International Attention and the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Janika Spannagel is a postdoctoral researcher at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, where she currently studies the diffusion and contestation of academic freedom norms at the Cluster of Excellence "Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)". She previously co-developed the Academic Freedom Index. Her background is in researching human rights and political repression.

Introduction Part I: The ‘Human Rights Defender’ in International Politics 1. A Short History of the ‘Human Rights Defender’ 2. Unpacking the ‘Human Rights Defender’ Theory of Change Part II: Can UN Attention Protect Human Rights Defenders? 3. What Do the UN’s ‘Independent Eyes and Ears’ See and Hear? 4. Making a Difference: The Protective Effect of UN Casework Part III: Defenders’ Protection and Human Rights Change in Tunisia 5. The International Protection of Tunisian Defenders under Ben Ali 6. Translating Protection into Human Rights Change for Tunisia Conclusion