Laws and Regulations

This Declaration recognises the legitimacy of human rightsⁱ work and the need for these activities and those who carry them out to be protected. It articulates existing rights contained in the major human rights instruments, such as the right to freedom of expressionⁱ, association and assembly, as they apply to the situation of human rights defenders. It also outlines that not only Stateⁱs, but also non-State actors (such as corporations and “fundamentalist” groups), have the duty to protect human rights defenders against any violence, retaliation and intimidation as a consequence of their human rights work.