need for reliance on the following mechanisms:• Lobby Parliament when possible – seek support from legislative bodies;• Seek to support court independence;• Get support from the public;• Important to extensively network with other HRDs and with the diaspora;• Build contacts with EU embassies for times when in need of quick action;• Get media coverage of cases, in particular ensure immediate response to violation andget coverage not only inside the respective country but outside as well;• Long term lobbying through the African Commission and its individual caseprocedure;• Establish journalists’ associations where possible.
Conference Report: Resources and Proceedings 41Recognition of particular challenges for some countries• Somaliland is not internationally recognized, so very difficult to appeal to internationaland regional institutions and its mechanisms;• Little responsiveness to decisions made be international and regional bodies such inthe case of Eritrea.Plenary discussionThe subsequent plenary session provided room for further contributions. Participants noted thatdespite the protection mechanisms being in place, their potential of protecting HRDs in need islimited. An example of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights was given,highlighting its weakness in achieving compliance by Governments identified as violators ofhuman rights. A case in point, participants noted, is Eritrea, which has repeatedly refused tocomply with resolutions passed on the release of political prisoners. This together with theincapacitation of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders to execute her mandatemakes the Commission appear “toothless” and brings to question the Commission’s ability toeffectively impact on the situation of human rights defenders in the sub-region. However, thecreation of the African Court was seen as a promising innovation, providing individuals andorganisations with the opportunity to appeal on a case to case basis, holding AfricanGovernments accountable for violating provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’Rights. The importance of knowing the avenues of redress and support among human rightsdefenders was stressed repeatedly.Assessing risks: threats, vulnerabilities and capacitiesMarie Caraj (PBI-BEO)Research and Training Unit CoordinatorEuropean Office, Peace Brigades InternationalExtract from the Protection Manual for Human Rights Defenders, by LuisEnrique Eguren (PBI-BEO), edited by Frontline.Human rights defenders often face situations that bear security risk forthem as individuals, as well as the organisation they are working for. Toadequately handle these risks therefore, it is necessary to have an© EHAHRDPunderstanding of the concepts of threats, vulnerability and capacity insecurity management and learn how to do a risk assessment.
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