The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), of which ICT is a member, held its 42th Congress from 27 to 31 October 2025, in Bogotá, Colombia. The event brought together 117 member organizations from across the world to reflect on key human rights challenges and strengthen strategies for collective action.
Starting with a public forum under the theme “Taking Action for a Sustainable World, Universal Rights and Just Societies”, the Congress offered a platform for in-depth discussions between human rights defenders, UN experts and academics on democracy and peace-building, gender-based violence, disinformation and new technologies, climate justice, and international justice, among others.
Speaking by video message, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Volker Türk said that human rights are universal and that they need a universal alliance — one that FIDH is uniquely placed to help build. He added: “The world needs you now more than ever.”
During the formal Congress, FIDH members elected a new International Bureau, including its President Alexis Deswaef – a lawyer and member of the Belgian Human Rights League (Ligue des droits humains) – along with 15 Vice-Presidents and 4 Secretaries General.
Importantly, the Congress adopted six urgency resolutions, among them one on the case of Tibetan environmental defender Anya Sengdra, whose prison sentence was reportedly extended by one year last August without any official announcement by Chinese authorities or transparent judicial procedure and whose health is deteriorating in detention. The resolution calls for his immediate and unconditional release and expresses FIDH’s solidarity with environmental defenders in Tibet, recognizing their crucial efforts to safeguard Tibet’s fragile ecosystem against mining, dam-building, urbanization, and other large-scale infrastructure projects.
The Congress has also adopted a resolution entitled “Commitment to a decolonial approach for the defense of Human Rights – Acknowledging and confronting legacies of past and recent colonial structures for the full realization of our common humanity.” In its key findings, particularly in the section on “The persistence of colonisation and prolonged colonisations,” the resolution highlights the assimilation policies currently implemented in Tibet.
On the sidelines of the Congress, the FIDH Asia regional members including ICT also met to exchange views on the human rights situation in their respective countries and to explore potential areas of collaboration for future joint initiatives.
“The FIDH Congress is a unique and inspiring moment where human rights defenders from every corner of the world come together in solidarity and shared commitment”, said ICT’s EU Policy Director Vincent Metten, who represented ICT at the event. “ICT is deeply grateful to FIDH and its members for adopting this resolution on the arbitrary imprisonment of Anya Sengdra, which shines an important light on the courage of Tibetan environmental defenders and the repression they continue to face under Chinese rule.”
Since 1922, FIDH has been defending civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ICT, a full member of FIDH since 2010, continues to advocate for the rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people.
See below the full text of the FIDH 42nd Congress’ urgency resolution on Anya Sengdra.
Urgency resolution on the case of Tibetan environmental defender Anya Sengdra, proposed by the International Campaign for Tibet
Considering:
Considering that Anya Sengdra (also known as A-Nya Sengdra[1], a nomad from Gade County in the Tibetan region of Golog (Qinghai Province), is an environmental defender in Tibet known for his peaceful actions against local corruption, illegal mining activities, as well as the hunting and poaching of endangered species;
Recognizing that he was arbitrarily arrested on 4 September 2018 at the age of 47, and was beaten and held without access to a lawyer during the first 48 days of his detention;
Noting that he was charged with “provoking troubles, forming a mob to disturb public order, and other malicious acts,” and was sentenced to seven years in prison on 6 December 2019 by the Gade County Court (in Chinese: Gande), in Golog (Guoluo), Qinghai Province, in the Tibetan region of Amdo;
Noting that Anya Sengdra was not released at the end of his sentence on 3 September 2025, but according to reliable sources, his sentence was reportedly extended by one year allegedly for theft without any official announcement or transparent judicial procedure from the People’s Republic of China;
Noting that this extension of his deprivation of liberty, not being based on a judicial decision in accordance with international standards, constitutes arbitrary detention, in violation of the right to a fair trial, including the right to legal counsel and to an effective remedy;
Expressing deep concern about the deterioration of Anya Sengdra’s health, observed during the first family visit since his arrest, in August 2025, as well as the lack of access to appropriate medical care;
Noting that on 10 August 2023, three United Nations Special Rapporteurs raised the cases of detained Tibetan environmental defenders, including that of Anya Sengdra, and urged the Chinese government to provide details regarding the reasons and location of their detention, their health conditions, to provide them with adequate medical care, and to allow family visits;
Stressing that over the past two decades, as the Chinese government has intensified mining projects, dam construction, urbanization, and other infrastructure developments across Tibet, environmental defenders have faced increasing persecution as a result of their efforts;
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organizations:
Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Anya Sengdra, in accordance with international human rights standards and international humanitarian law;
Call on the Chinese authorities to ensure respect for the right to a fair trial, in particular through transparent judicial procedures, effective access to legal counsel, and the right to an effective remedy against any detention decision or extension of sentence;
Urge the international community, particularly the United Nations, to increase diplomatic pressure on China to put an end to the arbitrary detention of Tibetan environmental defenders in Tibet;
Reaffirm their solidarity with environmental defenders in Tibet, and support their efforts to protect the rights of the Tibetan people and to safeguard their natural environment in the face of mining, dam-building, urbanization, and other infrastructure projects.
Footnotes:
[1] Name in Tibetan: – ཨན་ཡ་སེང་སྒྲ་ (ཨ་ཉ་སེང་སྒྲ) Name in Chinese : 阿亚桑扎