Front Line, the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (HDR), was established in 2001 to provide human rights defenders at risk with round-the-clock practical support so that they can continue their work safely.

Human rights defenders are people who make extraordinary sacrifices, often putting their lives at risk defending the rights of others. They are people who are either on the move or on the run and they are the people who change society. They are most at risk when they touch powerful interests demanding accountability or full economic and social rights.

Front Line provides a fast, flexible 24-hour emergency response that contributes to the protection of HRD at immediate risk. This response consists of direct interventions, international advocacy, grant support and emergency relocation. Front Line operates in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian, and the organisation delivers regional and international training in personal security, risk assessment and IT security to help them manage their security.

To date, Front Line has taken up the cases of more than 800 individual human rights defenders at risk, from more than 100 countries. This is the four of five articles on Front Line defenders around the world which will appear in the Sunday Tribune between now and December.