Rights on the Line

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we chat to Ravi Madasamy, better known as M. Ravi, an international human rights lawyer in Singapore, who was recently disbarred as a result of his human rights work. He has argued in favour of landmark human rights and constitutional law cases regarding the mandatory death penalty, freedom of expression, defamation laws, freedom of assembly, and more. M. Ravi is also the founding member of the Anti‐Death Penalty Asia Network and the Singapore Anti‐Death Penalty Campaign (S.A.D.P.C.) community group. He tells us more about his journey as a human rights defender and lawyer in Singapore, where the space for human rights defenders is becoming increasingly narrow. Read about his case here: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/ravi-madasamyFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailIndigenous women human rights defenders in Africa face unique challenges, from standing up to patriarchal norms and fighting land grabs by extractive industries, to resisting the gendered impacts of climate change and forced evictions- In this episode, we chat to two indigenous women human rights defenders - Janepher Baitwamasa from Uganda, and Ilaria Potipa Loonkolia from Kenya, both of whom organise for women’s rights, land rights and access to justice within their communities. They’ve faced pushback from within their communities, harassment, and threats. They speak candidly about what it means to work as a woman human rights defender in patriarchal societies, confronting both cultural and systemic violence; and how they continue to resist, organise, and protect land and people.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailMona Shtaya is a pioneering digital rights defender with more than a decade of experience. Her advocacy and campaigning has resulted in exposing digital discrimination against oppressed people, building coalitions, and mobilising groups to hold governments and tech giants accountable.In this episode she talks about:- What it means to be a digital rights defender (1:00 +)- Challenges in the digital space in the MENA region (4:00 +)- The (mis)use of laws to criminalise HRDs online (8:00)-  Digitial rights aspects of Israel/Palestine and the most recent Gaza genocide: (11:00 +, 46:00 +)- Shadow banning (20:20 +; 29:00 +)- How social media companies have responded to the violation of rights online (22:00 +)- Personal challenges she has faced online as a woman human rights defender (25:00 +)- Technology facilitated gender based violence (27:00+)- How algorithms and other technical aspects of censorship works (35:00 +) - How to beat the algorithm (41:00+)*Note: This was recorded in October 2024, prior to the ceasefire of the Gaza genocide.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailIdris Khattak, a Pakistani human rights defender, was forcibly disappeared 5 years ago. He was, and remains, a single father of 2 daughters. For almost two years after his disappearance, they had no clue about his whereabouts, worried about his safety and whether he was alive.Authorities eventually revealed that he was being held in Military custody under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), a law aimed at protecting information held by government employees. He was tried and wrongfully convicted by a military court under the OSA and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in December 2021. An appeal against his conviction is pending before a military court and offers some hope for his release, but there has been little movement or response. The human rights defender has spent nearly five years of imprisonment in crowded and unsanitary conditions. We talk to his daughter, Talia, who has been campaigning tirelessly for his release and for the Court to respond. She tells us about what it was like to lose her only parent, and what her father and her family has endured since his disappearance. Front Line Defenders calls on the Pakistan authorities to immediately end his persecution, remove all legal cases against him and release Idris Khattak safely to his family. We call for accountability for his enforced disappearance and treatment by the Pakistan authorities, including the unlawful and unjust practice of trying a civilian in a military court, and denying him access to an effective legal remedy and due process rights. See more details here: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/idris-khattak  How You Can Take Action1. Advocate to the President: Urge the President of Pakistan to act for the release of Idris Khattak. You can:Post on Social Media: Share your message on X (Twitter) by tagging @PresOfPakistan, @AAliZardari, or @mohrpakistan.Send a Letter by Mail: Address your letter to: The President of Pakistan Aiwan-e-Sadr Islamabad, Pakistan2. Send Messages to Idris Khattak: Although direct letters cannot reach Idris in Adiala Jail, his family can print and share your messages. Here's how to get involved:Post on Social Media: Share your message on X, Facebook, or Instagram, tagging:X: @ReleaseIdrisKFacebook: Release Idris KhattakInstagram: @releaseidriskhattakUse hashtags like #ReleaseIdrisKhattak to amplify your voice.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailIn this multi-episode series, we take a look at the use of laws in Europe and Central Asia criminalising funding received by human rights organisations from foreign sources.In Georgia, Parliament adopted the ‘’Transparency of Foreign Influence’’ bill in May 2024. The Georgian government has already starting listing organisations as foreign agents.We chat to Nona Kurdovanidze from the Georgian Young Lawyers Association to find out how the re-introduction of this law has been, and will be, impacting human rights defenders and organisations.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailRaji is human rights lawyer and defender from Gaza who leads a core team at the PCHR, documenting and investigating human rights violations committed under the Israeli occupation. The PCHR have contributed to important international cases at the ICJ and ICC.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailWhy have Kenyan human rights defenders been protesting? What have the consequences of their human rights work during the protests been? Listen to a human rights defender on the ground in Kenya share their perspective on why they are peacefully protesting, as well as how they have been targeted and harassed during this time.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailDoris is a woman human rights defender working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for over a decade, advocating for the rights of women, girls, and marginalized communities in Kenya and beyond. She talks about the challenges and successes of her work as a human rights defender: the difficult context for SRHR, LGBTIQ+ and womens rights work in Kenya, in a society that has alot of stigma and resistance to advancing these various areas of human rights work. Doris herself has been a victim of targeting, harassment, home raids, and more, as a result of her work. She shed light on this and tells us why she will never stop her human rights work.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan Mail"Francisca Fernández Droguett: el ciberespionaje de personas defensoras en Chile por una empresa extractiva privada". Conversamos con la defensora chilena, integrante del Movimiento por el Agua y los Territorios - MAT, sobre el ciberespionaje al que ella y otras personas defensoras de derechos humanos que protestan en contra del proyecto hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo en Chile, fueron sometidos. Francisca Fernández Droguett nos cuenta en este último episodio en español de nuestro podcast, Rights on the Line, cómo la justicia chilena respaldó a la empresa extractiva privada incluso después de que reconocieran haber participado en ciberespionaje. Esto, en un contexto en que Chile se adhiere al Acuerdo de Escazú que pretende dar garantías a líderes ambientales.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/

Send us Fan MailTara Houska is a citizen of Couchiching First Nation, a tribal attorney, land defender, environmental and Indigenous rights defender. She is the founder of the Giniw Collective, an Indigenous women, two-spirit-led frontline resistance to defend the sacred and live in balance. Tara Houska has been active in resisting the Line 3 oil pipeline, the Dakota Access pipeline, and is involved in the movement to reclaim Land Back and in defunding fossil fuels. We chat to her about her journey as a human rights defender including the resistance to the Line 3 and Dakota Access pipelines, what drives her, what the earth means to her, and more.Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinedefenders/