Please join us virtually for the African Human Rights Leaders Summit, an event that aims to bolster civic voices from the region ahead of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

The event will provide an independent platform to raise and integrate the voices and views of African human rights and civil society leaders, as well as members of African civic groups and the diaspora, ahead of the Summit. It will consider ways to prioritize human rights and democratic governance in U.S. partnerships across the continent, and will aim to feed into the implementation of the broader U.S.-Africa strategy.

Welcome & Keynote

9:00 – 9:15 AM

• Nicole Widdersheim
  Deputy Washington Director, Human Rights Watch
• Honorable Graca Machel
  Founder, Graça Machel Trust

Civil Society as a Democracy Safeguard

9:20 – 10:15 AM

Civil society and human rights leaders discuss the vital importance of addressing democratic backsliding, as well as attacks on basic human rights such as freedom of expression, rising detention, torture and violence on journalists and human rights defenders.

Panelists:

• Maya Sahli-Fadel
  Vice Chair, Africa Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa
• Hassan Shire
  Executive Director, Defend Defenders
• Donald Deya
  Chief Executive Officer, Pan African Lawyers Union

Moderator:

• Carine Kaneza Nantulya
  Deputy Director for Africa, Human Rights Watch

Weighing in on the U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa

10:25 – 11:20 AM

Civil society and human rights leaders discuss the human rights challenges they are facing and how the new US-Africa strategy can proactively support marginalized populations as well as those on the frontlines working to hold their governments accountable.

Panelists:

• Kamissa Camara
  Senior Advisor for Africa at USIP (Sahel); Former Foreign Minister of Mali
• Achaleke Christian Leke
  AU-Africa Youth Ambassador for Peace; Central Africa and Executive Director, Local Youth Corner Cameroon

Moderator:

• Professor Peter Lewis
  Chair of African Studies, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Human Rights Promotion & Protection: What Works and What is Needed

11:25 AM – 12:20 PM

Human rights defenders will highlight effective tools and tactics in promoting and protecting human rights and how the US government and US civil society can better support them. They will discuss practical examples of collaborations and successful projects.

Panelists:

• Adama Dempster
  Secretary General, Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia; Secretariat for the Establishment of a War Crimes Court in Liberia
• Irene Petras
  Human rights lawyer (Zimbabwe)
• Yasmin Omar
  International human rights lawyer; UN and Regional Advocacy Manager, Committee for Justice; Member, Steering Committee of the U.S. Committee to End Political Repression in Egypt
• Hagir Elsheikh
  Human rights activist (Sudan)

Moderator:

• Kehinde Togun
  Managing Director – Public Engagement, Humanity United

On Monday, July 11 at 2:30 PM ET, dissidents from the Middle East and Members of Congress will join the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), Human Rights Watch, PEN America, the Freedom Initiative, Freedom House, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Win Without War, and Human Rights First for a briefing for media ahead of President Joe Biden’s July 15-16 visit to Saudi Arabia to meet with the leaders of the GCC+3.

President Biden promised to center human rights in his administration, including by pledging to make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” and indicating that Saudi officials “have to be held accountable” for the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. During this trip, President Biden will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

In advance of Biden’s trip, prominent human rights defenders with unjustly detained family members will urge President Biden to raise their families’ cases when he meets with the GCC +3 leaders and they will outline some of the most pressing human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt.

Featuring:

• Lina al-Hathloul
  Saudi human rights defender and sister of women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul (who is under a travel ban in Saudi Arabia)
• Maryam al-Khawaja
  Bahraini human rights defender, former co-director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (who was sentenced to life in prison in Bahrain for his pro-democracy work)
• Sanaa Seif
  Egyptian activist and filmmaker, sister of writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah (who is imprisoned in Egypt and has been on hunger strike for 100 days)
• Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)
  Co-chair of Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

Hosted by:

Committee to Protect Journalists  •  Freedom House
The Freedom Initiative  •  Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch  •  PEN America
Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)  •  Win Without War