Dear friends and colleagues, Today is an important landmark, as we celebrate the International Human Rights Day, while commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The past month has been a proactive time for DefendDefenders, with several human rights engagements and actions at national, regional, and international level.We actively participated in the 63rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commission), resulting in the adoption of eleven progressive resolutions, including a resolution concerning women human rights defenders. These are vastly important steps towards the recognition of the responsibility by duty-bearers to ensure the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), especially marginalised defenders such as women.

Marginalised human rights defenders were the topic of a report recently launched by DefendDefenders, highlighting the great need for increased support to and protection of ostracised defenders, as indigenous minorities, women, and those working on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. Moving forward, our priority will be to actively advocate for the implementation of the existing human rights standards to ensure full protection for marginalised defenders. To ensure our continuation and enhancement of tailor-made human rights strategies and actions, DefendDefenders held its annual staff retreat, with the objective to evaluate the past year and to identify avenues for increased impact in 2019. The retreat further reassured our dedication and motivation to continue to provide pro-active and re-active support to HRDs in East and Horn of Africa. Today is a day for us to reflect upon the human rights challenges and successes we have faced over the past year, and identify avenues to ensure enhanced human rights complience at all levels of society.DefendDefenders wish to turn the challenges and lessons learned into possibilities and action-steps to ensure increased support to HRDs. Today is a day to celebrate the dedicated and brave HRDs promoting and protecting human rights all over the globe; comrades, happy International Human Rights Day. Yours in solidarity, Hassan Shire, Executive Director, DefendDefenders

Human Rights Defenders of the Month:Is’haq Abubakar andAnastsia Nambo Is’haq Abubakar and Anastsia Nambo has conducted outstanding human rights work in their respective communities. They were awarded the Human Rights Defender (HRD) Award 2018, given out annually by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Kenya (NCHRD-K) and the Working Group on Human Rights Defenders (WGHRD).Read more.

Recommended reading: DefendDefenders report:"To Them, We’re Not Even Human”: Marginalised Human Rights Defenders in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania(December 2018) DefendDefenders report:Uganda’s Social Media Tax through the lens of network measurements(November 2018)

Updates from the sub-region: Burundi On 26 November, theappeal hearingof HRD Germain Rukuki took place before the Bujumbura Court of Appeal, in Ngozi. African Union (AU) observers were present and no security incidents were reported. The Court took the case under advisement and the decision is expected to be announced within the next 30 days.Germain was arrested and sentenced to32 years in prison on 26 April 2018, on charges of participation in an insurrectional movement, undermining state security, and rebellion. Ethiopia While experiencing progressive human rights developments, as reforms are being initiated by the new government, the country still experiences an increased level of hate speech. The hate speech, often taking place on social media, has led tothreats, kidnapping and deathsthroughout the country, endangering to derail the positive human rights developments. Kenya There is a raised concern over police killings and disruption of peaceful demonstrations in the country. On 23 October 2018,teachers demonstrated against the delayed investigationsof the murder of a teacher and his wife. However, the police fired live rounds of ammunition into the air and used teargas to forcefully disperse the teachers. Sudan Recent developments in Sudan illustrate alack ofrespect for civic freedomsin the country. The European Council urged the Sudanese authorities toensure commitmentsto freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression. In particular, there is a voiced concern over the shrinking civic space for civil society in the run-up to the 2020 elections. Tanzania Concerns over increased level of human rights violations has been expressed by several regional and international actors, witnessing several incidents of arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders, civil society activists, and journalists. The decreasing civic space and attack on freedom of expression was evident following thearbitrary arrest of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) staff, on a visit to Tanzania to examine freedom of expression.

Updates from DefendDefenders: Our protection unit received 31 human rights cases, whereas 11 were approved and 11 further referred to like-minded partners; DefendDefenders took part in the 63rd session of the ACHPR, which concluded byadopting progressive eleven resolutions; We took part in the Bread for the World (BFW) advocacyworkshop and the Partners’ meeting. In the workshop, participants were trained on advocacy strategies, and the meeting allowed for strategic discussions on future activities supported by BFW; Togather with 11 other civil society organisations, we released ajoint letterto address restrictions in draft CSO Proclamation and protect freedom of association,urging the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that the draft Charities and Societies (CSO) Proclamation complies with regional and international human rights norms and standards relating to freedom of association; We launched a new cycle of the Safe Sister Women's Digital Safety Fellowship, with participants from Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan who completed a 5-day training. Following the training, the participants will be eligible for small Safe Sister project grants from DefendDefenders and Internews; A Technology Skill share was held for Ethiopian human rights defenders in Addis Ababa at the ICE Addis innovation hub. It was our first formal event held in Ethiopia taking advantage of the improved political climate for freedom of expression in the country. Speakers shared experiences of blogging under repression in Ethiopia while participants of our Safe Sister program spoke on digital security and countering gender-based violence online (include photos we've shared with you); We granted 31 short IT skills-building courses to 27 technologists and trainers working in East and Horn of Africa civil society, and we trained Ugandan digital security trainers and technologists on theSAFETAGdigital security auditing framework; Our 2018 Doc-IT program concluded with the support of the Irish Embassy in Uganda with a final workshop and project unveiling showcasing data visualisation skills among Ugandan human rights organisations. A new call for applications will be opening soon (include photos from event); We arehiring aData & Web Campaigning Leadto direct our Doc-IT project in future cycles (Closes Dec 9th); and From 29 – 28 November, we attended the three-day conference of I4C Hub Afrique in Accra, on shared learning, and convening onalternative funding models for civil societyorganisations. Updates from our Network: On 5 – 6 November, Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network (PAHRDN) attended theDakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa, discussing the indispensable role of human rights protection in conflict transformation and peace building; and On 27 – 29 November, PAHRDN and the University of York co-organised aworkshop to explore the role of universitiesin countering closing civic space and in the protection of HRDs at risk. Held in Cape Town, South Africa, the workshop saw the participation of scholars, HRDs and protection experts from all over the world, who shared lessons learnt and best practices.