Right Livelihood’s Advocacy team started the year by highlighting the causes and situations of some of the most at-risk Laureates at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. From late February to mid-April, we worked alongside these Laureates to bring the Council’s awareness to multiple human rights crises, including those in Western Sahara, Nicaragua and Belarus.
You can read the Advocacy team’s highlights from the session here.
Joint statement: Nicaragua has victimised over 1,198 Indigenous people since 2018
With the Platform of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Descendants, Right Livelihood reported that Nicaragua has committed 705 human rights violations and 25 murders against Indigenous peoples in the past 5 years.
Despite consistent documentation, we told the Council, Nicaraguan authorities remain silent, promoting further violence. We urged the Council to further scrutinise Nicaragua for violating human rights.
Read the entire joint statement here.
Aminatou Haidar admonishes Morocco’s human rights violations at UN Human Rights Council
Right Livelihood Laureate Aminatou Haidar, the president of ISACOM and a leading human rights defender from Western Sahara, condemned Morocco’s ongoing human rights violations at the Council. Highlighting the repression and torture inflicted upon Sahrawi advocates for self-determination, she stressed that Morocco’s recent election as President of the Council legitimises the country’s abuses.
Alongside ISACOM, we called on the international community to support the Sahrawi people and urged the UN to fulfil its responsibility in decolonising Western Sahara.
Read the entire statement here.
Joint statement condemns global persecution of youth activists
Right Livelihood, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) condemned the global persecution of youth activists. In the statement, we highlighted the trend of judicial harassment and arbitrary sentencing aimed at stifling dissent and discouraging civic engagement. Examples included the targeting of youth activists in Cambodia, Thailand and Belarus, where activists face excessively long prison sentences.
The statement called for the immediate release of these activists and emphasised the broader threat to civil society posed by cracking down on youth activists. We hosted a pre-event on the same topic ahead of the session.
Read the entire statement here.
Right Livelihood denounces global repression of peaceful protesters at Human Rights Council
We spoke out against the global repression of peaceful protesters and human rights defenders at the Council. We specifically highlighted the trend of law enforcement obstructing the right to peaceful assembly, leading to violence and reprisals against activists worldwide.
Examples included Aminatou Haidar’s organisation ISACOM documenting over 200 violations in Western Sahara, and the arbitrary detention of activists like Nasrin Soutoudeh in Iran. Belarusian authorities have also imprisoned 1,407 activists and others peacefully expressing dissent. We urged the Council to take concrete steps to address these abuses and protect peaceful protesters.
Read the entire statement here.
The UN must take action to stop human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia
Right Livelihood, ALQST for Human Rights, and MENA Rights Group highlighted ongoing human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. In our statement, we warned of Saudi Arabia’s draconian counter-terrorism and cybercrime laws used to suppress dissent and peaceful protest, citing the case of Right Livelihood Laureate Waleed Abu al-Khair, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence and has been subjected to torture and inhumane treatment.
Additionally, Mohammad al-Qahtani, another Laureate, has been held incommunicado since October 2022, indicating a troubling trend of unjust sentences and enforced disappearances. We urged the Council to pressure Saudi Arabia to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stop the persecution of peaceful activists and release all human rights defenders.
Read the entire statement here.
Right Livelihood and Viasna demand accountability at UN Human Rights Council
In a joint statement, Right Livelihood and the Belarusian Human Rights Center “Viasna” highlighted the inhumane detention of Ales Bialiatski, a Right Livelihood Laureate and chairman of Viasna.
As Belarus approaches its next presidential election in 2025, we called for accountability from Belarusian authorities and recommended renewing the Special Rapporteur’s mandate while establishing an independent investigative mechanism. We also detailed the mistreatment of political prisoners, including prison authorities’ refusal to give Bialiatski necessary medication, as well as concerns about imprisoned Viasna Council member Valentin Stefanovich’s well-being.
Read the entire joint statement here.
Right Livelihood and ALDEPA call for action on gender equality in Cameroon
Alongside Laureate Marthe Wandou’s organisation ALDEPA, Right Livelihood emphasised the urgent need for targeted action to address the challenges faced by women and girls in crisis areas of Cameroon. Despite numerous recommendations accepted by Cameroon in its Universal Periodic Review, gender inequality persists in the country.
We also called for Cameroon to involve civil society in tackling gender inequality, recommending gender mainstreaming in policies, equal representation in governance processes, and meaningful participation in peace negotiations. ALDEPA and other civil society organisations offered to contribute to implementation efforts and suggested further actions to break obstacles toward gender equality for all Cameroonian women.
