From Nicaragua to Cambodia, our advocacy spotlighted threats to civic space, environmental defenders and Indigenous rights — standing up to repression where Laureates are most at risk.
Right Livelihood’s Advocacy team participated in the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), held in Geneva from 26 February to 4 April 2025. Amid growing pressure on multilateral systems — including the withdrawal of the United States, Israel and Nicaragua from the Council — we brought forward the voices of Laureates and communities facing intensifying threats.
Throughout the session, we highlighted”
- The erosion of civic space
- Attacks on environmental and Indigenous defenders
- Systemic efforts to silence dissent.
Demanding the release of environmental activists in Cambodia
Speaking to the Council, we condemned the escalating persecution of civil society in Cambodia — where 65 individuals are imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights. Among them are five members of 2023 Right Livelihood Laureate Mother Nature Cambodia, sentenced to up to eight years in prison for environmental activism.
“This is a textbook case of repression disguised as justice,” we told the Council. “The verdicts were reached through irregular proceedings and lacked credible evidence.”
We also denounced the rejection of their bail requests and poor detention conditions, urging the Council to address Cambodia’s record and demand the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals.
We took the floor to expose Nicaragua’s rights abuses
We addressed the Council again during the interactive dialogue with the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua. In our statement, we underscored the government’s complicity in enabling illegal land grabs, deforestation and mining on Indigenous territory — acts that constitute a risk of ethnocide against Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples.
“Over 1,000 human rights violations were reported in 2024 alone, including abductions targeting women and girls,” we stated. “Rather than protect its people, the Nicaraguan government continues to dismantle Indigenous land rights through parallel authorities and repressive constitutional reform.”
We called on the Council to renew and strengthen the mandate of the Group of Experts, ensuring it includes specific resources and protections for Indigenous peoples.
At a side event on Guatemala
We joined regional partners in amplifying the voices of exiled justice officials and prosecutors who have faced political persecution. With democratic institutions under threat across the region, we reiterated the urgent need for international accountability mechanisms.
