Edited by Karen Bennett, Danna Ingleton, Alice Nah (Protection International Board director), James Savage

Other contributing authors: Enrique Eguren (PI senior advisor), Champa Patel (PI Board member)

Routledge, 2016

120 pages

About the Book

Human rights defenders – who by peaceful means advocate, mobilize, and often put their lives at risk to defend the most fundamental freedoms of their fellow citizens – are key agents of change in their societies and make a significant contribution to the international community’s efforts to support democracy and human rights. Defenders often face serious threats and can experience harm from state and non-state actors.

The authors in this book reflect on the positive developments that have emerged over time to strengthen the protection of defenders, as well as the debates, tensions, and contestations in such practices. This collection provides a critical appraisal of the construction, function, ethical boundaries, and evolution of this protection regime, as well as its multi-scalar social and political effects. In particular, the authors consider the effectiveness of particular international and regional protection mechanisms for the protection of defenders and examine the relationship between repression, activism, and tactics for managing risks in the face of danger. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights.

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