NEW YORK: In the aftermath of harrowing reprisals against human rights defenders a UN report said alarming and “shameful” level of harsh reprisals and intimidation against those who cooperate with the United Nations in an effort to uphold human rights, has been revealed. The report documents allegations of reprisals and intimidation in 38 countries.

The UN report launched on Wednesday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres details the level of retaliation against human rights defenders on a country-by-country basis, including allegations of killing, torture, arbitrary arrests, and public stigmatisation.

“The cases of reprisals and intimidation detailed in this report and its two annexes represent the tip of the iceberg”, said assistant rights chief Andrew Gilmour. “We are also increasingly seeing legal, political and administrative hurdles used to intimidate and silence civil society.”

The report points out that selective laws and new legislations are restricting and obstructing organisations from cooperating with the UN, including by limiting their funding capacity, especially from foreign donors.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2018