"Report on complaints received and activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders", September 2025

At its third extraordinary session (Geneva, 23–24 June 2022), the Meeting of the Parties elected Mr. Michel Forst, by consensus, as Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders under the Aarhus Convention...

The Special Rapporteur’s role is to take measures to protect any person experiencing, or at imminent threat of, penalization, persecution or harassment for seeking to exercise their rights under the Aarhus Convention.

In accordance with decision VII/9, the Special Rapporteur reports on complaints received and activities undertaken from 24 June 2022 to 1 September 2025...

During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur received 95 complaints....The majority (93 per cent) relate to alleged penalization, persecution or harassment occurring inside the territory of a Party...

The following are the main forms of alleged penalization, persecution or harassment raised: (a) criminal investigations or prosecutions that are retaliatory, punitive or involve disproportionate sanction or a risk thereof (55 per cent); (b) verbal and physical threats and attacks, including online threats (27 per cent); (c) strategic lawsuits against public participation (20 per cent)...

Regarding complaints that involve alleged penalization, persecution or harassment by State bodies or public officials, the following are the most common alleged perpetrators: prosecutors and courts; law enforcement; parliamentarians and members of government....

The Special Rapporteur took the following steps regarding admissible complaints: (a) In 25 complaints, the Special Rapporteur sent a letter of allegation… (b) In 6 complaints, the Special Rapporteur took immediate measures… (c) In 5 complaints, the Special Rapporteur sent a letter confirming concerns… (d) In 4 complaints, the Special Rapporteur issued 5 public statements… (e) For 9 complaints, the Special Rapporteur carried out a country visit…

The majority of complaints were submitted on behalf of another member of the public (around 58 per cent)… the complainants in the majority of cases were non-governmental organizations (NGOs), associations or groups....

The most critical factor… is the seriousness and urgency of the allegations and the risks for the victims....

During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur engaged with many environmental defenders and civil society more generally, on multiple occasions, including during his visits to and travels outside of Parties...

On 28 February 2024, the Special Rapporteur released a position paper on ‘State repression of environmental protest and civil disobedience: A major threat to human rights and democracy’

Building upon his position paper, on 15 January 2025, the Special Rapporteur held an expert meeting in Paris on preparing draft ‘Guidelines on the Right to Peaceful Environmental Protest and Civil Disobedience