Hanna Gerdes re-elected as Chair of the Board of Civil Rights Defenders

On Tuesday, 26 May, Civil Rights Defenders held its Annual General Meeting in Stockholm. Hanna Gerdes was unanimously re-elected as Chair for a further term. Together with the other re-elected board members, the Board maintains its strong composition from the previous year.

Hanna Gerdes has served as Chair of Civil Rights Defenders since 2022. At the Annual General Meeting on 26 May, she was re-elected for a term ending in 2028.

“The past four years have been a turbulent period when overseeing an organisation of this size working for human rights. Democracy is backsliding in many parts of the world, and the issues we address face increasingly strong resistance. At the same time, our work has perhaps never felt more important, and I am proud of the results we have achieved through difficult yet strategically important and sound decisions,” says Hanna Gerdes, adding:

“Since 2022, we have worked each year with around 300 human rights organisations in approximately 50 countries. Through our Emergency Fund, we have supported 7,563 human rights defenders in over 60 countries, ensuring continued support for people who have carried on their work despite the military coup in Burma, repression in Georgia, and persecution in Cuba. In Sweden, we have brought together more than 60,000 people in our network to strengthen democracy. We have also significantly increased our visibility and awareness of our organisation, strengthened our finances, and increased our equity, creating greater stability and room for action in a time of rapid change. Ultimately, this is about ensuring that we can defend human rights in the long term – even when it is uncomfortable or politically costly.”

In addition to the Chair, Board members Caroline Thunved, Noura Berrouba, Théo Jaekel and Mårten Lundberg were also re-elected for two-year terms. The Board of Civil Rights Defenders consists of eight members.

The current Board in full

Hanna Gerdes, Chair (until 2028)
Noura Berrouba, Member (until 2028)
Théo Jaekel, Member (until 2028)
Caroline Thunved, Member (until 2028)
Mårten Lundberg, Member (until 2028)
Camilla Nagler, Member (until 2027)
Lena Svensson, Member (until 2027)
Ulla Andrén, Member (until 2027)

The Board is entirely voluntary, and no member receives remuneration. Read more about the Board here.

A new member of the Nomination Committee

A new member, Negin Tagavi, was elected to the Nomination Committee. The committee consists of Marcela Mieres Eneroth (re-elected), Carin Norberg (re-elected), and Catharina Mannerfelt (re-elected). Seher Yilmaz stepped down at the Annual General Meeting. Marcela Mieres Eneroth serves as Chair of the Nomination Committee.