This section is being developed - content and features are being added continuously.
Emergency
Immediate step-by-step guidance for five crisis situations. Select what is happening right now to see exactly what to do, who to contact, and what to keep in mind.
2 · STEPS TO TAKE NOW
Select a situation on the left to see the steps to take immediately.
- 1 Confirm the details now: where, when, by whom — and whether this is a lawful arrest or a forced disappearance.
- 2 Notify your organisation's security focal point immediately.
- 3 Contact a local lawyer to file for habeas corpus — do this within the first hour.
- 4 Document everything: time, location, names of witnesses, last communications before the arrest.
- 5 If domestic remedies are unavailable or have failed, file an urgent action to the SR on HRDs.
- 6 Alert partner organisations who can apply public pressure.
- 7 Keep the family informed at every step — they have the right to know.
- 1 Is the person in immediate physical danger right now? If yes — get them to a safe location before anything else.
- 2 Switch all communications to Signal from this moment. Enable disappearing messages.
- 3 Document the threats immediately: screenshots, exact wording, dates, source.
- 4 File an urgent action to the SR on HRDs — no prior domestic remedies required.
- 5 Contact Front Line Defenders. Their emergency line is available 24 hours.
- 6 Assess whether a public statement would deter or escalate the threat — consult before publishing.
- 7 Brief a trusted second person on the full situation in case you cannot be reached.
- 1 Establish the last known location, time, and who they were with.
- 2 Check hospitals and police stations immediately — do not wait.
- 3 Notify your organisation's security focal point.
- 4 Contact a lawyer to file for habeas corpus — enforced disappearance is a crime under international law.
- 5 File urgent actions to the SR on HRDs and to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances.
- 6 Document the timeline: last contact, the person's work, any prior threats or surveillance.
- 7 Do not publicise the disappearance until you have consulted the family and legal counsel.
- 1 Do not be alone — tell a trusted person what is happening right now.
- 2 Activate your organisation's security protocol. If you have none: contact Front Line Defenders.
- 3 Secure your devices now: enable full-disk encryption, and clear sensitive data if there is any risk of seizure.
- 4 Switch to Signal for all communications. Enable disappearing messages.
- 5 Document everything: surveillance, threats, harassment — exact dates, details, and witnesses.
- 6 Contact Protection International for a personal risk assessment.
- 7 If this follows engagement with UN mechanisms, it may constitute a reprisal — see the Reprisals module.
- 1 Remotely wipe the seized device now from another device — Find My (Apple) or Google Find My Device.
- 2 Change every password linked to the compromised device — start with your email account.
- 3 Revoke active sessions on all accounts: Google, email, cloud storage.
- 4 Enable 2-factor authentication on every account if not already done.
- 5 Contact the Digital Defenders Partnership for emergency technical support.
- 6 Assume all data on the device has been accessed — act accordingly for every person whose information was on it.
- 7 Notify anyone whose contact details, communications, or personal data were stored on the device.