See below for examples of the Program's public work on the misuse of terrorism charges against defenders.
GLOBAL
The Justice Defenders Program examined the genesis of terrorism statutes used to target human rights defenders, legal issues raised by the misapplication of these laws, and best practices for implementing counterterrorism laws in a manner consistent with international law.
MOZAMBIQUE
In the wake of an increasing crackdown on terrorism in Mozambique, the Justice Defenders Program demonstrated its concern regarding the arrest of Amade Abubacar and several other journalists for investigating alleged human rights abuses by the country's own security forces.
In this submission to the third periodic cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of the Republic of Mozambique, the Center provides updates and makes recommendations regarding human rights violations in the context of counterterrorism and broader freedom of expression concerns.
SAUDI ARABIA
The report focuses on the misuse of Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court, a body originally created to prosecute terrorism suspects, to target activists. The Justice Defenders Program interviewed individuals familiar with proceedings in the SCC and reviewed judgments, public reports, press statements, and other materials concerning the court. The report concluded that the SCC routinely convicts individuals of terrorism charges without any meaningful evidence.