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Al-Tajer conducts legitimate human rights work. They want charges against him dropped. They want authorities responsible for torturing him held accountable.
They want threats, blackmail, and other personal attacks stopped.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders denounced Al-Tajer's treatment. It said abusing him deters his legitimate nonviolent human rights work.
In 1998, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
It recognizes the legitimacy of human rights defenders, their freedom of association, and right to conduct activities without fear of reprisals. Article 5 (b) states:
"For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups."Article 6 (c) states:
"(E)veryone has the right, individually and in association with others to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters."
Article 12.2 says "the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration."
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