Robert Hårdh is a Swedish human rights lawyer and Executive
Director of Civil Rights Defenders. He received a Master of Laws
degree from Uppsala University in 1997. Robert Hårdh has past
experience within Amnesty International as an active member in the
organisation’s lawyers’ group in Sweden, and was a Board member
in the organisation’s Swedish section from 1998–2000. In 1999, he
began working at Civil Rights Defenders, which was then called the
Swedish Helsinki Committee. He was appointed to Executive Director
of Civil Rights Defenders in the autumn of 2000. Robert Hårdh
writes a blog about human rights within Sweden and across the world.
He has also been a Board member of Stiftelsen Expo since 2006 and
a member of the Advisory Council to the Committee for Human
Rights in North Korea.
Photo: FRIDA NILSON
Robert Hårdh
Executive Director
Civil Rights Defenders
Stockholm, March 2014
2013 was a busy year for Civil Rights Defenders as
we both developed our own organisation and also
opened up a number of constructive and important
collaborations.
Our launch last year of the Natalia Project – the
world’s first assault alarm system for human rights
defenders at risk, powered by social media – was an
instant worldwide success. The project was named
in honour of our friend and colleague Natalia Estemirova who was murdered because of her human rights work in 2009. It is a simple yet complex
alarm system, part of an overall security strategy.
Vulnerable human rights activists and their colleagues not only receive the physical and psychological protection of the alarm but safety training
with tailored security protocols established to meet
each of their specific needs.
The Natalia bracelet uses GPS and GSM technology that enables local colleagues to respond instantly and come to the rescue in the event of an assault.
At the same time, Civil Rights Defenders’ employees are ready 24/7, 365 days a year to receive alarms
and to act on it in accordance with the individual’s
security protocol. Through social platforms such
as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, people all over
the world can be alerted of attacks against bearers of the bracelet just minutes after the alarm has
been triggered and put pressure on governments
and authorities to release an individual.
in Moldova and Thailand in order to work more
closely with our partners in Transnistria, Burma,
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. We have also estab
lished a department for Latin America with a parti
cular focus on Cuba and Venezuela, and we are
gradually strengthening our efforts in the East and
Horn of Africa.
Our annual conference for human rights defenders
at risk, Defenders’ Days, gathered this year over
120 activists from some 30 countries. Added to that
was the presence of a large number of representatives from international organisations, all of which
in various ways assist local human rights defenders
in their work. The purpose of Defenders’ Days is
to inspir e and educate human rights defenders with
a forward-looking perspective and with innovation
as a resource.
The value of human rights defenders from around
the world meeting to exchange knowledge and experience cannot be overstated. To work in the field
of human rights is often lonely and it is therefore
important to build alliances - locally, regionally
and globally. But networks across industry boundaries are equally important.
The Natalia Project (www.nataliaproject.org) has
enhanced the lives of activists who work peacefully
to document and report human rights violations in
oppressive countries giving these activists support
and enhanced security. Through the Natalia Project, Civil Rights Defenders is able to complement
long-term capacity building efforts with an opportunity to quickly assist in emergency situations.
My colleagues and I are proud of the cooperation
with the international fashion company H&M,
who have provided us with the necessary resources
and greater opportunities to influence the wider
agenda. However, we are equally proud of the support from smaller companies like FinFina whose
CEO Jenny Höijer, in an exemplary manner, has
realised the importance of contributing to a better world. Not to mention all the private donors
who contribute by direct debit each month. We are
changing the world for the better by collaborating
with positive individuals and organisations to advocate for a common cause.
Civil Rights Defenders’ core geographic sphere
since the organisation was founded over 30 years
ago has been the former Soviet Union. We continue to strengthen our presence in Eastern Europe,
while at the same time expanding our work into
new regions. In 2014 we will open new field offices
Human rights defenders around the world are attacked daily. Reports from Cuba have revealed that
since November 2013 there have been over 1,000
politically motivated arrests on average per month.
It is beyond comprehension that someone who
peacefully campaigns against the abuse of power,
2
human rights violations and irregularities must
stand alone without any support. This is regardless of whether one is an anti-regime Vietnamese
blogger like Le Quoc Quan, or for that matter an
American whistle-blower like Edward Snowden.
In 1999 I met Ales Bialiatski for the first time. He
stood out even then, among other human rights
defenders in Belarus. I was impressed by his tranquillity, his wisdom and ability to organise people
in a deliberate and methodical struggle for human
rights. Three years earlier he had founded Viasna
which today is Belarus’ leading human rights organisation, respected all over the world.
During the 2010 presidential election Ales and
his colleagues worked around the clock to help all
those beaten and arrested. The KGB’s crackdown
against Viasna’s offices during election night, only
half an hour after I had left, was an indication of
what we could expect. About six months later, Ales
was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison in a politically
motivated trial. At the time of writing this he is
still in jail.
It is with particular pride and warmth that I present Ales Bialiatski as recipient of the 2014 Civil
Rights Defender of the Year Award. Ales’ and the
other brave human rights defenders’ struggle must
be our fight, yours and mine.
The Natalia Project is not only a potential lifesaver but also a great way to empower the human
rights community, the network of committed organisations and individuals who strive to make a
difference. Everyone - people, private and public
companies, institutions and organisations - can
contribute to the protection of vulnerable human
rights defenders. Civil Rights Defenders does a lot
and makes a difference, but it is in collaboration
with others that lasting change is made possible.
Robert Hårdh
Human rights lawyer and Executive Director of Civil
Rights Defenders