Maiwand: Here's how Canada can defend human rights more effectively

Global human rights defenders — such as journalists, lawyers, Indigenous leaders, activists, volunteers and whistleblowers — are under threat. There are ways we can support them.

Published Dec 07, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 3 minute read

Pictured above, the Human Rights monument on Elgin Street in Ottawa. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly recently announced Canada’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2028 to 2030 term. Photo by PAT McGRATH /THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

As Canada marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, it must step up and stand up for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs).

HRDs refer to people who engage in protecting human rights through peaceful means. They can include journalists, lawyers, Indigenous leaders, activists, volunteers and whistleblowers, among others.

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In June 2023, as I was looking forward to my first Canada Day experience, six fellow HRDs were killed in Sudan, defending the core Canadian value and foreign policy priority of human rights.

Their story is not an isolated case. In 2022, 401 HRDs were killed. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The threats facing HRDs are numerous, systematic and complex.

HRDs work in increasingly hostile environments. Authoritarian states and malign non-state actors target them as a tactic to erode accountability, suppress dissent and consolidate power. They use various tactics to oppress activists, from restricting the legal environment to arbitrary detention, torture and killing. These circumstances have pushed HRDs into exile.

While in exile, HRDs are subjected to transnational repression and disinformation operations aimed at silencing their voices and eroding their credibility. Assassinations, digital and physical threats, and surveillance are widely used transnational repression tactics. Disinformation operations target the legitimacy of exiled HRDs by linking them to foreign governments. These challenges are compounded by the trauma of displacement and exile, economic and integration hurdles, and loss of relevance and identity.

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The status quo is untenable. Authoritarianism is on the rise. Democratic backsliding is real, and civic space is shrinking. Yet, HRDs’ resolve to realize the promise of democracy and universal human rights should give us hope amid despair. From the streets of Kabul and Tehran to prison cells in Moscow and Minsk and Amazon rainforests in Brazil and Columbia, HRDs are standing for freedom and dignity.

In a welcome breeze of fresh air earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Canada’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2028 to 2030 term, with support to front-line human rights defenders at the top of its six priorities. Canada can demonstrate leadership in protecting human rights at home and abroad by leveraging its culture of respect for diversity and pluralism, its international human rights commitments, and its capacity to resettle at-risk individuals.

In so doing, Canada must do more with a renewed sense of urgency, purpose and determination.

First, Canada must better understand the rapidly changing state of human rights in repressive states. The pace of change, the diversity of narratives, actors and contexts and the emergence of new threats and opportunities, including the growth of digital technologies in the human rights space, underscores the need for a new, innovative research agenda that merges global best practices with local know-how and perspectives.

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Second, Canadian interventions should recognize the power and agency of HRDs. They are at the front lines, claiming space and demonstrating relevance in defending human rights. Still, they are generally in the backseat at the decision-making tables and at side events in global multilateral engagements. Canada can lead the way in transforming human rights protection approaches to embrace the agency of human rights defenders.

Third, Canada can do more to protect exiled HRDs who have sought Canadian protection. The current threshold of 500 resettlement spaces for at-risk defenders pales in comparison to the growing number of at-risk HRDs. A substantial increase in resettlement spaces for HRDs should be a top policy priority for the Canadian government and a principled advocacy cause for Canadian organizations operating in the human rights space. For exiled HRDs residing in Canada, innovative integration and mobility support, including the provision of resources for research, re-organizing, and advocacy, can help protect human rights both in Canada and in their countries of origin.

To disrupt the global trend of repressing human rights defenders, Canada must double down on its efforts to protect them by enacting bold policies, designing innovative programs, and demonstrating global leadership and relevance in advancing freedom, justice, and dignity for all.

The time to act is now.

Maiwand Rahyab is the Founder and CEO of Resilient Societies.