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Front Line Defenders supports human rights defenders anywhere in the world. In each country, HRDs experience different forms of violence, repression, harassment, limitations or restrictions, yet persevere to defend the rights of their communities.
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SAWERA, Pakistan
On Friday 7 March 2014, actor and founder of J/P Haitian Relief Organization Sean Penn presented the 2014 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk to the Society for Appraisal & Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA),
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2022 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk
2022 Front Line Defenders Award
2022 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk
Blog Post
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Front Line Defenders Launches Global Analysis
on Human Rights Defenders At Risk in 2020
Closed Case
24 November 2023
On 21 July 2023, Belarusian human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka was released from Belarus State Penal Colony №3 after completing his three year sentence.
Rights
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
30 December 2015
On 20 October 2015, the Central District Court of Gomel city ruled to return the case against the HRD back to the Department of Customs Investigation of Gomel city for the further investigation. After a certain period of time the Department attempted to start a trial again but the court refused to open a hearing as the Department had failed to correct the deficiencies in the case. After that the Department adopted a decision to close the case against the HRD under the statute of limitations.
Rights
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
17 December 2015
On 21 March 2017, the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Republic of Belarus denied human rights defender Elena Tonkacheva’s request for a reduction of the term of her entry ban into Belarus. This is the third time her request has been denied.
Rights
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
22 March 2017
On 17 March 2017, the Centralny District Court of Gomel city found human rights lawyers Leonid Sudalenka and Anatoly Poplavnyi guilty of non-compliance with the legal requirements on the organisation and conducting of mass events. Leonid Sudalenko was given a warning and Anatoly Poplavnyi was sentenced to ten days of administrative detention.
Rights
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
17 December 2015
On 19 July 2013, Partisansky district court of Minsk declared the expiry of Ms Iryna Khalip’s suspended sentence. Since then, she has resumed her work as a journalist investigating corruption and human rights abuses in Belarus.
On 16 May 2011, the Zavodskoy district court of Minsk found Iryna Khalip guilty on charges of "taking part or organising actions that violate public order” and sentenced her to two years in jail in a penal colony. The court decided to suspend the sentence for two years, and she was released in the courtroom.
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
17 December 2015
After 1,052 days in prison, Ales Bialiatski was granted an amnesty on 21 June 2014. he resumed his work as a human rights defender and President of Viasna, but remains under risk of harassment and reprisal in Belarus.
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
1 June 2018
On 25 May, two months after eight “Viasna” observers were first detained, the statute of limitations for the charges against them expired. The courts had sent the human rights defenders’ protocol documents back to Sovetsky District Police Station for further revision but they were not returned to the courts in time for them to be acted on.
On 8 May 2018, the trial of Tatyana Mastykina was held in the Court of Pervomaisky District in Minsk, Belarus. Due to insufficient evidence, her case was sent for revision to the Sovetsky District Police Station.
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
18 May 2017
Pavel Levinov was released on 14 June 2017 after serving a fifteen days' sentence.
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
25 March 2017
UPDATE: Front Line Defenders Protection Coordinator Masha Chichtchenkova was released two hours after the detention of fifty-eight observers took place at the offices of Viasna.
At 1pm local time, the offices of Viasna were raided while a training was taking place for human rights defenders. Fifty-eight observers, including Front Line Defenders Protection Coordinator Masha Chichtchenkova, HRDs and Viasna staff were detained, put onto a bus and brought to Pervomaiski district police station.
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
Closed Case
28 October 2020
Marina Dubina was released on 19 October 2020 after serving 13 days under administrative arrest. She has since suffered from bronchitis after being held in poor prison conditions.
On 8 October 2020, woman human rights defender Marina Dubina was sentenced to 13 days in detention in a trial marked by irregularities. She had been violently arrested two days earlier on suspicion of “violating the procedure for holding a protest”.
Rights
Violations
Location
HRD or Organization
