I admire the determination with which Civil Right Defenders operate
in countries where governments strongly violate the human rights of their own people.
Furthermore, Civil Rights Defenders work closely with local NGOs, thereby increasing
their capacity and effectiveness. Civil Rights Defenders’ lobbying skills boost the morale
of NGOs from poor countries by “helping them to get international media recognition”...
In my opinion, they are amongst the main human rights NGOs that local NGOs can
rely on for international support. During the three months I spent working with them in
Sweden, I gained a lot of experience in international human rights standards.
Chan Soveth, Deputy Head of Human Rights Monitoring, ADHOC
PHOTO: CLEC
Civil Rights Defenders has three attributes that distinguish
its international human rights work. First, it emphasises the importance of providing
practical and effective support to human rights defenders in the most difficult situations.
Second, it appreciates the need for international solidarity and is committed to building
broad support networks to aid threatened activists. And third, it has the virtue of humility, never seeking credit for success and always keeping its focus solely on the needs of
front-line defenders. For these reasons, Civil Rights Defenders is trusted and respected
by human-rights defenders around the world.
Carl Gershman has been the President of the National Endo ݵ