September 2011
Issue: 64

• Resources and Publications
• Civil Society Watch Alerts & Analysis
• Country Updates
• CSW Online
• Eurasian network updates
  
• Interview with a Civil Society Activist
• Good News

Welcome to Civil Society Watch Bulletin, an e-newsletter of updates and analyses concerning civil society's rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression around the world. The Bulletin is compiled by the staff at Civil Society Watch, a programme of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. Please feel free to forward the Bulletin to friends and colleagues. We welcome your comments and contributions!

Asian Centre for Human Rights: Right to Information Activists: Sitting Ducks of India
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CIVICUS Civil Society Index Summary Report 2008-2011: Bridging the Gaps - Citizens, Organisations and Disassociation
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Human Rights Watch: Prosecuting Political Aspiration: Indonesia's Political Prisoners
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Palestinian Centre for Journalists and Media Freedoms (MADA): Summary report of violations against Palestinian Journalists 2008-2011 submitted via Civil Society Watch Online
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CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international movement of civil society with members and partners in over a hundred countries. CIVICUS nurtures the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. The Civil Society Watch Project of CIVICUS seeks to mobilise quick, principled and effective responses to events that threaten civil society fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

The network is currently engaged in the pre-planning for the CIVICUS World Assembly where members from Azerbaijan, the Republic of Georgia, Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation will be in attendance.  At the event, we hope to highlight issues pertaining to Belarus, in particular the arrest of prominent Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski.  In addition, work is ongoing with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee to target participants in last year's OSCE Parallel Conference who would like to conduct a follow-up event at this year's OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.  Also of note is the widely disseminated interview with Konstantin Baranov on Ales Bialiatski and the state of civil society in Belarus, featured in this edition of the Bulletin. 

 

UZBEKISTAN: Human rights defender Maksim Popov released
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ZIMBABWE: Protesting activists record victory in court
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Highlights

CIVICUS launches summary report on the findings of the Civil Society Index in the run up to the World Assembly in Montreal, 10-12 September
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CIVICUS warns of threat to democracy as the clampdown on civil society continues in Azerbaijan
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CIVICUS urges Bahrain Government to stop sham trials of activists
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CIVICUS and Arab Network of NGOs deliver statement on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council
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CIVICUS joins civil society groups in urging parliamentarians of Trinidad and Tobago to reject emergency
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Mario Lubetkin, Secretary General of Inter Press Services (IPS), writes on civil society and the need to communicate with impact
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CAMBODIA: International civil society groups write joint letter to European Union against proposed NGO law
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EGYPT: "Smear campaign" against civil society condemned
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GAUTEMALA: Human rights defenders receive death threats
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INDIA: Environmental and anti-corruption activist shot dead outside her house
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MONGOLIA: International fact-finding mission urges government to expedite law reform and protect media and journalists
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RWANDA: Human rights defenders prevented from travelling abroad, unlawfully detained and harassed
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SWAZILAND: Trade unions back Global Week of Action
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SYRIA: Relatives of activists targeted in retaliation for their work to promote human rights and democracy
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On 4 August 2011, Aliaksandr (Ales) Bialiatski, a prominent human rights defender in Belarus, was detained and his house searched. Later charged with tax fraud and still languishing in jail, Bialiatski’s arrest came after months of harassment and a crackdown on civil society in the country. This crackdown followed protests against what were viewed as fraudulent presidential elections last December that saw Aliaksandr Lukashenka, president of Belarus since 1994, remain in power. Yet, while the initial protests resulted in over 700 arrests, Bialiatski’s detention and subsequent charge of tax fraud has struck a particularly hard blow to Belarusian civil society, one tainted by betrayal and fear.
In order to understand the current situation in Belarus and why this single arrest had such an impact on Belarusian civil society, Jessica Hume, CIVICUS Communications Manager, spoke with Konstantin Baranov of the Committee for International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus  to get his thoughts.
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