For Human Rights Defenders and Journalists who are either threatened with arrest, arbitrarily arrested, detained, maliciously prosecuted or summoned by government authorities, this Fund can be used to cover the cost of legal representation to secure the defender’s freedom when the full trial is going on.

Where a defender or Journalist has secured bail/bond but for some reason is unable to raise the amounts required, this Fund can cover the cost of bail/bond to free the defender from custody during the period of trial. Applications for this type of support will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts and evidence presented by the applicant.

Human Rights Defenders and Journalists who, in the course of their work, sustain injuries or become critically ill as a consequence of any forms of physical violence propagated against them, can be supported by the Fund. In this instance, the Fund can provide assistance to the Defender or Journalist by covering the cost of medical services and treatment

Relocation becomes necessary where a Defender or Journalist faces a threat of violation of their rights or risks being exposed to other types of danger by his/her continued presence at a particular place or territory. This Fund can cater for any costs incidental to the relocation for the entire period during which the threat persists.

Where a defender or Journalist fears that their life is in danger, they can apply for funds to hire private security for a short period of time. Applications for this type of support will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts and evidence presented by the applicant.

The Fund can cover an application to procure security infrastructure such as CCTV cameras provided that adequate justification is given on how this will help overcome the emergency situation. This may include reference from a tech specialist on the effectiveness of such infrastructure.

The fund can provide support to a family member, another defender or journalist to visit the prisoned colleague who has lived in anguish for months with little or no information about the health and wellbeing of that defender or Journalist

The Fund can support trial observers (other defenders or Journalists) to conduct trial monitoring when a defender or Journalist is being tried by court. The support from the Fund is designed to enable trial observers to accurately report on trial proceedings and contribute to the protection of a Human Rights Defender or Journalist facing prosecution by highlighting injustice and the lack of due process.

Humanitarian, family or dependent assistance will be provided if the Defender or Journalist is unable to continue working or there are salary losses due to the threats.

The Fund can support Replacement of professional equipment and journalistic material (hardware or software) which has been taken, lost or stolen as a consequence of the type of work

The Fund can support a human rights defender or Journalist to improve physical, digital and communication security