United Nations General Assembly – At the heart of the struggle: human rights defenders working against corruption

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Former President of Ecuador, Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, posted a video to his personal Facebook account complaining about Dayanna Monroy, a human rights defender, saying “What people have failed to ask is: ‘Wouldn’t it make more sense to kill her?’

The Special Rapporteur is committed to making the situation of human rights defenders fighting corruption one of her key priorities. Since uncovering corruption involves the investigation of power structures and those in power, such work is considered a dangerous field for activists across all issues and governments.

Corruption is a human rights issue, which ought to be recognised as such by States. Those who work for the rights of others should be recognised and protected as human rights defenders.

States have an obligation to combat corruption in compliance with their human rights obligations, which includes taking appropriate steps to enable and encourage human rights defenders working against corruption.