DefendingDefenders@egroups.com is a clearing-house for human rights activists interested in posting and receiving news of cases of defenders of civil, political, social, and economic rights who have faced persecution from states or non-state actors related to their human rights work. Our platform is the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN human rights treaties, and the General Assembly Resolution 53/144 ("Defenders'Declaration")(9 December 1998)
which contains principles for the protection of defenders.

The purpose of DefendingDefenders is to 1) publicize cases of defenders to avoid duplication of research efforts and encourage collective advocacy; 2) to strengthen the international human rights movement one defender at a time, particularly where activists are most vulnerable by creating a defense network; 3) to create a body of material to present to the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General for Defenders, and other relevant officials; 4) to exchange ideas about the development of this network regionally and internationally with the aim of eventually establishing a larger listserve and web site ring.