WHRDs

Algeria: Cherifa Kheddar Beaten and Arrested on International Women's Day

12th March 2015

Today, just one day after we delivered a tribute women human rights defenders attacked for their activism, we received news from Algerian activist Cherifa Kheddar that she was assaulted by police and arrested along with several other members of her organization while trying to demonstrate in front of the Central Post Office on International Women's Day in Algiers.

Cherifa Kheddar passée à tabac au commissariat de Cavignac

Le 08 mars 2015, le message féministe d’El Mouradia était censé faire le Buzz. Promesses réformistes, égalitaires et de non-violence.

Pourtant sur l’asphalte algérois la réalité était toute autre.

Remembering

This document, entitled "Remembering" was created by Women Living Under Muslim Laws and delivered as a powerpoint presentation during the 59th session of the CSW to review the 15th year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action. Despite significant breakthroughs in the past 20 years, violence against women and girls justified in the name of religion, customs, traditions – in short, culture - remains unabated. Women continue to be persecuted and killed for making choices in life that are perceived to defy social norms. The presentation was created as a tribute to these women, to honour them and their sacrifices.

Please download the file attached here to view the pdf.

A Powerpoint version is available here.

Six female human rights defenders you should know

Samah Hadid is a global human rights activist from Australia and a member of WLUML's Council. You can follow her work @samahhadid.

As a human rights activist, I know too well the unwavering determination needed to defend the rights of society's most vulnerable and marginalised.

For many activists and human rights defenders, especially women, this struggle for freedom often comes with persecution, imprisonment, exile and political attacks.

Yara in the White Uniform

I find myself helpless, but to repeat the sentence most of her loved ones and colleagues used during the last 8 months: "I can't believe that Yara in prison". The Pan-African Woman Human Rights Defender and prominent Egyptian human rights lawyer Yara Sallam was detained while protesting the controversial “protest law” in Egypt, in June last year. "We used to send her the urgent calls for actions and ask her for help to campaign for WHRDs in detention in all over Africa and the Arab region. But now, do we have to campaign for her? How could we possibly do that? Should we copy her in the emails?" Those were the questions that popped up inside my head when I first read the news.

Libye: Assassinat De La Défenseuse Des Droits Humains Mme Intissar Al Hasairi

Dans la matinée du 24 février 2015, les corps de Mme Intissar Al Hasairi et de sa tante on été découverts dans le coffre de la voiture de la défenseuse à Tripoli, par les forces de sécurité. La défenseuse et sa tante auraient été abattues par des membres d'un groupe armé.

Libya: Civil rights activist murdered in Tripoli

By Ajnadin Mustapha and Salem Ali.

File 3085

India: Statement of Solidarity with Human Rights Defenders Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand

Via SIAWI

As international networks and organisations concerned with equality between all citizens before the law, standing for secularism as prevention of communalism, we are closely following and monitoring the case against human rights defenders Teesta Setalvad and husband Javed Anand in India.

WHRDIC Condemns Killing of Shaimaa El Sabbagh

As a member of the Women Human Rights Defender International Coalition (WHRDIC), WLUML condemns the killing of Shaimaa El Sabbagh and calls on the Egyptian government to investigate her murder, and to drop charges against all witnesses.

Egypt: Press Release by the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders on the Appeal Verdict in the Case of Yara Sallam and Sanaa Seif

The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, Ms Reine Alapini-Gansou, has been informed of the sentence handed down on appeal against human rights defenders Yara Sallam, Sanaa Seif and 21 other co-accused on Sunday, 28 December 2014, in the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Special Rapporteur condemns the sentence which runs completely counter to the principles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), and other regional and international instruments duly ratified by Egypt.