Protocol 04: Justice, Transparency, and Non-Discrimination

Justice, transparency, and non-discrimination constitute foundational principles in the work of civil society organizations, particularly those engaged in the protection of artists, writers, and scholars at risk. While these principles may appear self-evident, their practical application requires conscious safeguards.

Human beings cannot always control their emotions, affinities, or personal attachments. Within hosting environments where multiple artists share the same space, it is natural that certain individuals may develop closer emotional, intellectual, or professional relationships with members of institutional decision-making bodies. Such proximity may arise through personal friendships, collaborative projects, or informal influence.

While emotional affinity itself is not unethical, the translation of personal relationships into institutional privilege is.

Organizations must recognize that conflicts of interest, competition, and interpersonal tensions among hosted artists are structural realities rather than moral failures. However, under no circumstances should any artist be permitted to leverage personal proximity to institutional power in a manner that marginalizes, diminishes, discriminates against, or silences other artists.

Personal grievances, rivalries, or negative sentiments toward a particular artist must never be absorbed into organizational policy, practice, or attitude. An organization must not, in any form, engage in hostile, exclusionary, or punitive patterns of behavior toward any artist under its protection.

The role of the hosting organization is not to escalate conflict, but to mediate it responsibly. Disputes must be addressed through dialogue, proportionality, and ethical restraint. Excessive use of institutional authority, symbolic pressure, or administrative power constitutes a failure of protection.

Discrimination, in any form, is incompatible with ethical hosting and can never be considered a legitimate or civilized mode of expression.

Hosting organizations must function as a protective home and shared shelter, not as a space that glorifies one voice while suppressing others. Equal respect, equitable protection, and transparent treatment are non-negotiable obligations.

Equally essential is transparency and fairness in the distribution of resources, opportunities, visibility, and institutional support. Any deviation from these principles constitutes an act of structural oppression for which the hosting organization bears full ethical responsibility.

Anti-Discrimination and Transparency Safeguards

• Mandatory disclosure and management of conflicts of interest
• Clear separation between personal relationships and institutional decision-making
• Transparent criteria for resource allocation, opportunities, and visibility
• Neutral mediation mechanisms for interpersonal disputes
• Prohibition of informal influence channels that bypass institutional ethics
• Documentation and accountability for decisions affecting artists’ rights or standing