human rights defender

Between 31 May and 1 June 2007 more than 20 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite, transsexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTTTI) activists met in Panama in a parallel event to the 37th Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States. The activists met as part of an initiative launched in 2006 to build new spaces of common work. International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Statment

Human Rights First, the New York based human rights organization, announced on 5 June 2007 that Colombian human rights defender Ivan Cepeda has been awarded the prestigious 2007 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty for international human rights defenders. Press Release

On 20 May 2007 intruders broke into the office of ActionAid in Zone 13 of Guatemala City and stole computer hard-drives containing files on ActionAids work in Guatemala. No other items of value were taken. ActionAid is the fifth member of the International Forum of NGOs to be attacked in the last month.  

08 May 2007

Mary Lawlor Director, Front Line

Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam Chairperson of SUDO, the Sudan Social Development Organization

Gégé Katana President of SOFAD, the Solidarity Movement of Women Human Rights Activists (Solidarite des Femmes Activistes pour la Defense des Droits Humains)

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the preamble to the Universal Declaration of human rights Eleanor Roosevelt gave the most powerful rationale for why the work of human rights defenders is so important and why it is so important to protect them.

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world”  

Front Line is deeply concerned by the assassination of a respected doctor and human rights defender, Dr. Adeeb Ibraheem Al-Jalabi.He was reportedly assasinated by elements linked to al-Qaeda shortly after leaving his clinic in Mosul City on 12 May 2007.