Front Line Defenders

📍ARMENIA 🚨On 21 October, women environmental HRDs from My Heart Is In The Highlands reported intensified surveillance and intimidation during COP17, following restrictions on a peaceful protest. FLD calls on Armenian authorities to end harassment and ensure their safety. 🔗zurl.co/5m59l

📍MEXICO It's been six years since Amuzga Indigenous WHRD Kenia Inés Hernández Montalván was arbitrarily detained, criminalised and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison on eleven charges, for exercising her right to protest and defending human rights. 🔗Read the joint statement: zurl.co/lsIbI

🔊 Amid threats to HRDs and funding cuts, collective approaches to protection are more urgent than ever. Sharing the 2026 Global HRD Protection Summit Findings Report and 12 Commitments to shift resources and decision-making closer to defenders. 🔗 zurl.co/6eMJz

📣 Front Line Defenders is recruiting for a Head of Region (MENA). More information and how to apply can be found here ⬇️ zurl.co/0pcFa

📍BANGLADESH 🚨WHRD Shampa Goswami faces imminent arrest after a sedition case was filed against her targeting her for her human rights work. FLD calls on the authorities in Bangladesh to drop all criminal investigations against her and cease all forms of harassment against her. 🔗zurl.co/iQ8VO

📍India 🚨The crackdown on peaceful protesters in New Delhi involved mass detention, unlawful force and targeting of journalists and HRDs. We call on Indian authorities to release everyone arbitrarily detained and ensure accountability for abuses by security forces. 🔗zurl.co/2Zr6q

📍IRAN 🚨WHRD Pouran Nazemi faces imminent risk of imprisonment after an appeal against her prison sentences may not have been registered. FLD believes her conviction is linked to her peaceful human rights work and calls for the convictions and sentences against her to be dropped. 🔗zurl.co/xbfag

📍BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 🚨Environmental WHRDs Sara Tuševljak and Sunčica Kovačević, are due to appear in court for hearings in the SLAPP lawsuits filed against them in January 2022. FLD reiterates its concern about the lawsuits and significant delays faced by both defenders. 🔗 zurl.co/N7ITZ

🔊 Front Line Defenders is recruiting for an Americas Officer. For more information and to apply, see here: zurl.co/YWjn8

📍MOROCCO / WESTERN SAHARA 🚨Sahrawi HRD Hassana Eddouihi & 6 student activists were arrested after police violently dispersed a peaceful solidarity gathering for political prisoners. FLD calls for their immediate & unconditional release. 🔗 zurl.co/DjIXX

📍Occupied Palestinian Territory Front Line Defenders stands in solidarity with Palestinian human rights organisations still under US sanctions, and calls for an immediate end to the sanctions: Read more here: zurl.co/pyIr6

As part of the Lighthouse consortium, Front Line Defenders welcomes the steady progress of the Lighthouse Fund, the Global Protection Fund providing rapid, flexible support to those on the front lines of human rights. Read more about the progress of the Fund: zurl.co/n9gXX

📍India 🚨FLD joins other human rights organisations in urging GANHRI to downgrade the NHRCI's “A” rating over its failure to comply with the Paris Principles and address India's deteriorating human rights situation. 🔗zurl.co/7FlGP

📍Singapore 🚨14 human rights defenders & activists have been charged in recent weeks over peaceful assemblies and vigils. Front Line Defenders joins other organisations in calling on Singapore to drop the charges and end the criminalisation of peaceful assembly. 🔗 zurl.co/w3MIe

📢 On World Day Against the Death Penalty, we highlight the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award MENA regional laureate: Iranian human rights defender Ahmadreza Haeri, one of the initiators of the prisoner-led "No to Death Penalty on Tuesdays" campaign. 🔗 Read more: zurl.co/UYMEr

📍Bangladesh 🚨WHRD Shampa Goswami faces a travel ban, police investigation and ongoing harassment linked to her human rights work. FLD calls on the authorities in Bangladesh to immediately lift the travel ban and end all harassment and intimidation against her. 🔗 zurl.co/m0Trs

The five winners of the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk pictured at Trinity College in Dublin, where a special ceremony was held in to honor them.

Ahmadreza Haeri is an Iranian Kurdish HRD and anti-death penalty campaigner, and the 2026 Middle East and North Africa winner of the Front Line Defenders Award. He has dedicated his life to defending the dignity and fundamental rights of others. Read more about him here: zurl.co/LFNJg

Congratulations to Ljiljana Nešić, the 2026 Europe and Central Asia winner of the Front Line Defenders Award. Ljiljana is a Serbian human rights defender, feminist, and peace activist who has advanced and protected women’s rights for more than 33 years. Read more about her here: zurl.co/ZvRXX

Umar Khalid is the 2026 Asia winner of the Front Line Defenders Award. For six years, he has been in prison for his leadership in the peaceful and democratic civil movement against the unconstitutional and anti-Muslim amendments to India’s citizenship laws. Read more about him here: zurl.co/ZR3fB

Congratulations to the Americas winner of the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award, Adda Vyctoria Caetano - a trans Black quilombola woman, artist, cultural producer and leader of her community, the Quilombo Conceição dos Caetanos in Brazil. Read more about her here: zurl.co/Pcrv7

Congratulations to the 2026 Africa winner of the Front Line Defenders Award, Laurinda Manuel Gouveia - an Angolan woman human rights defender who has promoted women's rights, fundamental freedoms and participatory democracy for over a decade. Read more about her here: zurl.co/5WNz5

Join us online today from 09:00 AM on our YouTube channel as we announce the winners of the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk: zurl.co/qjnst

📍CRIMEA (UKRAINE) 🚨Imprisoned WHRD Iryna Danylovych is reportedly facing sustained harassment & death threats from other inmates. FLD condemns her continued ill-treatment & lack of medical care and reiterates its call for her immediate & unconditional release. 🔗 zurl.co/hs5cQ

📍GREECE 🚨HRDs Panayote Dimitras & Tommy Olsen are standing trial, today, 6 October, facing up to 20 years in prison, for their work supporting refugees & migrants, and calls for all charges against them to be dropped. 🔗zurl.co/vOJuD

We’re delighted to welcome Barry Andrews to the Front Line Defenders Board! 🔗 See more on his profile here: zurl.co/X11cb

📍IRAN The Free Narges Coalition steering committee has published a new report on online harassment against human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, with input from digital protection and digital rights experts. 🔗Read the full report here: zurl.co/LGpgm

📍Chile 🚨Mapuche Williche WHRDs face persistent stigmatisation, harassment, surveillance & criminalisation. We urge the authorities in Chile to guarantee their safety and ensure they can defend their rights and territories without fear of reprisals. 🔗zurl.co/6fxED

📍HONG KONG 🚨WHRD & lawyer Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to 7 years & 3 months in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”. FLD calls for all charges against her to be dropped. HRDs must not be targeted for their peaceful human rights work. 🔗zurl.co/Ju6m1

📍Pakistan 🚨Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir & Hadi Ali Chattha remain arbitrarily detained despite the Supreme Court granting them bail on 17 September 2026. The Pakistani authorities must release them immediately and end reprisals and judicial harassment. 🔗 zurl.co/F8J7y

📍SIERRA LEONE 🚨FLD welcomes the dismissal of criminal cases against HRDs Prince Tommy Williams & Mohammed Turay due to lack of evidence. The HRDs continue to face intimidation amid ongoing proceedings over LNP’s land. We call for their human rights work to be protected. 🔗zurl.co/jbSml

📍Malaysia 🚨HRDs Amir Hadi and Dobby Chew were arrested on 22 September 2026 and are on remand until 25 September. We call for their immediate and unconditional release in the absence of a clear and legal justification and for unjustified restrictions to be lifted. 🔗 zurl.co/7X9It

📍Bangladesh 🚨The draft Cyber Protection (Amendment) Act 2026 poses serious risks to freedom of expression and media freedom. We urge the Government to withdraw the draft in its current form and initiate a genuine, inclusive consultation process. 🔗 zurl.co/BQjY5

📍MALAYSIA 🚨HRDs Amir Abd Hadi & Chew Chuan Yang and their organisations MANDIRI & HAYAT face frozen bank accounts and travel bans in reprisal for their human rights work. FLD calls for the restrictions to be lifted. 🔗zurl.co/WPtyw

📍Iran 🚨On 8 August 2026, HRD Ahmadreza Haeri was released after serving over 3 years in prison as a result of his human rights work. Front Line Defenders calls on Iranian authorities to end the judicial harassment against him for his peaceful human rights work. 🔗zurl.co/FnARl

📍China 🚨 Journalist & #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin is expected to be released on 18 September after an unjust 5-year prison sentence. We call for her freedom from surveillance, harassment, retaliation and other restrictions. 🔗 zurl.co/WjYt5

📍Türkiye 🚨On 12 and 13 September, at least 162 people were detained in large-scale police raids targeting LGBTI activists, HRDs, organisations and community spaces. We call for the unconditional release of those detained for their human rights work and an end to the crackdown. 🔗 zurl.co/XHykc

📍LESOTHO 🚨HRD Kananelo Boloetse was abducted from his home, severely beaten, interrogated about his human rights work and threatened with death. FLD believes he was targeted for his human rights work and calls for a full investigation and accountability. 🔗 zurl.co/I03d4

📍HONDURAS Front Line Defenders stands in solidarity with OFRANEH, the Black Fraternal Organisation of Honduras. ✊🏾 Front Line Defenders se solidariza con OFRANEH, la Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña. ✊🏾 🔗 Read more about / Lee más sobre OFRANEH: www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/organizat...

📍BANGLADESH 🚨WHRD Gita Rani Kanu was arrested following a tea workers’ rights protest and remains detained in Moulvibazar District Jail. FLD believes the case is directly connected to her peaceful defence of tea workers’ rights and calls for her immediate release. 🔗 zurl.co/KLHVS

📍AZERBAIJAN 🚨HRD Anar Mammadli was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges including “illegal entrepreneurship”, “currency smuggling” and “money laundering”. FLD condemns his conviction on fabricated charges and believes he was criminalised for his human rights work. 🔗 zurl.co/k4G9U

📍BAHRAIN 🚨HRD Naji Fateel was re-arrested over a financial liability arising from the 2015 Jau Prison riot case, despite his 2024 royal pardon. He remains detained in Jau Prison. We call for his immediate & unconditional release. 🔗 zurl.co/Mkybo

Outgoing EU Special Representative on Human Rights, Kajsa Ollongren, has included reference to Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in her final newsletter before stepping down from the role. We continue to stand in solidarity with Abdulhadi and call for his urgent and immediate release from prison.

📍SUDAN 🚨HRD Dr Attiya Abdallah was reportedly arrested while conducting a field survey on Kala-azar. He was transferred to Khartoum and remains detained in an unknown location, without access to his family or a lawyer. FLD calls for his immediate & unconditional release. 🔗 zurl.co/WFbSl

📍HONG KONG 🚨WHRD Chow Hang-tung reaffirmed her commitment to human rights & democracy at her mitigation hearing. Sentencing is expected within two weeks. FLD calls for all charges against her to be dropped & an end to targeting HRDs for peaceful human rights work. 🔗 zurl.co/ZUYdJ

📍IRAN 🚨HRD Mehdi Mahmoudian was sentenced in absentia to 8 months in prison for “propaganda activities against the state.” FLD believes his sentencing is linked to his peaceful human rights work and calls for his conviction to be quashed and all other charges dropped. 🔗 zurl.co/M7sDK

📍HONG KONG 🚨WHRD & lawyer Chow Hang-tung was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” over her peaceful advocacy. She faces up to 10 years in prison. We continue to call for all charges to be dropped & an end to targeting HRDs for peaceful human rights work. 🔗zurl.co/yJnxn

📍IRAN 🚨HRD Soheil Arabi was sentenced to 5 years in prison over his social media activities and support for protesters. We believe his sentencing is directly linked to his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities and call for charges to be dropped. 🔗 zurl.co/YI7fW

📍IRAN 🚨HRD Sajad Haeri is at imminent risk of imprisonment after his 2 year six month prison sentence was confirmed. His lawyer has submitted a retrial request. FLD believes his conviction and sentencing are directly linked to his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities. 🔗 zurl.co/J0pxW

📍MEXICO We welcome the release of HRD Pablo López Alavez after more than 15 years of arbitrary detention. The fight for justice continues. We call for his conviction to be overturned, comprehensive redress, and protection for Pablo and his family. 🔗 zurl.co/HRB9l