– Haven’t we done so, we should do it, said Norwegian Minister of Justice Odd Einar Dørum, when confronted with the fact that Norway – unlike the EU – still hasn’t developed a transparent, comprehensive policy on human rights defenders. (20-OCT-04)
The Norwegian Minister of Justice was invited to the Human Rights House Networks 10-year anniversary conference in Oslo titled Activists under Attack. Defending the Right to be a Human Rights Defender, to talk about the Norwegian Government’s policy on human rights defenders.
– We should do it
Norway played a key role in the drafting and lobbying of the 1998 UN Declaration on human rights defenders, and in supporting the mandate of UN Special Representative on human rights defenders, Ms Hina Jilani. However, unlike the EU, Norway has yet to develop a policy on human rights defenders that can be tried and evaluated by independent institutions. After his lecture, Borghild T. Krokan from the Human Rights House Foundation confronted him with this fact. – Well, haven’t we done so, we should do it, said the Norwegian Minister of Justice.
Statement on defenders adopted
At the conference, a statement was presented and adopted, with recommendations to governments on how to support and protect human rights defenders. Drafted by the Human Rights House Foundation in co-operation with – among others – the offices of the UN Special Representative, of the CoE human rights Commissioner, and the Human Rights Defenders Office, the statement will be distributed worldwide and translated into several languages.
– Right to be protected
Addressing the activists present, the Minister of Justice said: – You are citizens. Not clients, not users. To say otherwise is to reduce people. As citzens you have the right to be protected.
– You can change the government without killing people, Mr Dørum continued, and underlined the need to create institutions to protect human rights and defenders.
