PRESS RELEASE:KENYAN HRD NJOROGE WAITHERA RECOGNIZED IN DUBLIN.

DATE: 12 February 2010 For Release During Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenyan HRD Njoroge Waithera Recognized at a Leading International Conference for Human Rights Defenders’ in Dublin 10th-12th February 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a hundred Human Rights Defenders from 90 countries worldwide are attending the “5th Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders”, in Dublin from 10th - 12th February 2010. The HRDs are joined by key officials from the EU, the United Nations and intergovernmental organisations and are looking at the current risks facing human rights defenders with a view to developing new strategies to assess and minimise those risks. Speaking at the Dublin Platform, HRD Njoroge Waithera from Kenya called on the international community to promote the respect and protection of human rights defenders by national governments by conditioning bilateral co-operation/assistance to governments’ demonstrable commitment to their obligations under the International Human Rights Law. Njoroge further called on the Kenyan government to institute speedy and impartial investigation for extra judicial execution of two HRDs, G.P. Oulu and O. Kamau on 5th March 2009 and demanded meaningful protection for HRDs facing similar death threats on account of their legitimate human rights advocacy. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethern Pillay paid tribute to the courage of HRDs who put their lives on the line everyday, to protect the rights of others. Also speaking at the conference, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin T.D. congratulated Front Line, the organiser, for their outstanding work. “Human Rights Defenders put their own lives at risk to break the deafening silence of indifference and complacency. Without human rights defenders, the voices of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society would not be heard” said Minister Martin. “Human Rights Defenders are people who make extra-ordinary sacrifices, often putting their own lives at risk. They are usually either on the move or on the run. They are the people who change society,” Front Line Director Mary Lawlor said. HRDs travelled from across the globe to attend: from countries where human rights violations are common place such as: Afganistan, Zimbabwe, Iran, Burma, Colombia and Haiti. HRDs are often abused because of their work on the trafficking of women and children, exploitive working conditions, the discrimination of ethnic minorities or the marginalisation of those from indigenous communities. Other guest speakers included UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Ms. Margaret Sekkagya and Front Line Chairman, Mr. Denis O'Brien. For further Information please contact: Jim Loughran, Head of Communications, Front Line Telephone + 353 1 212 3750 Mobile + 353 (0)87 9377586