Hansard

I am pleased to have been called to speak in this timely debate on human rights defenders on international human rights day. Indeed, it was on 10 December 1948 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Paris 71 years ago today, the leaders of the world agreed to put human rights at the centre of global governance. That was an inspiring moment in history. That milestone document set out for the first time fundamental human rights that were to be universally protected. Article 1 of the declaration famously states:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

The declaration goes on to list a whole series of rights that are deemed to be “inalienable” human rights, including freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, equal protection under the law, the right of asylum from persecution, the right to education, the right to own property, the right to work and the right to life, of course. The prescience that was shown in the drafting of the declaration and the tenets that were set forth in it form the backdrop of all international discourse to this day.

However, as we all know too well, human rights infringements take place day and daily across the globe, including, of course, in the economically advantaged and developed countries of the west. That is an indictment of our world in the 21st century, and it requires as a response from all countries and all citizens a determination to be vigilant in defence of human rights at home and abroad.

That was the genesis of the 1998 UN declaration on human rights defenders, which was adopted on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN declaration on human rights defenders reminded the world that the responsibility to protect human rights lies with all of us and that every person can and should be a human rights defender.

Sadly, although the declaration outlined the duties of states to protect human rights and to respect the work of human rights defenders, Amnesty International has reported that more than 3,500 such defenders have been killed since 1998. Aside from that being a human tragedy, that is truly a chilling statistic, and it reinforces the need to reaffirm support for human rights defenders and the need to engage in discussion about how to make the commitments of the 1998 declaration a reality.

In that regard, I, too, am very proud of the Scottish Government’s response to the challenge in establishing the Scottish human rights defender fellowship last year. As we have heard, a three-month semester at the University of Dundee is involved. Successful candidates have the opportunity in a place of safety to carry on their important work, which would otherwise often be carried out at great personal risk. They can conduct research, develop new skills, build networks and, I hope, return to their countries better equipped to carry on the fight. That is an excellent example of how Scotland can make a contribution and express our solidarity with human rights defenders in other countries.

Here at home, there are many examples of human rights defenders. I wish to mention one perhaps overlooked body of people, and I declare an interest in that I am a lawyer. The Law Society of Scotland rightly highlighted in its submission that many of its members are in fact human rights defenders because they deal daily with issues such as the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law in Scotland. They also deal with issues such as indefinite detention under Westminster’s ghastly immigration system and consolidation of hate crime legislation in Scotland.

On this day across the world, we see individuals being denied the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, asylum from persecution, education and indeed life itself. It is the responsibility of each of us to protect human rights and to be a human rights defender. We must redouble our efforts in the year ahead to discharge that responsibility.