Impunity for killings of human rights defenders remains a key driver for more murders, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders tells Human Rights Council
Format
Concludes Interactive Dialogues with Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Special Rapporteur on Protecting Human Rights while Countering Terrorism
The Human Rights Council this morning started an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. It also concluded its interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special Rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism.
Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said that in 2019, at least 281 human rights defenders, including 38 women human rights defenders, had been killed in 35 countries, and unless radical action was taken the killings would continue. Impunity for killings remained a key driver for more murders. Since it began 20 years ago, this mandate had cited the issue of impunity more than 30 times in recommendations to United Nations Member States, and had repeatedly noted how a failure to properly prosecute perpetrators fuelled further killings. But impunity persisted, and the murders continued. States should not only end impunity but also publicly applaud the vital contribution that human rights defenders made to help build just societies based on the rule of law.