In this session leading human rights activists from southern Africa, Russia, South-East Asia and the Middle East will provide an overview of the threats and challenges facing human rights defenders, and the activity of human rights activism, in different parts of the world. The presentations will give a typology of the threats faced, including: legislative restrictions; bureaucratic obstruction; official threats and violence; impunity for those who assault or kill human rights defenders; fabricated prosecutions, or prosecutions for exercising basic rights to freedom of expression or assembly; threats from non-state actors, including religious extremists or neo-fascists.  The speakers will also suggest remedies for these problems, based on their own experiences, and challenge governments and international organizations to respond.