Participants of the Seminar on the Status of Human Rights Defenders, which took place in Sarajevo October 9, 2008, and which was organized by the Human Rights House in Sarajevo and the Human Rights House Network, have noted that the status of human rights defenders is alarming. This assessment is based on the situation in the region of South-East Europe, but it equally refers to the countries which have emerged after the break-up of the former Soviet Union, as well as other countries where the rule of law and efficient mechanisms for protection of human rights have not been established.
Human rights defenders are more often than not victims of the harshest violence and death threats, intimidation and hushing down attempts, as well as various other thrusts that have been seriously threatening the efforts of individuals and groups to contribute to improvement of the state of human rights and protection of individual rights and freedoms.
The physical attack against Sonja Biserko, the Chairwoman of the Helsinki Board for Human Rights in Serbia is strongly condemned, as well as the frequent attacks against Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Republika Srpska premier. The attack against the participants of the opening of the First Queer Festival in Sarajevo is also condemned. In most cases, the perpetrators of attacks against human rights defenders remain unidentified and unpunished, which encourages bullies and all anti-democratic forces.
We remind the authorities of the obligation to respect the rights of every individual to promote and advocate, individually or in groups, the protection and respect for human rights and freedoms on the basis of recognized and endorsed universal standards.
We urge the governments to introduce internal legislation and practice that would guarantee the rights of individuals who are defending and promoting human rights. In this context, we stress the obligation of the authorities to provide human rights defenders with all relevant data and information that affect the state of human rights.
We particularly stress the obligation of the police, judiciary, and state administration to ensure a secure environment for defenders monitoring the state of human rights and working on its improvement.
We urge the media, educational institutions, as well as the state structures to make widely available the text of the UN General Assembly Resolution No. 53/144 of 8 March 1999, under the name of the Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
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