Human rights under “democratic” pressure: Navigating a path between truth and politics

Repression of, or restrictions on, human rights organizations has been documented in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes. Drawing on interviews with fifteen representatives of human rights organizations in the State of Israel, this article discerns the distinctive way in which democratic justifications are being used to delegitimize human rights advocacy in a liberal democracy. We document the forms of pressure organizations are facing, analyze the different ways in which human rights advocates are negotiating the shifting context, and suggest a framework for recapturing legitimacy in democratic contexts. Our analysis points to the need of HROs to devote increased attention to democratic mobilization.