I have the honour of speaking on behalf of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and my own country Norway.
Madam Special Rapporteur,
The findings in your report are deeply concerning. States must protect all human rights defenders from violations and abuses. Defending the human rights of refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers, should not be criminalised. We note that in many instances, judiciaries have been able to uphold defenders’ rights.
The report again proves the relevance of the mandate in identifying the gaps in the protection of human rights defenders.
We thank you for the recommendations on how to improve the situation for human rights defenders defending human rights of refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers. To what extent are threats to those defenders connected to broader perceptions and narratives on migration?