As we commemorate the fifth anniversary of the #StandAsMyWitness campaign and Nelson Mandela Day on July 18, we find that nearly twice as many nations have misused legal frameworks to intimidate and imprison campaigners. The CIVICUS Monitor states that at least 66 nations punished activists in 2019, an increase from 36 in 2019. The number of countries detaining human rights defenders (HRDs) increased from 38 to at least 63 in 2023.
On July 18, #StandAsMyWitness marks 4 years campaigning for the release of human rights defenders worldwide.
While we celebrate the release of 25+ HRDs, many remain jailed for speaking truth to power. This #MandelaDay, join us to honour their heroism and demand their freedom. pic.twitter.com/uZA2JwIWpo
— CIVICUS (@CIVICUSalliance) July 15, 2024
 #StandAsMyWitness Campaign Highlights
The startling rise in repression stands in sharp contrast to President Mandela’s ideals. Four years ago on Nelson Mandela Day, the campaign #StandAsMyWitness was started to demand the release of prominent international human rights advocates who are imprisoned for speaking out against injustice.
José Rubén Zamora, a journalist from Guatemala, is now the campaign’s fourteenth activist. José Rubén Zamora’s inclusion in the #StandAsMyWitness campaign raises concerns about the increasing dangers facing human rights advocates worldwide. According to Isabel Rosales, CIVICUS’s Latin America advocacy officer, “he is a brave journalist who has dedicated his life to exposing corruption and defending human rights in Guatemala.” Zamora has been incarcerated for the past two years, and the publication he started, El Periódico, was shut down.
Political Persecution in Eswatini
Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, two #StandAsMyWitness Eswatini campaigners, were cruelly condemned to 68 years of collective jail earlier this week. The two lawmakers who supported democracy were found guilty of calling for changes to the democratic system. Political parties are not allowed to run for office in Eswatini, an absolute monarchy where people who stand up for their rights risk jail time, torture, and even death.
The 14 human rights advocates highlighted in the advertisement stand in for a global wave of persecution directed against civil liberties and human rights. CIVICUS Monitor lists the misuse of the legal system to prosecute activists as one of the top ten breaches of their rights.
Global Call to Action for Human Rights Defenders
Their experiences are similar to those of numerous other activists who faced silence for advocating for justice and human rights. Here are a few #StandAsMyWitness figures who are still serving prison sentences:
1) Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for advocating for women’s emancipation and the repeal of the death penalty in Iran.
2) Chow Hang-Tung, a pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong, was taken into custody on June 4, 2021, after posting two messages on social media encouraging people to participate in a nonviolent memorial service for the Beijing massacre of civilians and protestors in 1989.
3) Khurram Parvez has devoted his life to nonviolence in one of the world’s most militarized areas. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in 2022. He is still incarcerated in India on conspiracy and terrorism-related accusations.
Conclusion
With barely 2% of the world’s population residing in nations with open civic areas, the crackdown on defenders presents a dire image. In 2023, an astounding 72% of people on the planet were under authoritarian rule. According to CIVICUS, there has been a noticeable increase in the closing of public areas globally, and the number of individuals living in closed nations has increased since 2019.
While the world pays tribute to President Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years, hundreds of human rights advocates are incarcerated after being found guilty in unjust trials and on false accusations.
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People are urged by #StandAsMyWitness to demand an end to the incarceration and mistreatment of human rights advocates across the globe. It has assisted in the liberation of thirty defenders thus far. It extends an invitation to everyone on the planet to tell the activists’ experiences and call for their release.