Niger should develop and enact a specific national law on the protection of human rights defenders and fully implement recommendations made in the context of the Universal Periodic Review to provide a safe and enabling environment for defenders' work.

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(Geneva) - Niger should develop and enact a specific national law on the protection of human rights defenders and fully implement recommendations made in the context of the Universal Periodic Review to provide a safe and enabling environment for defenders' work.

In a statement to the UN Human Rights Council following a comprehensive review of Niger's human rights record, ISHR congratulated the government on accepting six recommendations (made by Ghana, Switzerland, the UK, the US, Germany and Norway) on the freedom and protection of civil society actors in the country. Prior to the review, ISHR, together with the West Africa Human Rights Defenders Network and the Collectif des Organisations de Défense des Droits de l'Homme et de la Démocratie launched a briefing paper and proposed recommendations on the situation of human rights defenders in Niger. 

ISHR's statement to the Council encouraged Niger to implement these recommendations by adopting, in consultation with civil society, a national human right defender protection law consistent with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, calling the government's attention to the authoritative and comprehensive guidance provided by ISHR's Model Law on the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders in that regard. 

ISHR will continue to work with regional and national civil society partners, together with government officials, to enhance the recognition and protection of human rights defenders, journalists and other civil society actors in Niger.

A full text of the statement is available in English and French.

Contact: Clément Voule, Africa Human Rights Advocacy Director, ISHR on [email protected]