Support centres

Security without Borders

Security without Borders is a volunteer network of hackers and cyber-security professionals that offers free assistance to organizations, activists and journalists fighting against human rights abuse, racism and other injustices.

Share Foundation (Serbia)

The Share Foundation is an international NGO based in Belgrade (Serbia). SHARE Defense is part of the Share Foundation and its goal is to fight for the public interest concerning digital rights within the fields of privacy, free speech, government transparency and efficiency, surveillance and human rights.

Share Foundation provides low cost legal and advocacy support to staff journalists, editors, media outlets, bloggers, freelance journalists, NGOs and journalist associations in Serbia.

SHARE Defense staff includes lawyers, analysts, journalists and technicians with an expertise in the protection of digital rights.

Shelter City

Shelter City is a nationwide initiative of Justice and Peace Netherlands to protect human rights defenders, in cooperation with a growing number of Dutch cities and local organizations.

Human rights defenders defend the rights of themselves and of others. Through their work they play an important role in the promotion of democratic values, political freedoms, and civil rights. This is a challenging and dangerous fight: they are often silenced, threatened, arrested, tortured and sometimes they disappear.

Justice and Peace established Shelter City in 2012 on the request of their network of international human rights defenders. After the first Shelter City in The Hague, Middelburg joined in 2014, followed by Nijmegen, Maastricht, Utrecht, and Amsterdam in 2015, Tilburg and Groningen in 2016 and Zwolle and Haarlem in 2017. In 2018 Deventer also joined the Shelter City network. Rotterdam followed in 2020. Tbilisi & Batumi (Georgia), Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), Cotonou (Benin) and San José (Costa Rica) have joined the network as International Shelter City Hubs. The expectation is that other cities (in or outside the Netherlands) will join in the future as well. The growing number of applications from Human Rights Defenders under threat shows that new Shelter Cities are strongly needed.

In every Shelter City the municipality, local organizations, universities, and Justice and Peace provide the shelter and take care of the program for the human rights defender. Together with the human rights defenders they organize meetings and workshops that contribute to the raising of awareness about human rights issues among the inhabitants of the Shelter Cities.

Shelter City is affiliated with the EU Human Rights Defenders Relocation Platform

Sindicato dos Jornalistas

The Sindicato dos Jornalistas (RJ) is the national journalists' trade union of Portugal, with about 3,000 members. It is a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). It has headquarters in Lisboa, a delegation in Porto, and a regional direction in Madeira.

Sindicatul Unit al Salariatilor - Radio Romania

Sindicatul Unit al Salariatilor - Radio Romania is a Trade Union operating in Romania. The organization gives legal and advocacy support to staff journalists and freelance, editors, media outlets, civic media/bloggers; NGOs and journalist associations, based on a "low bono" or low cost fee structure. In order to get help, Adrian Valentin Moise (aesiom@gmail.com or +40742068701) can be contacted.

Sindikat medija Crne Gore - Trade Union of Media of Montenegro

Sindikat medija Crne Gore is a Montenigrin Trade Union that offers free legal and advocacy support to associated staff journalists, editors, media outlets and freelance journalists. Contacts: sindikatmedija@usscg.me or +382 20 232 315

Sindikat novinara Hrvatske - Trade Union of Croatian Journalists

The Sindikat novinara Hrvatske, in English Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) is a journalist association and trade union that offers free legal support for associated members (Staff and freelance journalists, editors and media outlets). The person to be contacted is Anton Filic, TUCJ President (sinoh@hnd.hr or +385 1 48 26 104).

Slovenian Trade Union of Journalists

The Slovenian Trade Union of Journalists provides free legal and advocacy support for associated members in Slovenia. Contact sns@siol.net or + 386 1 426 03 66.

Syndicat National des Journalistes – CGT

The Syndicat National des Journalistes – CGT is linked to the far-left General Confederation of Labour (Confédération générale du travail - CGT). It is a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Syndicat National des Journalistes – SNJ

The National Union of Journalists (Syndicat National des Journalistes - SNJ) is the largest journalists' trade union in France. First founded in 1918, it was dissolved by the Vichy regime in 1940 and re-founded in 1946. It is not formally tied to any political organisation. It is a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).