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!

International Commission of Jurists e-bulletin on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights
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Mo Ibrahim Foundation: 2011 Index of African Governance
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WITNESS: Cameras Everywhere Report 2011
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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.

During the month of September, CIVICUS Eurasia participated in two conferences.  The first was, of course, the CIVICUS World Assembly to which it facilitated the travel of representatives from the International Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia) and the Moscow Helsinki Group (Russia). Concurrently, Eurasia worked with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee to invite participants of last year's OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) parallel conference in Astana to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.  Currently, the Eurasia coordinator has gone mobile again, travelling to Lithuania where he hopes to work with Belarusian civil society.

 

2011 Rafto prize awarded to Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and its Executive Director
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Highlights

Brief activity reports on the Civil Society and Democratic Space track at the CIVICUS World Assembly 2011
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Civil Society in South Africa deplores failure to grant visa to the Dalai Lama
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CIVICUS comments on the 2nd draft of the Busan Outcome Document emphasising an enabling environment for civil society
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Diverse civil society groups urge US government not to overlook Uzbekistan’s dismal human rights record
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Statement to the 18th Session of the UN Human Rights Council delivered by CIVICUS UN representative, Renate Bloem
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ALGERIA: Civil Society urges end to harassment campaign against trade union activists
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AZERBAIJAN: Human rights lawyer disbarred from practising under political pressure
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BOLIVIA: Authorities urged to investigate crackdown on indigenous protestors
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CAMBODIA: Civil society groups fear impending crackdown
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CHINA: Call to release wrongly jailed and disappeared activists
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COLUMBIA: Appeal made for release of student activist imprisoned under old criminal procedure code
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Civil society highlights increase in number and severity of threats to human rights defenders, journalists and opposition leaders
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EGYPT: Authorities continue to harass civil society and restrict activities
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THE GAMBIA: Sentencing of prominent lawyer sends chilling message to human rights community
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INDONESIA: Papuan activists sentenced amid reports of flawed trials
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IRAN: Prominent human rights lawyer and activist detained
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THAILAND: UN Special Rapporteur recommends amendment of laws creating draconian punishments for insulting or defaming royalty 
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Calls intensify to release five activists imprisoned for “publicly insulting” president and top officials
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ZIMBABWE: Women activists arrested while commemorating International Day of Peace
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CIVICUS Secretary General Ingrid Srinath spoke to Laura Lopez Gonzalez of Inter Press Services on the sidelines of the 2011 CIVICUS World Assembly on 'Africa's Legislated Crackdown on Civil Society."
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