This is my sanity screamed onto the page, a secret place where I hide the last of my hope. This is what happened, what is happening, and what might happen. This is my sword to strike back, and my shield to protect me; this is my fearsome roar, and my gentle smile; this is my cry of pain, and my steely defiance. This is what I have become, and why, this is what I might be, and all the endings that might transpire. What was done to me was monstrous, beyond taste, beyond reason, beyond humanity, a horrific experiment, with me as the laboratory rat. Dehumanising, humiliating, excruciating. I wrote this story at the end of tolerance, balanced on the edge of madness, tiptoeing along the division of fantasy and reality. I live in fear, that the torture will never end, that there will be no escape; terror that I will be deformed beyond recovery or repair. I lived this book; survived the torment, but not unscarred. We are all shaped by our experiences, as I was shaped by mine. The experiment failed, but my will to resist remains, as does my grip on the truth. I am bloodied but standing, misshaped by the beatings, poisoned by the diet I am fed, eroded by pressure and time; but I am alive, and not ready to submit. This is my last shout for freedom.

Human rights defenders - who by peaceful means advocate, mobilise and often put their lives at risk to defend the most fundamental freedoms of their fellow citizens - are key agents of change in their own societies and make a significant contribution to the international community's efforts to support democracy and human rights. Defenders often face serious threats and can experience harm by state and non-state actors. Since the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in 1998, there has been considerable effort to recognise and protect the right of individuals, groups and communities to promote and protect their own rights and the rights of others. Over time, a multi-level, multi-actor international protection regime for the rights of human rights defenders has emerged, which is based on existing rights derived from the international human rights regime. The authors in this book reflect on the positive developments that have emerged over time to strengthen the protection of defenders, as well as the debates, tensions and contestations in such practices. This collection provides a critical appraisal of the construction, function, ethical boundaries, and evolution of this protection regime, as well as its multi-scalar social and political effects. In particular, the authors consider the effectiveness of particular international and regional protection mechanisms for the protection of defenders, and examine the relationship between repression, activism, and tactics for managing risks in the face of danger. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights.

Human rights defenders - who by peaceful means advocate, mobilise and often put their lives at risk to defend the most fundamental freedoms of their fellow citizens - are key agents of change in their own societies and make a significant contribution to the international community's efforts to support democracy and human rights. Defenders often face serious threats and can experience harm by state and non-state actors. Since the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in 1998, there has been considerable effort to recognise and protect the right of individuals, groups and communities to promote and protect their own rights and the rights of others. Over time, a multi-level, multi-actor international protection regime for the rights of human rights defenders has emerged, which is based on existing rights derived from the international human rights regime. The authors in this book reflect on the positive developments that have emerged over time to strengthen the protection of defenders, as well as the debates, tensions and contestations in such practices. This collection provides a critical appraisal of the construction, function, ethical boundaries, and evolution of this protection regime, as well as its multi-scalar social and political effects. In particular, the authors consider the effectiveness of particular international and regional protection mechanisms for the protection of defenders, and examine the relationship between repression, activism, and tactics for managing risks in the face of danger. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights.