Madam President,
While thanking you for your endless work and efforts in reviewing the human rights situation of human rights defenders across the world, since nongovernmental human rights organizations are from the defenders community, my organization, the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, would like to propose a number of recommendations on the extension of the inclusion, and the promotion of states cooperation with your mandate.
Most states are aware that the extension of inclusion of human rights defenders to various groups of society results in their vulnerability towards a large volume of these claims. This claim can be noticed in the draft human rights defenders resolution of the 66th General Assembly with regards to the inclusion of journalists in the category of defenders.
In these instances the mixing of correct that can be followed up with incorrect and or questionable claims, it gives the state that is being reviewed that the word defender is a cover for the covert operations of hostile states, and for this reason the state in question is forced to restrict defenders’ activities. Unfortunately to-date international instruments have not defined a clear boundary for “true defense of human rights” with “its use as a tool for the continuation of full political and party intentions”. We believe that the insistence on the matter of defenders must have total and unconditional freedom to continue their campaigns, in view of the unsuitable and politicized international relations atmosphere, is not practical.
Madam President,
In many countries there are defenders and NGOs that define their activities within the domestic judicial and legislative political structures, and endeavor through extensive lobbying, expertise opinions, and putting pressure, to improve and promote the human rights of their countries. Instead of the name and shame method, these organizations believe in step by step and within the laws framework of their countries and application of pressure to gently reach their demands, and believe that these types of change will be more sustainable and assertive. Their concentration is on results and not a conclusion that is a result of hard and mixed pressures that are exploited by the enemies of their country.
Madam President,
While thanking you again for all your hard work, we hope that attention is paid to point raised and consideration of this group of defenders in countries, in your future reports.
Thank you.
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