[[ DDIISSPPAATTCCHHEESS ]] REPORTS FROM THE FRONT LINE TRUSTEES Denis O’Brien (Chairman) is Chairman of Arnold Tsunga is Africa Director of the In - What does Front the Digicel Group. He is ternational Commission of one of Ireland’s leading en - Jurists. He was Executive trepreneurs with extensive Secretary of the Law Line Defenders do? investments across several Society of Zimbabwe and sectors. Mr. O’Brien was Executive Director of Front Line, the International Foundation for the voted Ireland’s Entrepre - Zimbabwe Lawyers for Protection of Human Rights Defenders, is an neur of the Year in 1998 in the inaugural Human Rights. He was a joint winner of the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) running of the worldwide competition Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2006. established by charitable deed trust. It was organised and sponsored by Ernst & Young. Mr. O’Brien is also a director of a founded in Dublin in 2001 with the specific aim of number of private companies which hold protecting human rights defenders at risk, people some of his other business interests ADVISORY COUNCIL who work, non-violently, for any or all of the rights including Quinta do Lago SA, Topaz Energy Michel Forst is the United Nations Special enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Group Limited and Communicorp Group Limited. In 2000 he established The Iris Rapporteur on the situation Rights (UDHR). Front Line Defenders addresses the O’Brien Foundation to assist disadvantaged of human rights defenders protection needs identified by defenders communities in Ireland and internationally. and Secretary General of themselves. He is co-founder of Front Line Defenders. the French National Con - sultative Commission on Kieran Mulvey is Chief Executive of the Human Rights. He was the Front Line Defenders provides rapid and practical Irish Labour Relations UN Independent Expert on the situation of support to at-risk human rights defenders Commission and Consult- human rights in Haiti from 2008 to 2013. including: ant with the International He was Secretary General of the Paris Labour Organisation and Summit of Human Rights Defenders and the European Union. Director of the French section of Amnesty n grants to pay for the practical security needs International. of human rights defenders; Hina Jilani is an internationally known n provision of training and development of Noeline Blackwell is Director of FLAC (Free Legal Advice human rights lawyer and resource materials on security and protection, Centres), an independent advocate for human rights including digital security; human rights organisation defenders. She was the n international advocacy on behalf of human dedicated to the realisation UN Special Representative rights defenders at immediate risk; of equal access to justice of the Secretary General on for all. She is a Vice- the situation of human n rest and respite, including the Front Line President of FIDH. rights defenders from 2000 to 2008. She Defenders Fellowship; and her sister Asma Jahangir co-founded n opportunities for networking and exchange David Sykes is Investment Director of the first all female legal practice in Pakistan between human rights defenders, including at Island Capital Ltd and has and she is also one of the founders of the worked in various banks Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. the biennial Dublin Platform; and stockbrokers including She is a member of The Elders. n the annual Front Line Defenders Award for Trinity Bank and Dolmen Human Rights Defenders at Risk; stockbrokers. Maina Kiai is the United Nations Special an emergency 24 hour phone line for human Rapporteur on the n rights to freedom of rights defenders operating in Arabic, English, Jim Conway is the founder and Chairman peaceful assembly and of French, Spanish and Russian; of the Print & Display association. A lawyer n temporary relocation of human rights Group, one of Ireland’s trained at Nairobi and defenders in emergency situations. largest print companies. Harvard Universities, he He also has a number of has spent the last twenty years other media interests in campaigning for human rights and consti - Front Line Defenders promotes the protection of Ireland and Eastern tutional reform in Kenya – notably as human rights defenders through its support for the Europe. founder and Executive Director of the NGO Kenya Human Rights Commission, and work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation Maria Mulcahy is the CEO of the Iris then as Chairman of Kenya’s National of human rights defenders and other international O’Brien Foundation and Human Rights Commission (2003-2008). and regional mechanisms. Front Line Defenders the Irish-based Head of promotes respect for the UN Declaration on Human Philanthropy for the Digicel James L. Cavallaro is the Founding Director of the International Rights Defenders. Front Line Defenders has special Group. She was involved with “People in Need” from Human Rights and Conflict consultative status with the Economic and Social 1988 to 2000. She was Resolution Clinic at Council of the United Nations, partnership status responsible for organising the RTE Stanford Law School, with the Council of Europe and observer status with telethons, which raised €28 million. She where he is also a professor of law. Prior to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ was Director of Fundraising for the 2003 Special Olympics World Games. joining Stanford, he spent nine years on the Rights. Front Line Defenders received the 2007 faculty at Harvard Law School, where he King Baudouin International Prize for Development. Mary Jane N. Real is a founding member also served as Executive Director of the and former Coordinator of Human Rights Programme. In June of 2013 the Women Human Rights he was elected to the Inter-American Defenders International Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). On the cover: Human rights defender Sergey Coalition. A lawyer by Babinets in the office of the Joint Mobile Group, profession, she was part of Chechnya, after it was burnt in December. The Joint establishing the Alternative Mobile Group had been subjected to threats, smear Law Groups network in the Philippines. She campaigns and attacks for standing up against the is a long-time advocate of women’s rights principle of collective punishment used by Chechen having worked with women’s rights and President Ramzan Kadyrov against insurgents. human rights organisations in Asia Pacific Pictured holding the Front Line Defenders Award and internationally including as Regional FRON TLINE received by the group in 2011 for its work investigating Coordinator of Asia Pacific Forum on DEF ENDERS torture and disappearances in Chechnya. Women, Law and Development. Registered Charity Number CHY 14029 [DISPATCHES ] 3 Challenging the backlash – HRDs and the politics of betrayal OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, of association were introduced and we have seen a growing global we have seen a marked trend to backlash against human rights restrict foreign funding for NGOs, defenders (HRDs) which has some of whom are now officially now reached crisis point. designated as “foreign agents”. In This is a crucial political Asia reprisals, arrests, and moment. Authoritarian govern- repressive legislation are the most ments are investing huge obvious trends. In the Middle East resources to silence, restrict and North Africa, HRDs have been and discredit independent civil intimidated, restricted and targeted society, especially those critical by legal and extra-legal means. The of government policies. Their ef - power of militant groups is on the fectiveness is perceived as a rise, placing HRDs at further risk. A threat to government and non- worrying trend in the Americas is state actors alike and the official the criminalisation of HRDs with response is often violent. arbitrary detention and judicial On 13 December three harassment, while the killing of unidentified armed men tried to HRDs is commonplace. enter the office of the Joint Front Line Defenders remains Mobile Group (JMG) in Grozny, convinced that there needs to be Chechnya. This followed threats stronger and more sustained efforts against the head of the JMG by to provide rapid and practical Chechen President Ramzan support to human rights defenders Kadyrov, the disruption of a at risk. HRDs tell us that it is crucial press conference in Moscow, that families are supported when and a demonstration in Grozny activists are detained, not only calling for the banning of the because it helps those who are JMG. Later that day armed Mary Lawlor receives an honorary degree for her achievement in imprisoned but also because the men in civilian clothes tried to building Front Line Defenders into an organisation recognised as one of solidarity helps to sustain those forcibly enter the JMG office on the leading NGOs worldwide working on the security and protection of who continue the work. Rapid two occasions. When two HRDs at risk. Back left to right: Mary Lawlor, Provost of Trinity College provision of medical treatment or members of the JMG who had Dublin (TCD), Dr Patrick Prendergast, Poet Paul Muldoon; front left to emergency relocation, urgent help been besieged in the office right: Professor Nancy Hopkins, TCD, Chancellor of TCD and former with legal fees or practical help with were finally able to leave, they United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr Mary personal or digital security are also were followed. At approximately Robinson, EU Ambassador to the United States, David O’Sullivan. crucial elements of resilience. While 8:30pm the JMG office was set Front Line Defenders has doubled on fire. The Joint Mobile Group the support it provides through its (JMG) was established in November 2009 defence of democracy and human rights. Security Grants Programme in the last three following the murder of HRD Ms Natalya There must be a reinvigorated political priority years, the demand from human rights Estemirova in Chechnya; it received the Front to protect human rights defenders and defenders continues to grow.