We support Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), lawyers, activists and media representatives in responding to existing and emerging threats, including challenging repressive legislative regimes and seeking redress for direct and targeted attacks on civil society actors and freedom of expression more broadly. Through this work, we aim to build resilience and networks amongst HRDs working in ever more challenging and oppressive contexts.

We challenge:

• attacks on HRDs, including through politically-motivated convictions
• attacks on journalists, including in the context of conflict, through censorship and the use of repressive laws to restrict media freedom
• disinformation, and uphold the right to receive information in the context of disinformation and propaganda
• surveillance regimes. We challenge the growing use and abuse of surveillance regimes, bringing together lawyers and experts in the region to discuss strategies and common approaches
• repressive legislation. We challenge laws that restrict the ability of civil society organisations to operate, to establish legal precedents and drive policy change