ACTION
Do's and don'ts
for EEAS, EU delegations and Member State
embassy public statements or letters on human rights defenders
The HRDN has drafted a "Do's and Don'ts in EU public statements on HRDs" as a practical, examples based illustration of some good practices in communicating about HRDs at risk, in a way that is helpful to them and to other defenders, and hopefully maximises chances of securing their release, the dropping of charges against them, and the end of other forms of harassment. It also outlines unhelpful messages that can unwittingly undermine their protection. It also includes a 'baseline' asking the EU to always issue statements in case of the killing of a human rights defenders, which should never be ignored. The EU and Member States committed to "improve public diplomacy and communication on its human rights actions" in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, and HRDN will be meeting with the EEAS, and other key EU actors in order to discuss these ideas, over the coming weeks.