Human Rights Defenders Receive Lifesaving Support

(BANGKOK, December 2021)—In response to the human rights crisis and the massive needs stemming from the bloody military coup d’état in Myanmar launched on February 1, 2021, Fortify Rights facilitated urgent support to those on the frontlines and facing threats by the Myanmar junta. Since the beginning of 2021, Fortify Rights secured nearly US$450,000 in emergency assistance to directly support more than 360 human rights defenders and their families facing security risks due to their human rights work and activism. This critical support provided life-saving assistance to human rights defenders in hiding in Myanmar and elsewhere, medical professionals and civil servants involved in Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement, elected parliamentarians, political and student activists, members of civil society organizations, journalists, artists, and others. These cash distributions enable at-risk human rights defenders and their family members to safely evade persecution and reprisals at critical moments.