Briançon 7
The seven human rights defenders, known as “the Briançon 7”, gathered in Briançon, a commune in the Alps in south-eastern France, in order to support and show solidarity with migrants who have been struggling to survive while crossing the French border through the mountains. Amongst the Briançon 7 are four French nationals, Jean-Luc Jalmain, Benoit Ducos, Lisa Malapert and Briançon resident Mathieu Burellier, and three foreign nationals, namely Italian national Eleonora Laterza, Swiss national Bastian Stauffer and Swiss-Belgian Theo Buckmaster.
Human rights defenders working on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers face an increasingly hostile environment, with attacks from groups of far-right activists. In 2018, the French Constitutional Court declared that the principle of fraternity covers the freedom to help others at risk, notwithstanding their legal status.
