Defenders’ Days
A Conference
Honouring The
Most Courageous
On 4 April 1968 one of the world’s greatest human rights defenders Dr Martin Luther King
was assassinated in Memphis, USA. He is one
of many courageous activists who have lost their
lives struggling to empower individuals and
communities, believing in freedom and justice
for all citizens.
In honour of all the brave human rights defenders
around the world, Civil Rights Defenders hands
out the Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award
on that same date, to a person who, despite the
risk to his or her own safety, continues to strive
to ensure that other people’s civil and political
rights are recognised and protected. In 2014
Ales Bialiatski from Belarus is the recipient of
the award.
The award is the culmination of a four-day event
called “Defenders’ Days – Empowering Human
Rights Defenders at Risk”, organised by Civil
Rights Defenders and is held in Stockholm,
Sweden. It is a meeting of minds, the sharing
of experiences, but most of all recognition
for human rights defenders who, although not
as well known as Martin Luther King, strive to
bring changes to their communities.
Defenders’ Days is now in its second year and
will once again convene to train, support and
empower those who risk their lives to defend individuals’ human rights. Last years conference
was considered a great success by the participants, and has given Civil Rights Defenders the
inspiration to come back in 2014 even more
focused and determined on raising awareness
regarding their important work.
The sole purpose of the conference is to create
a forum, for capacity-building and international
recognition of human rights defenders at risk.
Over 30 different nationalities will be gathered;
from Cuba to Cambodia, Sweden to Somalia
for four days of training sessions, workshops,
seminars and panel discussions. The foremost
experts in their field will preside over trainings
and panel discussions, sharing their knowledge
and experience.
The beautiful Elite Hotel Marina Tower, which
dates back to 1884, is the backdrop to Defenders’ Days, now firmly placed as one of the foremost events on the human rights calendar in
Europe. The stunning location has been carefully chosen to make the participants feel completely at ease. Many come from societies where
brutal regimes reign supreme and Civil Rights
Defenders’ goal is not only to equip them with
the tools to assist them in their human rights
work but also to offer a few days of respite.
While numerous training activities are arranged
it is also important for Civil Rights Defenders to
offer the participants a holistic view of the whole
Stockholm experience. Last year, the participants got to travel by boat to City Hall to meet
council dignitaries and enjoy a lovely dinner. This
year, a part of the second day of the conference
took place on the boat “Teaterskeppet”, where
discussions and seminars are combined with a
tour of the Stockholm archipelago.
Famous names in the world of human rights participated in the discussions which focused on
importa