SUPPORT the LEGAL FUND for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Under Attack

Legal Defense Fund for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Under Attack

Support PCSDS

CONTRIBUTE TO THE LEGAL SUPPORT HERE
(Only Indian Nationals can contribute)

Who we are: The Legal Defense Fund has been created by the People’s
Commission on Shrinking Democratic Space in India (PCSDS), a national-level
membership-based collective of human rights organisations, democratic rights
activists, social movements and concerned individuals. We have come together
with the objective of upholding the freedoms of opinion, expression,
association, assembly, dissent, protest and all other civil liberties, including the
freedom from harassment and criminalisation for human rights defenders.
Please see www.pcsds.in for more information or below.

The Legal Defense Fund: The Fund has been created to respond to the
growing attacks on human rights defenders and journalists. The fund provides
financial support for legal, medical and other related costs in cases of
retaliatory actions or potential threats faced by defenders and journalists.
These could include direct physical assaults, threats to one’s life or a family
member, framing of false criminal or civil charges, harassment, intimidation,
and other related actions.

What you can do? If you are under attack or know of others who are please
contact PCSDS at pcsdssecretariat@gmail.com.
You can contribute generously for the cause.



ABOUT PCSDS:
For the last several years a large number of NGOs, activists, scholars and Human Rights workers engaged in the protection of  natural resources, environment and livelihood  have become very vulnerable  to the attacks both by the state and non-state actors.  They have been unjustly victimized for working with affected people or were belonging to communities that have been protesting against the destruction of natural resources such as;  mining, nuclear power plants, polluting industries, destruction of environment, etc., Statistics show that over the last 5 years, there has been a 32 percent increase on the attack on Human Rights activists across the world and a similar trend is noticeable in our country too.

The Human Rights activists/workers have regularly been taking up issues of  community conflicts that arise at various levels and bringing them to the limelight especially through the social media, RTIs etc.  Many of them are also directly engaged with communities or are part of social movement groups  that raise their dissenting voices at local, national and even at international levels. In the current Neo-liberal context, both for the state and the corporate these  maneuvers are often seen as disruptive and threatening. Thus to protect the corporate interests, the state has not only been trying to crush those  who critique its policies but simultaneously been trying to squeeze the space for democratic dissent.

Several tactics are being used to used both by the state and non-state actors to silence the dissenting voices. Illegal detentions, custodial torture, death threats, arbitrary arrests, illegal attacks. enforced disappearances, surveillance, sexual assaults on women activists, harassment, travel bans, filing false cases, destroying personal properties are some of the commonly used tactics to break the will of protesting individuals and communities.

Considering the gravity and the seriousness of the situation that has developed in the country over the last several years with increased and arbitrary attacks on human rights activists, especially those working on for the protection of natural resources, environment and livelihoods, there is a need to take up these issues collectively both at the state and at national levels.

People's Commission on Shrinking Democratic Spaces (PCSDS) has been created with the objective to advocate the issues of fundamental rights and vigorously take up issues of harassment, decriminalization of our rights including the rights of the human rights activists/workers who are committed to defend and uphold all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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