Akifa Aliyeva - Azerbaijan

Akifa Aliyeva is a prominent leader of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, an organisation that promotes and protects women’s, youth and environmental rights in Azerbaijan. She has been labelled ‘an enemy of the state’ due to her vocal criticisms of the authorities and she regularly receives death threats. Her house and her movements are monitored and under constant surveillance. The Helsinki Citizens Assembly has been attacked several times and the authorities have repeatedly tried to close it down. Azerbaijan has a long history of politically motivated arrests and uses a variety of tactics to silence critics or those perceived as threatening government authority.

Jackeline Rojas-Colombia

Since 2001, Jackeline Rojas, coordinator and legal representative for the Organisation Femenina Popular (OPF) in South Bolivar, Colombia has been the victim of death threats, intimidation, surveillance and judicial harassment. The OPF supports activists promoting economic and social change in the region. The OFP has documented 135 separate incidents of harassment against its members. On 3 December 2003, her brother and political activist, Jose de Jesus Rojas Castaneda, were killed by paramilitaries. The latest death threat she received was as recent as 21 June 2006.

Radhia Nasraoui - Tunesia

Radhia Nasraoui is a leading human rights defender and human rights lawyer from Tunisia. She defends political prisoners and victims of state repression. For over 25 years, she has been subjected to police harassment including several brutal physical attacks. There is a police presence regularly outside her home and her emails and telephone calls are monitored and often intercepted. The authorities have extended their persecution to her family and clients. In 2002, her husband and political activist, Hamma Hammami was arrested, and sentenced to three years detention for his political opinions.

Riza Fanilag -The Philippines

Riza Fanilag is a founding member of the National Federation of Peasant Women (AMIHAN) in the Philippines, an organisation that supports rural peasants by campaigning against income and land inequalities. In 2003, she was put on a military watch list. Persons on this list are frequently subjected to arrests, enforced disappearances or worst, summary execution. Two of her colleagues have already been killed due to their work on behalf of AMIHAN. In March 2005, 11 military men kicked down the door of a meeting attended by Riza Fanilag and 10 other human rights defenders. One of the attendees was abducted and later tortured and sexually abused.