The situation of human rights defenders forced to work outside their countries to avoid danger or persecution at home was the topic of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR) on 5 October 2023 in the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.
"Human rights defenders play a legitimate and important role in our societies," said Andrew Gardner, ODIHR's Deputy Head of the Human Rights Department. "It is essential that they can operate in a free and safe environment when this does not exist in their own countries."
Experts and representatives of civil society, some who had themselves relocated to safer countries, shared their assessments of the needs of human rights defenders in exile, including rapid access to safe third countries, overall safety and a secure legal status, and their ability to continue their human rights work.
Participants stressed the importance of being able to form associations, seek and receive funding and travel as part of their human rights work. They also discussed the impact of being uprooted on human rights defenders' well-being.
"Defenders are determined to continue their human rights work," said Tamar Beria of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). "But states and donor organizations must do more to make this work viable in the long term by tackling pervasive issues such as visa access, inflexible funding and a lack of institutional support."
Participants stressed that decision-makers must address protection gaps which exist for exiled human rights defenders and ensure the fulfilment of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
