You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on defending human rights defenders.

Human rights and fundamental freedoms form the basis of European societies, but in other parts of the world, men and women must confront violence, abuses and impunity.

Even at the risk of their own lives, some dare to stand up against these abuses.

So what is the EU doing to support them? Stay with us.

Pierre Clave Bonimpa and Burundi, Rosa Touletayevev in Kazakhstan, Leila Yunus in Azerbaijan, Professor Toti in China.

These names may say nothing to you, but they mean a lot in their countries and certainly to human rights and democracy around the world.

Whether it's to defend freedom of expression, women's rights, LGTBI rights, labour rights or others, human rights defenders play a key role in documenting and exposing violations of these rights and combating the impunity of those responsible.

Their unfailing voices help raise awareness of human rights abuses, but they also turn them into targets

of violence and attacks. So what is the European Union doing to defend them?

Well, to begin with, the defence of fundamental rights and freedoms is enshrined in the EU

treaties and guides the EU's foreign policy. The EU guidelines on human rights defenders

recognise the need to protect them

and give them the necessary political and financial support to help them in the struggle.

These guidelines also provide EU actors with possible actions which can be used to support

human rights champions in the most effective way and avoid endangering them further.

Through the European instrument for democracy

and human rights, the EU channels more support and assistance than any other organisation in the

world. But how does this support materialise in concrete terms? Let's take a closer look.

Well, there's many things the EU can and does do to support human rights defenders.

For instance, EU missions establish regular contacts with them and try to increase social awareness of their struggle.

They also observe the trials and visit them in custody.

Cases of human rights defenders are also raised with local and regional authorities and during political and human rights dialogues with the countries concerned, often in conjunction with the UN and local and international NGOs.

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