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On 24 March 2017, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the Resolution No 34 A/HRC/34/L.5, extending the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst for 3 more years.

Promo-LEX Association welcomes the adoption of the Resolution No 34 A/HRC/34/L.5, and considers that as long as there is no mechanism to protect the Human Rights Defenders at the national level, the notification of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders about the intimidation and harassment of the Moldovan Human Rights Defenders remains to be the only way to protect them.

This important Resolution affirms vital and legitimate work of the Human Rights Defenders and extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, tasked to support and protect them. Concurrently, it urges all States to cooperate and:

• to assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his/her tasks;
• to provide all information and to respond to the communications transmitted to them by the Special Rapporteur without undue delay;
• calls upon States to give serious consideration to the requests of the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries.

‘Through this Resolution the UN Council has sent the States an important signal that human rights work is legitimate, and that Human Rights Defenders must be protected by States and non-state actors’. (Michael Ineichen, ISHR’s Director of Human Rights Council Advocacy).

The renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, comes at a vital time, since the working environment of the Moldovan Human Rights Defenders becomes more and more hostile.

The representative of Promo-LEX Association Alexandru Postica recently talked at the UN Human Rights Council about the need to develop a national mechanism to protect the Human Rights Defenders, CALLING on the Government of the Republic of Moldova to take concrete steps to implement through the national legislation the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and of the[1] Resolution No 31/32 A/HRC/RES/31/32 Protecting human rights defenders.[2]

Not to forget that thanks to the intervention of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, the case of Promo-LEX Association was brought to the focus of the UN Council (see here).

We reiterate that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, together with other Special Rapporteurs, expressed their concern about the criminal proceeding initiated by the Security Services of Transnistrian region and application of ‘special investigation measures’ against Promo-LEX members, which, according to the Rapporteur, may greatly hinder the exercise of their right to freedom of expression and their work monitoring human rights violations in the region.

[1] Declaration’s full name is the ‘Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms‘ – with this longer title is frequently abbreviated to ‘The Declaration on human rights defenders’; http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/Declaration.aspx
[2] Resolution adopted by the HRC on 24 March 2016 – 31/32. Protecting human rights defenders, whether individuals, groups or organs of society, addressing economic, social and cultural rights:http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/RES/31/32; We remind, that more than 180 NGOs, including Promo-LEX Association, support the call on the Member States to adopt the Resolution No 31/32 A/HRC/RES/31/32 Protecting human rights defenders.