The 6th edition of the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Summit took place from November 22-23, 2023, at the Mercure Hotel Safari in Windhoek. Organized by the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and USAID/Freedom House, the summit brought together over 300 delegates, including human rights defenders, civil society representatives, and grassroots movements from Southern Africa and beyond. The theme focused on commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with discussions led by moderators from the Accountability Lab and the University of Pretoria. Various partner organizations contributed to the summit, aiming to strengthen the capacity and resilience of human rights defenders in protecting civic space and promoting freedom, equality, and justice in the region. The report documents the proceedings, highlighting progress and recommendations generated during the two-day meeting to address challenges and risks faced by human rights defenders in the sub-region.

You can also watch the highlights from the 6th Annual Southern Defenders Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Summit through a captivating motion picture. This cinematic journey will showcase the empowering and thought-provoking discussions, inspiring speakers, and impactful moments that took place during the summit. Through the lens of our cameras, you will witness the collaborative efforts, innovative strategies, and collective resilience of HRDs as they navigate challenges and strive for a more just and equitable society. From grassroots movements to international advocacy, this motion picture will capture the essence of solidarity and activism that defines the Southern Defenders HRDs Summit.

We have taken a proactive approach to safeguard the rights of HRDs in the Southern Africa region. In response to the increasing threats and challenges faced by HRDs in the region, SouthernDefenders has developed a comprehensive model law aimed at providing legal protection and support to HRDs in their important work of defending human rights.

The Southern Africa model law on the protection and promotion of HRDs is a pioneering initiative that sets forth a framework of legal provisions and principles to promote and safeguard the rights of HRDs. This model law serves as a resource for governments, policymakers, civil society organizations, and other regional stakeholders to develop or revise existing laws and policies to create an enabling environment for HRDs to carry out their vital work without fear of fear reprisals.

The model law covers various areas, including the recognition and protection of HRDs’ rights, the establishment of mechanisms for their protection, the prevention of threats and attacks against HRDs, the provision of support and assistance to HRDs, and the promotion of their participation in decision-making processes.

This is a significant step towards upholding the rights of HRDs and creating a safe and conducive environment for their work in the Southern Africa region. We encourage stakeholders to adopt and implement this model law to protect and promote the fundamental rights of HRDs in Southern Africa.

Please explore our website to learn more about our work, the Southern Africa model law on protecting and promoting HRDs, and how you can support our efforts to defend and promote human rights in the region.

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In partnership with Zimbabwe NGO Forum, Civic Space Network and Political Prisoners in Africa, we have released a report titled “Justice delayed is justice denied“: Persecution by the prosecution in the case of Zimbabwe’s opposition Member of Parliament Job Sikhala. The report highlights the persecution of Sikhala, who was arrested in July 2019 and charged with subversion. The report alleges that the case has been marked by numerous irregularities and delays, including lack of access to legal representation, pre-trial detention for more than a year, and a trial that has been postponed several times.

The report also notes that Sikhala’s case is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a larger pattern of political persecution in Zimbabwe, targeting opposition figures and human rights defenders. We call on the Zimbabwean government to respect the rule of law and ensure that all individuals, regardless of their political affiliations, are guaranteed a fair trial.

Overall, the report highlights the urgent need for the Zimbabwean government to address the systemic flaws in its justice system and to ensure that justice is not delayed or denied to those who have been targeted for political reasons.

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Zambia co-hosted the Second Summit for Democracy with the US, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, and South Korea. The Summit focused on “free, fair, and transparent elections.” Ahead of the Summit, African CSOs held the pre-Summit Citizens Summit in Defense of Democracy & Freedom. The Citizens Summit provided an opportunity for civil society to shape democratization aspirations and push back on authoritarianism. It enhanced networks, strengthened partnerships, and increased citizen engagement.

#SummitForDemocracy #Zambia#CivilSociety#Democratization#CitizensEngagement

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SouthernDefenders, in collaboration with Advancing Human Rights in Southern Africa (ARISA), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office for Southern Africa (OHCHR ROSA), the People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance and Amnesty International, held the 2022 Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Summit from November 28-29, 2022 in Lusaka, Zambia. The summit brought together over 150 human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), grassroots movements and representatives of National Human Rights Institutions from Southern Africa to take stock of the ground-breaking gains as well as the challenges and risks faced by HRDs in the face of shrinking civic space in the region.

The theme for the summit was  – A Journey to Sustainability: Protecting Civic Space Through Strengthening Institutions for and Networks of Environmental and Human Rights Defenders in Southern Africa – which was relevant in the context of the increasing repression of human rights and the weakening of institutions that are meant to defend democracies at both domestic and regional level.

You can read or download  the Report Below:

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African artists and human rights defenders face a troubling rise in restrictions on artistic freedom, exacerbated by recent military coups, political crises, flawed elections, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those artists who push back, critique the status quo, or explore themes deemed social taboos are regularly targeted — forcing some to make the impossible choice between continuing their work in forced exile or remaining silent within their own communities.

In response to these and other serious threats to African artists and their freedom, in mid-November 2021 PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SouthernDefenders) conducted a four-day closed virtual workshop titled “Artistic Freedom in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities.” The overarching goals of the workshop were to hear directly from African artists, lawyers, activists, and representatives of human rights organizations and cultural institutions about their most acute challenges; to forge connections among these groups, and to brainstorm possible solutions and strategies.

30 participants from 17 countries attended the workshop, which covered topics such as the impact of COVID-19, censorship, artists and human rights defenders (HRDs), legal challenges, and strategies for countering persecution.

Key findings from the workshop include:

• Topics that commonly draw censors include politics, religion, LGBTQ+ and gender issues, and purported immorality, vulgarity, and indecency.
• Too few human rights organizations in Africa focus or work on artists’ cases, and many artists are unaware of these human rights organizations and the existing protection mechanisms.
• On the one hand, digital spaces have raised artists’ visibility and provided alternative platforms to showcase art, promote solidarity campaigns, and express opinions. On the other hand, not all artists can afford or access the internet, and technology enables new forms of surveillance, censorship, and repression.
• Government policies used to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a toll on artists’ personal and professional sustainability.

Recommendations that emerged during the workshop include:

• African artists should join together to establish an emergency fund to respond to crises, whether individual cases of harassment or crisis such as the pandemic.
• Develop an online resource map of artists and artists’ organizations engaged in human rights defense, including civil society institutions.
• Artists should actively shape laws and policies by becoming active participants in local legislation and policy-making.
• African artists, with the help of human rights defenders, should establish solidarity networks so that when a crisis arises, they can easily access information on who to approach for help and how to obtain resources.
• Artists, organizations, and individuals alike need to spread awareness that artists are human rights defenders. The UN and other institutions should expand and streamline access to information, support, and resources through established human rights mechanisms.

We hope you read We Have Always Had to Fight: African Artists on Human Rights and Artistic Freedom, share our findings with your communities, and stand in solidarity with human rights defenders in Africa who work tirelessly to fight for their artistic freedom

For the first time, we held the 2021 Southern Defenders two-day annual summit in a city outside our headquarters in Johannesburg and we took it to the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. It was held in partnership with the Mozambican Human Rights Defenders Network (RMDDH), Advancing Human Rights In Southern Africa (ARISA), United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office for Southern Africa (OHCHR ROSA) and Amnesty International. This was symbolic of the growth and expansion of Southern Defenders. The 2021 summit was also the first to be held physically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual facilities for attendance were available, making the summit hybrid.

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Please find the report below: