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<\/p>\nBy Zeba Tasci in Ottawa, Canada<\/p>\n
For more than 15 years, Venezuelan journalist Halim Naim built his career on one principle: telling the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am addicted to the truth,\u201d he says. However, that commitment came at a cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reporting in a country where freedom of expression was steadily eroding, Halim faced threats,\u00a0censorship,\u00a0and detention. As his visibility grew, so did the risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo\u00a0place yourself in the sight of people who hold power is to simply sign your letter of persecution,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the danger, he continued his work\u2014leading political coverage, interviewing senior public and political figures, reporting national events, and defending the public\u2019s right to be informed. But the pressure intensified. After speaking about contested elections and giving a platform to opposition voices, threats extended beyond him to his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI separated from my family to protect them,\u201d he recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon after, Halim fled Venezuela. He sought refuge in Colombia, where he continued advocating for human rights and supporting fellow Venezuelan refugees. But life remained uncertain. Without secure legal status and amid ongoing safety concerns, he struggled to rebuild. \u201cI felt like\u00a0I\u00a0was working in hiding.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Human rights defenders \u2013\u00a0A pathway to safety\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2025,\u00a0after\u00a0years living in exile, he was\u00a0identified\u00a0by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency,\u00a0as a journalist at risk and was referred to Canada\u2019s Human Rights Defenders resettlement program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The program is designed to protect individuals who face threats because of their work defending human rights\u2014journalists, activists,\u00a0and community leaders whose voices are often\u00a0targeted. For many, it offers a rare and urgent lifeline: a safe pathway out of danger and a chance to continue their human rights work in\u00a0freedom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada\u2019s commitment to providing a safe haven for human rights defenders is a global model of humanitarian leadership,\u201d says Tracey Maulfair, UNHCR Representative in Canada. \u201cBy recognizing the specific risks faced by journalists and community leaders, this program ensures that their\u00a0expertise\u00a0and courage are not lost to persecution. Our partnership here is about ensuring that those who stand up for others have a place to stand themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Halim,\u00a0the process moved quickly. Within months, he and his family arrived in Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada saved me,\u201d he says simply.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond safety, the program also provided recognition. \u201cI never felt like a number. I felt like a professional who could contribute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Halim Naim with his family. \u00a9 Halim Naim<\/p>\n
By offering a pathway to safety and a supportive resettlement process, the program allows human rights defenders not only to escape persecution, but to rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose. It also enables them to continue contributing their\u00a0expertise, whether through journalism or advocacy, in their new communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s Human Rights Defenders program offers safety to people defending human rights and face serious risk because of their work. These individuals may be journalists, lawyers, activists, environmental defenders,\u00a0people working in women\u2019s rights, LGBTQI+ activists, and\u00a0community leaders. In 2025, UNHCR\u00a0identified\u00a0over\u00a0100\u00a0cases to be recommended for the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just a program. These are not just numbers, these are saved\u00a0lives,\u201d explains Halim.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u00a0believes that such initiatives\u00a0benefit\u00a0both those who are protected and the countries that receive them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He encourages other countries to adopt similar programs, emphasizing that protecting human rights\u00a0activists\u00a0is not only a humanitarian responsibility, but also an investment in stronger, more inclusive societies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The role of a free press\u00a0<\/p>\n
Halim sees journalism as inseparable from human rights. In Venezuela, where independent media has been restricted, journalists often resort\u00a0to indirect language to avoid repercussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSaying things between the lines allows only one percent of your audience to understand you. But we need one hundred percent to understand what is happening.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For him, access to\u00a0accurate\u00a0information is fundamental. Without it, other rights are harder to defend. \u201cThe best way to defend human rights is to tell the truth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now in Canada, Halim is preparing to resume his work. He is improving his English, rebuilding his journalistic and human rights work in Canada continuing to speak out through digital platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe voice from exile shouts louder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Halim Naim<\/p>\n
Looking ahead\u00a0<\/p>\n
Halim hopes to\u00a0use\u00a0his experience to contribute both to Canada, and one day, Venezuela. His goal\u00a0remains\u00a0the same: telling the truth to defend human rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Canada, he says, has given him the stability to begin again. \u201cI am a professional rebuilding my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Halim, the program that brought him to safety\u00a0represents\u00a0something larger than his own story: a commitment to protecting those who speak out against injustice, and ensuring voices are not lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExile did not silence us. Exile ignited voices, made them stronger, made them more solid, more secure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Zeba Tasci in Ottawa, Canada For more than 15 years, Venezuelan journalist Halim Naim built his career…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30412,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,9409,14031,14032,14033],"class_list":["post-30411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-human-rights","tag-human-rights-defenders","tag-journalism","tag-journalist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}