Illegal Arrest And Detention in Bangladesh

About this Violation

About this Violation

You may find yourself being arrested and detained or kidnapped due to your work on business-related human rights abuses.

What is an illegal arrest or detention?

Being arrested means to be bodily confined by the police or other state officials including the military. In order to be lawfully arrested or detained, the procedures stipulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure should be followed. 

A person might either illegally detain you or kidnap you or might be involved with your illegal arrest and detention by the authorities, because they provided wrong information to incriminate you. This person could be hired by a company or by corrupt state officials to do so but could also have another interest in illegally kidnapping and detaining you or causing you to be unlawfully arrested or detained.

Those acts are prohibited by the Bangladeshi legal framework. 

When a person has committed any of those offences against you, you can file a criminal case against the person, even if you do not know who the person is.

During Arrest and Detention

During your arrest and detention, you have the following rights:

  • Under Section 50 of the Criminal Procedure Code, “The person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape.”
  • You must be told why you are being arrested and detained. 
  • You are entitled to consult and be defended by a lawyer of your choice at all stages of the proceedings against you. 
  • You must be brought before a Magistrate within 24 hours and may only be detained for more than 24 hours with the authorisation of a Magistrate. However, under Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code, if the investigation cannot be completed within 24 hours, the magistrate can authorise the prolonged detention of the person for a maximum of 15 days.
  • When you are detained by order under a law that allows preventive detention, the authority making the order must inform you on the grounds for the order as soon as possible. They must also give you an opportunity to challenge such an order. 
  • You have the right to be brought before a doctor if you sustain injuries (Guidelines and Best Practice When It Comes to Arrest Without a Warrant BLAST (Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust) vs. Bangladesh 55 DLR (HCD) (2003) 363).
  • You can inform one of your relatives by phone or through a messenger within one hour of being brought to the police station [Guidelines and Best Practice When It Comes to Arrest Without a Warrant BLAST (Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust) vs. Bangladesh 55 DLR (HCD) (2003) 363).
  • You have a right to remain silent and you cannot be compelled to make a statement (Article 35 of the Constitution).
  • You have the right to an interpreter (Article 364 of the Criminal Procedure Code).
  • You have the right to confess only before the Magistrate (Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Section 24 of the Evidence Act).
  • You have the right not to be tortured (Section 163 of the Criminal Procedure Code; Section 24 of the Evidence Act; Article 35(5) of the Constitution; Section 13 of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prohibition) Act). 
  • Your statement to the police cannot be used in evidence against you (Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code).
  • Prolonged detention for further investigation cannot exceed 15 days (Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code).

If any of your rights above are violated during your arrest or detention, you should raise the issue with the authorities. 

If you are tortured during detention, see the section on [TORTURE].

File a Criminal Complaint

Warning: Before taking any of the steps listed below, you can strategically assess the risks involved with taking certain actions and make sure that you prioritise your physical and psychological safety and security.

File a complaint with the police

If you have been unlawfully arrested and detained or kidnapped, you should file a criminal complaint even if you do not know who the person was who unlawfully arrested and detained or kidnapped you and even if you are unsure whether any of the offences criminalised under the Bangladeshi Penal Code apply to your circumstances.

Filing a criminal complaint

You can consider reporting the incident to the authorities by:

1. File a complaint with a Police Officer

Depending on the specificities of your case, the police officer will do one of the following:

  1. If the offence is cognisable (i.e. serious), the police officer will file a First Information Report and will investigate without requiring an order from the magistrate. If during the investigation, the officer reasonably suspects that a particular individual or individuals committed the offence, they may arrest the suspect or suspects without a warrant for arrest.
  2. If it is a non-cognisable offence, the police officer will record the complaint and make a case entry in the Diary (known as a ‘GDE’). Then, he/she will refer you, together with the original copy of the GDE to a Magistrate to obtain permission for investigation.

2. File a complaint with the Magistrate

You can file a complaint directly to the Magistrate. 

When a cognisable offence is reported directly to a Magistrate, the Magistrate may refer the petition for complaint to the police as a FIR for the police to investigate further. If the Magistrate is of the opinion that the petition does not need to be referred to the police, they can interview the complainant and any witnesses and record what they have to say in writing (Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). If the Magistrate is of the opinion that there is no substance to the complaint, they may dismiss it. If they believe there is a case to answer, they will take cognisance of the case and proceed.

Where the complaint for a non-cognisable offence is made directly to a Magistrate, the Magistrate will examine the complainant (and any other witnesses present) under oath. If the Magistrate believes an offence has been committed, they will instruct the police to investigate. If not, they may dispose of the case.

Who is responsible for the offence against you? 

The responsibility for the offence against you lies with the person who perpetrated it. Should you discover over the course of time that the responsible person is a business, please see the section on [ILLEGAL ARREST AND DETENTION by BUSINESS] or [ILLEGAL ARREST AND DETENTION by STATE].

What can you expect? 

Once the police have identified a suspect or suspects and have finished the investigation, they will arrest the suspects. In some cases, a Court will summon the suspects to appear in Court. In non-cognisable cases, the police may arrest an accused without a warrant for arrest. If it is a cognisable offence, the police will need to ask a Court to issue a warrant for arrest before arresting the suspect.

The case will then move to the trial stage. After hearing the prosecution’s case and examining the accused and allowing him to present the case, the Court will decide whether the accused should be acquitted for lack of evidence or whether the accused should be convicted. The burden of proving the case lies with the prosecutor. To be convicted, the commission of the offence should be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

What if you are not satisfied with the outcome? 

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the trial, because, for example, you believe that the accused was wrongly acquitted, then you can file an appeal. The appeal should be filed before the High Court Division and should be based on the belief that the lower Court made a mistake of fact or an error of law. 

You can also ask for a ‘revision’ of the decision by a higher court when you think that the trial procedure was not correctly followed. If the higher court finds procedural mistakes, it will send the case again to the lower court or try the case on its own.  

How can you get compensation? 

You can ask the Criminal Court for compensation, on the basis of Section 545 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. That section foresees that when a Criminal Court imposes a fine on an accused, then the Court might order that this fine is paid as compensation for any loss or injury the offence caused the victim. For such an order, the case should have reached the appeal stage.

Ask the state to investigate

Warning: Before taking any of the steps listed below, you can strategically assess the risks involved with taking certain actions and make sure that you prioritize your physical and psychological safety and security.

Ask the State to Investigate

If an unknown person violated any of your rights, by illegally arresting you, detaining you or treating you badly during arrest and detention, you can ask the state to investigate by filing a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission and/or the Hello MP system. 

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

The National Human Rights Commission has the mandate under Section 12 of the National Human Rights Commission Act to handle complaints relating to allegation of human rights violations. If an unknown person violated any of your rights, by illegally arresting you, detaining you or treating you badly during arrest and detention, you may file a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission.

What should you expect? 

The National Human Rights Commission can inquire into complaints but also initiate inquiries on its own initiative. It focuses on violations committed by a person, the State, a government agency, institution, organisation, or public servant, including violations committed by law enforcement officials. In that regard, it enjoys the power of a civil court.

When investigating a violation, the Commission can appoint mediators or propose arbitration as well as providing legal aid.

If the Commission finds the complaint is true, after concluding the inquiry, it may recommend the government to initiate prosecution or other legal proceedings against the offender. The Commission can also submit a petition before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court on behalf of the victim if certain criteria are met. 

How to submit your complaint? 

The Commission has a hotline number 16108, e-mail, online through NHRCB website: http://nhrc.org.bd/, by post, in person complaint lodging system at present. 

Hello MP System

Hello MP System was developed by the Institute of Informatics and Development. Its aims is to connect citizens of remote villages with their respective Member of Parliament (MP). If you have a complaint for a human rights violation by the state or a state agency, you can use the Hello MP to inform Parliamentarians about your situation.

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    Trade Union

    If you are a worker and you have been illegally arrested and detained due to your work on labour issues, you can consider informing the Ministry of Labour and Employment, which is responsible for labour issues. 

    The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments of the Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up a Complaint Helpline, where you can submit work-related complaints free of charge. 

    • Helpline number 16357.
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    Gender

    If you are a female and you have been illegally arrested and detained, or you have suffered violence during arrest and detention you can approach various responsible agencies. 

    There is a National Helpline Centre for Violence against Women and Children at the Department of Women Affairs of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

    You can approach the Center at 37/3 Eskaton Garden Road, Dhaka-1000.

    There is also a Helpline Number (109) and an email address 109helpline@gmail.com

    Website: www.nhc.gov.bd 

    You can find further information on state services available online here E-Services - Ministry of Women and Children Affairs- Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (portal.gov.bd)

    There are also various centres that you can contact. Indicatively, the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), which provides Legal assistance, emergency shelter and mental healthcare [phone number 01724415677] and the Bandhu Social Welfare Society, which provides Psychosocial support as well as guideline for SRHR and legal aspects [phone number 01714048418 (SRHR); 01771 444666 (legal)].

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    Environment

    If you are an environmental or indigenous human rights defender and you have suffered harm due to the acts of a state official, you should consider informing the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Environmental Council or the Ministry of Lands, respectively.

Complementary Strategies

Complementary Strategies

Achieving justice and remedy for the abuses that you suffered as a human rights defender working on business-related human rights abuses can be a lengthy and difficult process. It may require a combination of patience and strategy, and you may have to call on different resources to achieve your goal. A comprehensive approach may include using legal remedies together with other kinds of complementary strategies such as strategic campaigning, shareholder accountability strategies, grassroots mobilisation, coalition building or gaining media attention. 

It can be overwhelming to think about these considerations right after an abuse has taken place. Before thinking about the strategies, you want to use, try to make sure you are both physically and mentally safe and strong. 

Remember that you are not alone in this situation and that there are a range of organisations that can help you and provide you with immediate support in case of an emergency or financial, legal and psychological difficulties. See Resource Hub.

Building a Strategic Campaign

The first thing you may want to consider is building a strategic campaign. A strategic campaign aims to exert pressure on the different strategic relationships of a business or state actor. To develop a strategic campaign, you should carefully analyse your situation and decide which actions will have the most positive impact for your case. 

For example, you will have to decide whether you want to deal with your case publicly or privately, loudly or quietly, in a manner that takes into account the political and other sensitivities that exist in your country. The purpose of the strategic campaign is for you to get a clear picture of the situation, the direction you want to take your case and the concrete actions you can attempt to take to achieve this result. 

This whole process will be demanding on your resources and your mental and physical health so do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help from organisations that are used to dealing with similar cases! There is no shame in doing so and they can provide you with valuable expertise. See Resource Hub.

To build a strategic campaign you and your collaborators can follow these five steps:

1- Identify your objectives and overall goal: You can do this by asking yourself questions such as What do I want to happen? What do I hope to achieve?

Your overall goal will be the long term and general outcome that you want to achieve. To reach this goal you will need to identify smaller steps and specific milestones that need to take place, these will be your objectives. 

! When deciding on your objectives, make sure that they are SMART:

  • Specific - well detailed, well defined and action oriented;
  • Measurable- meaning that you can quantify and have an indicator of progress;
  • Achievable- meaning that they can be realistically accomplished in the proposed time-frame and with the resources you possess;
  • Relevant- meaning that they are relevant to your overall goal and work;
  • Time-Bound- meaning that you have set a clear deadline. 

2- Take the time to do a policy analysis and identify your audience: You can identify the policies and regulations that need to change, the key actions and stakeholders who can influence decisions and understand the overall political context that will influence your overall goal. You will further need to identify the stakeholders that can help you achieve your objectives. For example, who are the decision makers involved in the issue? What are the power dynamics at play? You should understand why and how each audience you approach can play a role in reaching your goal or can hinder it. Do not forget, when considering actors that could hinder your goal, to be as specific as possible and write down all details you can find on them including their names and functions. 

! Note that if some corporate actors can hinder your goal, other business representatives might help you achieve it! Businesses do not all have the same policies and attitudes when it comes to the respect of human rights and the environment. By interacting with business representatives and industry groups you might find valuable allies that can provide you with support in a variety of ways including testifying on your behalf, paying for bail and fines, or speaking up on your behalf. 

3- Identify your strengths, weaknesses and your message: It will be helpful for you to reflect on your internal strengths - skills, knowledge, resources, past experience - and weaknesses - missing networks, capacity for lobbying, contacts in the media or funding. Once you have identified these, you can search for opportunities that exist around you and will enable you to tackle your weaknesses and achieve your objectives. You should further consider the threats that could prevent you from achieving your objectives by asking yourself who are your opponents? Is there a negative political climate around your objective? Identifying them early will enable you to minimise the damage and safety risks they can present.

Once you have reflected on your strengths and weaknesses, you will need to identify what your audience needs to hear and present your message in a persuasive and appealing way. At their core, your messages should be the same, however, depending on the audience you will target, you will need to adapt the way they are framed. Most of the time, advocacy messages have two major components: (1) a calling for what is right and (2) a calling for the audience’s self-interest. You can find different methods to develop advocacy messages by using the key words “advocacy message” and “effective” on google.

4- Identify your tactics and activities: Depending on your situation and objectives, you will have to use different strategies and tactics to reach your goal. To choose the appropriate tactics for you to use, you can develop a ‘results chain’. The chain will start with your overall goal and outline the small steps you will need to take to get there. In your chain you can describe the assumptions you are making about the impact of the activities you plan on doing. This will help you reflect on your logic and might show you missing activities. It will further help you understand the kind of resources, be it financial or volunteers, that you will need to put your campaign into action. There are various organisations that you can reach out to for financial support. See Resource Hub. 

A few examples of activities include one-to-one meetings with high level representatives, the organisation of workshops and conferences, the drafting of a letter to international civil servants, a mass participation event engaging members of the community, social media posts or petitions. 

5- Monitor and Evaluate: Finally, you want to make sure that you are keeping track of the efforts you are putting into your campaign to ensure that they are working. You will also want to organise meetings to monitor the campaign and make sure it is going in the direction you want. 

Grassroots Mobilisation

Grassroots mobilisation is about bringing together individuals - in your district, region, or community - to influence a specific outcome. It is one of the key elements in successful campaign strategies. Grassroots mobilisation can be highly effective, as we have seen with the #SaveAru movement, because it uses collective action at a local level to influence outcomes at the national level. When every member of the community is participating in ways that they can, and are equally responsible and invested in the cause, the movement is truly powered by collective leadership. The costs of the movement are further distributed between all members of the community and thereby become more affordable. 

To build grassroots mobilisation, you and your collaborators can follow five simple steps: 

1- Identify the cause you want to address and make a plan of action;

2- Find supporters and volunteers to join your campaign; 

3- Reach out and partner with local organisations and community leaders;

4- Implement your plan of action; and

5- Regularly evaluate your progress. 

! Do not forget that, when it comes to mobilising members of a community, listening and understanding is more important than influencing and persuading. Having several short conversations will be more efficient than a one-off long speech to a general audience! 

To get started, you should identify the cause you want to address 

(1). The problem that you want to tackle most probably has a root cause. For example, it can be the lack of respect for human rights and the environment by a company which operates in proximity to your village and has threatened you; the absence of legislation by the government to protect people defending the environment; or the inefficiency of local government officials to implement a law, among other potential root causes. You need to identify the root cause you want to tackle so that you can clearly define the actions and steps you want to take to resolve the issue. Defining the outcome, you are looking to achieve will also be crucial to give your movement a clear direction. 

Once you have identified the cause you want to address, you can start creating awareness about your campaign and get interest from individuals in the community 

(2). Communication will play a key role here and you can use different approaches such as door-to-door canvassing, face-to-face conversations, emails, phone calls or social media to reach as many community members as possible. Having a campaign website or a Facebook page can be a useful tool to speed up this process and will make you gain important visibility online! It will further constitute a good opportunity to start building the next step by building a list of potential partner organisations. 

Using your website and the networks of members from the community you can approach like-minded local organisations and community leaders. See Resource Hub.

(3). To reach out to them you could offer to give a short presentation about your campaign during their events or simply provide your help during their rallies to get to know like-minded people and talk about your campaign. Usually, civil society organisations have dealt with or assisted defenders in similar contexts in the past. They can share their valuable experience with you, guide you on what to do, explain the law and your rights, guide you on where to find support and identify pro bono lawyers that can help you plead your case or provide support in building an advocacy campaign. 

! You should not ignore community leaders! Community leaders can be valuable allies that you can collaborate with to convey important messages of your campaign. If a community leader endorses the changes and propositions you raise, they will be more likely to be accepted and followed by the community and your movement will gain traction. Examples of community leaders that can help you are religious leaders, local political office holders or village figureheads. 

Once you have built a solid basis of supporters, you can start implementing your plan of action 

(4). You can take a variety of actions as part of your plan including rallies, outdoor events, in-house groups, training sessions, organising for a group of volunteers to exchange with the local representative or staging a demonstration. No matter the activity that you choose to conduct, the key to success will be having successful communication. You can keep your supporters up to date on actions conducted through SMS, WhatsApp, and encrypted apps such as Telegram and/or post your announcements for events on your campaign website and Facebook page. Do not forget to communicate with your organisers and volunteer team to make sure everyone has the same information including the date, time, and place of the events. 

During your campaign, you can organise regular meetings with your supporters to evaluate the success of your actions 

(5). This will enable you to reflect on what went well and what did not and give you avenues for improving your upcoming events. At the end of the campaign, it will also enable you to see if you have reached your objectives. 

[Lakshmi Narayanan - Grassroots Mobilization : Enabling ordinary people to effect extraordinary changes: Here’s how it works, accessed online: https://callhub.io/grassroots-mobilization/].

Coalition Building

Reaching out to other organisations and talking about your case will give you the opportunity to build coalitions. A coalition is a temporary alliance of individuals, groups or organisations that want to achieve a common goal. Forming a coalition with other organisations that have similar values, interests, and goals as your own will allow you to combine your resources and thereby have more impact than if you acted alone. It can be of great help to shift the balance of power and increase the impact of each of your organisation's efforts.[1] Actions taken by the coalition can be focused towards bringing attention to your and other human rights defender cases in the media, requesting for a motion filed by lawyers to be considered or request the international community to act. 

To successfully build a coalition you need to take a series of steps.[2]

  1. Before anything else, you should define what your main goal is. Your main goal will be at the centre of the initiative and organisations that you are going to approach are going to ask about it regularly. Ideally, you want to be able to present your goal in a manner that is easy to understand and appears attainable. To do so, you can present it through bullet points illustrating the key ideas and goals and condense it to one sentence. 
  2. Then you should identify your key stakeholders, leaders, and players. You should be strategic when choosing the organisations to enrol in your coalitions, recognising compatible interests between you, your organisation and other groups or organisations. Stakeholders may include local civil society organisations, international non-governmental organisations and national or international trade unions. 
  3. Once you have identified who you want to be a part of your coalition, you can start approaching and trying to mobilise them. You may need to demonstrate to the organisations that your goals are similar and compatible. You can also show them how working together will have a positive impact on everyone’s ability to reach their objectives and that the benefits from building a coalition will outweigh the costs. 
  4. While attempting to mobilise partner organisations, you must keep in mind that building a coalition can be a long process and that your short-term goals might transform into longer-term battles. Keep committed to your objectives, with a little flexibility, so you can take advantage of new and innovative opportunities to reach your goals. Also take into account that the level of commitment of your partner organisations will differ, and although it is perfectly normal, you should hold tight to the organisations that are in it for the long haul. To do so you can see them as a steering committee for your coalition and regularly require their inputs. 
  5. Once you have gathered all members of your coalition, you can host an event to bring all of them together and connect with one another, collaboratively discuss your goals, and show them the actions you had in mind. Adding value to your event can help attract participants. For example, you could invite a guest speaker, provide training, or build the event around a known human rights celebration. 
  6. As you will move forward with your coalition, keep in mind to follow up with your members. Regularly thanking them for their input and recognising their efforts will keep everyone motivated and encourage initiatives. You can achieve that by using email newsletters, posts on social media or SMS channels and face-to-face meetings. 

[1] Brad Spangler - Coalition Building, accessed online: https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/coalition_building%20

[2] Sources used for this section include: Prevention Institute - Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide, accessed online: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/publications/developing-effective-coalitions-an-eight-step-guide, Reference for Business - Coalition Building, accessed online: https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Coalition-Building.html, EFF - Basic Steps & Tips to Building a Coalition, accessed online: https://www.eff.org/electronic-frontier-alliance/coalition-tips, Grassroots Midwest - Coalition Building in 7 Easy Steps, accessed online: https://www.grassrootsmidwest.com/7-steps-building-coalition/

Bring media attention to your case

Another complementary strategy for your case may be to gain visibility and attention by getting media coverage. Before deciding if you want to use this strategy, you should ask yourself whether you want your case to be publicly known and talked about or if you would rather go about, it quietly. Gaining media coverage can play a pivotal role in presenting your case, promoting it in public debate and positively shaping public opinion in your favour. However, this may expose you to further retaliation, as companies may use strategic lawsuits against public participation to try to silence you. For example, the company could bring a defamation suit against you, the journalist who interviewed you and/or the organisation that published the article. Importantly, you must be careful that the journalist does not reveal your current location so as not to compromise your safety.

To attract media coverage, your story should be prepared in such a way as to catch the attention of readers. You can do this by highlighting why your organisation exists, how important your work is to society and by providing details about the abuse that you have suffered. If you can, try to link your story to an issue that is currently talked about in the public space as this will be more likely to interest the media. Finally, if you can show how your story affects other people and has an impact on wider society, this will increase the interest of newspapers. 

Once your story is ready, you can use social media to promote it by publishing blog posts, Instagram stories, Facebook posts and/or tweets. This will enable you to gain public attention and establish your cause before getting traditional media interested in what you have to say. 

If you want the attention of mainstream media, you can collaborate with other national and international organisations to contact reporters. You can reach journalists by email, through their social networks (such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter) or through partner organisations. You will have a better chance of getting your interview request accepted if you choose journalists who are used to covering the same kind of story as yours. 

! Be aware that journalists can receive a lot of requests so keep your emails short and to the point! 

If you don't get a response to your first contact request, you can follow up by tweeting the reporter or trying to contact them by phone. Don't get discouraged as getting media attention can be a long process during which you may end up sending your story to twenty journalists before one responds. 

When a journalist becomes interested in your story, they will most likely want to talk to you in person. To make sure you are well prepared for the interview, keep in mind three key points you want to make and practice answering questions with a colleague. 

Once the interview is over, do not forget to thank the journalist for his or her time. Following the publication of the article, you can forward it to regional or national newspapers thereby gaining exposure and/or circulate it among your partner organisations.

Bring attention to your case to other businesses and industry groups

Although business-related human rights abuses find corporate actors at the heart of the human rights abuses, you should not forget that businesses and industry groups do not all have the same policies, attitudes, and views when it comes to the respect for human rights and the environment. 

You might want to look for allies in the private sector by reaching out to business representatives and industry groups and explain the issues you are facing. Private actors might become valuable allies who can provide you with support in a variety of ways including by testifying on your behalf, paying for bail and fines, or speaking up on your behalf.

Bring attention to your case at the international level

Equally important is to make your case known at international level. 

National and international non-governmental organisations are allies in your strategic campaign and have a fundamental role to play in channelling information to relevant institutions abroad. One of their main tasks is to submit the so-called shadow reports to international bodies or during the Universal Periodic Review Process. Those reports analyse how and if the government is realising human rights at the national level and provide the necessary background information to international organisations. In turn, if the shadow reports reveal information on serious and systematic violations of the rights protected by the conventions in the country concerned, international institutions can initiate inquiries or visits to the territory of a State Party. By making your case known to NGOs and INGOs, it can be included in their shadow report. Although this will not give you a tangible remedy, you will have added your brick to the wall of human rights in your country. 

You can also bring international attention to your case through the various organisations worldwide that work to protect human rights defenders - including Frontline DefendersProtect Defenders and Peace Brigades International. You can register your case with one of them, and they will identify the best ways to support you internationally. Be aware that they may publish something on their website or link you with other victims or experts worldwide. If your case is widely known, the offenders might hesitate to retaliate against you in the future. There are also many organisations that work on business and human rights issues that can share legal resources with you, both domestically and internationally. Most importantly, both kinds of organisations can direct you on where to find funding and donors to continue your legal case and to propose other resources necessary for your work as a human rights defender.

Bring attention to your case in political spheres

You can also contact political figures to draw attention to your case. For example, you can ask a foreign diplomat - by contacting the foreign ministry of the country in question or the embassy - to listen to your story, to come to your trial or simply to have a photo taken with you. This will show your abuser that your case is being taken seriously at the international level and may make them think carefully about retaliatory actions in the future. 

If you are uncomfortable with contacting diplomats of foreign countries, you can contact international civil servants instead. International civil servants are not linked to a specific country but rather to an organisation. To contact them, you can look up the offices of OHCHR, UNDP or the ILO in your country. These organisations often organise informal events such as consultations and webinars during which you can have the opportunity to raise your concerns and build a support network. 

Use shareholder accountability strategies 

Another strategy you may consider if a business or a business actor has attacked you for your work as a human rights defender is to inform the shareholders or the investors of that company. 

Given the different structures of each company, this can be a difficult process. By carrying out the steps listed in the “mapping the corporate chain” of the documentation section of this website, you may be able to identify the major shareholders of that company. Once you have identified the shareholders, you can send them a letter explaining your situation. It is important to note that shareholders are increasingly vigilant about the actions of the companies in which they invest with regard to human rights and can use their power and influence to make companies change their practices. 

In addition, various investors have set up the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). If the investors of the company targeting you have signed those principles, then you can also inform the PRI Executive. You can check whether the investors at issue are signatories here Signatory directory | PRI (unpri.org) and draft your letter according to the criteria listed on the website.