Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 7/8 and 16/5, the Special Rapporteur provides an account of her activities during the reporting year and draws the attention of Member States to the 252 communications sent under the mandate during the past year. The main focus of the report is the role of national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, highlighting the fact that they can be considered as human rights defenders.

The Special Rapporteur elaborates on the potential role national institutions can play in the protection of human rights defenders. She outlines a number of measures currently in practice in institutions in various Member States which could be replicated in other contexts. She also points to a number of areas where national institutions need strengthening in order to effectively protect human rights defenders.

The Special Rapporteur provides her conclusions and recommendations.