The values of democracy and human rights live through those who raise their voices when others remain silent. Whenever democratic institutions are under attack, when freedom of expression is silenced by fear, and the rule of law becomes an empty promise, it is the representatives of civil society who step in to defend the dignity of the individual. We are currently witnessing this in many parts of the world. It reminds us that defending human rights and liberal values is not a simple gesture of idealism. It is an act of democratic necessity.

Whether fighting Russian aggression in Ukraine or in the courtrooms of Budapest in Hungary, whether resisting authoritarian legal reforms in Georgia or documenting abuses in Turkey, civil society representatives are the last line of defense against impunity and injustice. They do what states sometimes cannot – or will not – do: protect, advocate, speak the truth. And they do so while facing threats, legal persecution, defamation, and exhaustion. In Ukraine, Tetiana Katrychenko speaks of her team’s relentless effort to investigate and document Russian war crimes, knowing it may take years, and it won’t be possible to bring the top leadership of Russia to justice tomorrow, or the day after. Nevertheless, she and her team are acting today.

 Civil society actors like Eszter Polgári from Hungary are facing a wave of legal and political repression in the face of rising right-wing populism, because they have the courage to protect LGBTQI+ rights. This reminds us of the strength that human rights defenders have to show every day to remain resilient. Activists like Vasil Zhizhiashvili from Georgia appeal to the world with urgency. Their calls are not distant echoes. They are reminders and demands for us all.

 This year’s edition of the FNF publication “Human Rights Defenders: Civil Society Representatives” honors the late Gerhart R. Baum, a dear friend and an esteemed colleague, whose life was a testament to the virtue and power of steadfastness. As a liberal, he never stopped believing in individual dignity as the foundation of any just order. As Minister of the Interior, he defended civil rights when others wanted to curtail them. As a lawyer, he fought for those who had no voice or whose voices were in danger of being lost in the crowd.

 Today, Gerhart Baum is no longer with us, but his aspiration reminds us to reflect on our democratic core values – not in abstract form, but through concrete responsibility. In his book, „Besinnt Euch” (”Come to your senses”), posthumously published, he wrote: “We are not powerless.” And he emphasized: “We have the right and the duty to oppose injustice.” This publication is based on this fundamental attitude. Gerhart Baum knew, as do those featured here, that democracy can only endure if it is protected not only by institutions, but by people. Gerhart Baum insisted that:  “Let us turn our attention to all the courageous people who risk their lives for freedom in dictatorships and autocracies. Let us tell their stories and honor them with awards, because this will bring them public recognition.”

I invite every reader to engage intensively with this publication. It not only contains deeply moving and partly harrowing personal stories, but it also sparks essential policy conversations. In doing so, it fulfills Gerhart Baum’s wishes.

This publication also carries an important message to all human rights defenders who appear in these pages: You are not alone in your commitment to human rights. Your voices are being heard. Your work, – whether in exile or under threat, in the field or the courtroom, – strengthens the very foundations of freedom.

Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger

Deputy Chair of the Board
of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom;
Former Federal Minister of Justice of Germany