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Human rights defenders

Human rights defenders are individuals or groups who act to promote or

protect human rights and include NGOs, lawyers, journalists, academics and

politicians. In many countries they and their families face the risk of

harassment, arrest, detention or death.

Human Rights Day 2010 focused on honouring those who defend h uman

rights around the world. To mark the day, William Hague highlighted those

who champion the rights and freedoms of their fellow men and women, often

at great personal cost, including Liu Xiaobo who was awarded the Nobel

Peace Prize but remains imprisoned in China; the2,200 prisoners of

conscience still detained in Burma; the four people, including Le Cong Dinh,

imprisoned in Vietnam for expressing their opinions; the human rights activist

Azimzhan Askarov, imprisoned for life in Kyrgyzstan; and human rights

defenders in Iran who are harassed, intimidated and imprisoned, including the

lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

We encourage governments to see human rights defenders as legitimate

actors working in the interests of their countries. Our support can have a real

and positive impact, particularly in countries where they face an unfriendly or

intimidating government. In 2010, ministers raised individual cases of

persecution or harassment, for example when Parliamentary Under -Secretary

of State Henry Bellingham called upon the government of the Democratic

Republic of Congo to ensure a full, proper and transparent investigation into

the death of the human rights defender, Mr Floribert Chebeyain. This

ministerial support is underpinned by our embassies and high commissions. In

Belarus, the Embassy worked with the EU and the US to urge the

government to uphold the rights of those detained on political grounds

following the flawed elections on 19 December. William Hague urged the

Belarusian authorities to ensure that all detainees were given access to

adequate medical care and legal representation. He also called on President

Lukashenko and his government to engage in a dia logue with political parties,

NGOs and civil society with a view to allowing them to fulfil their role in a

democratic society. Some political activists have since been released.

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In Colombia indigenous and Afro-Colombian human rights advocates are

routinely subjected to threats and intimidation. Many organisations have told

us that visible contact with our Embassy improves their security. The

Embassy has therefore set out a high-profile programme of support which has

included visits to threatened communities in remote parts of the country such

as Choc and Nario to draw attention to their plight. Jeremy Browne visited

Cartagena in August and met representatives of the Associatio n of Displaced

Afro-Colombians. He condemned threats against them and gave his public

support for the organisation and its work.