Protecting Human Rights Defenders under International Law

The main aim of this thesis is to analyse how international instruments and their corresponding mechanisms support and protect Human Rights Defenders and to which extent this support is useful. Human Rights Defenders have always faced difficulties due to their operate that is essential to promote and implement democracy and human rights. After a detailed introduction in which they are described the categories most at risk of HRDs, the first chapter is based on the crucial moment of the adoption of the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the consequent role of the UN Special Rapporteur. In the second chapter they are analysed the different regional mechanisms that the various human rights organizations in America, Africa and Europe have adopted to protect HRDs and how they have changed over time. Lastly, in the third chapter it has been made a comparison between the most influential cases about human rights defenders that have been submitted before the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-America Court of Human Rights.