When: Monday, 25. February 2013
To: Friday, 22. March 2013
Where: Geneva, Palais des Nations
Host: United Nations
Contact: Anna Innocenti (Anna.Innocenti@humanrightshouse.org / +41 22 332 25 56)
More info: www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session22/Pages/22RegularSession.aspx

Follow the Human Rights Council live
You can follow our work at the Human Rights Council on the website, as well as on Twitter:
You can follow live the debates at the Council on webcast: http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/c/un-human-rights-council.html.


Resolution on human rights defenders

Norway will present a thematic resolution on legislation affecting the work of human rights defenders at this session of the Council.
HRHF has closely participated from the beginning to the drafting of this resolution and has been advocating for a strong resolution.
The resolution aims to be a very strong text addressing all legislation which  affects the work of human rights defenders (antiterrorism legislation, funding, registration, public moral,  defamation, etc). We hope this resolution will pass with a large consensus of the HR Council member states, or at least, that criticism and contrary votes will be limited to members states where the situation of human rights defenders is extremely problematic (especially Ethiopia, Pakistan and Venezuela).
You can read the reports of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders

Resolution on peaceful protests
Switzerland and a few co-sponsors will present a resolution on peaceful protests, as a renewal of the March 2012 resolution on the topic.
HRHF also strongly lobbied in order to include the references to decriminalisation of participants and / or organisers of peaceful protests, responsibility of local authorities in the text of the resolution.
Information on this will be published at the beginning of next week on our website.