| |||||||
Welcome to Civil Society Watch Monthly 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!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
FRONT
PAGE
A changing landscape for civil society in Russia? CSW readers respond Azerbaijan Guarding against information loss
GOOD NEWS
EGYPT: Court rejects government decision, allows trade union to operate
UN: Human rights review of all countries begins
AFGHANISTAN: Attacks on NGOs rise
AZERBAIJAN: Laws on freedom of assembly and voluntary activity debated
BELARUS: Office of women's rights defenders raided
CHINA: Lawyers harassed and threatened
COLOMBIA: Paramilitary threatens social leaders
CUBA: Rally violently suppressed
IRAN: Nobel laureate threatened
KAZAKHSTAN: Draft laws threaten religious activity
KUWAIT: Law restricts freedom of assembly
PALESTINE: Lack of fuel halts NGO operations
PERU: Government smears human rights NGOs
RUSSIA: Law to allow for closure of media outlets
TURKEY: Amendments
VENEZUELA: Rights body concerned over restrictions on dissent
NEW TACTICS: Ongoing community dialogues
|
|||||||
ZIMBABWE Frustration, anger...and hope An interview with Xolani Zitha, Director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Almost a month after elections were held in Zimbabwe, the country remains in a state of flux and uncertainty. Amidst ongoing political violence, the ruling party ZANU PF is demanding a runoff election with the leading opposition party MDC. Anxious of more violence and vote-rigging, the MDC has so far refused to commit to a runoff. In this increasingly tense environment, civil society activists who worked to educate voters, as well as observed the elections are now finding themselves harassed, intimidated and even behind bars. Xolani Zitha, the director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition based in Harare, Zimbabwe tells Civil Society Watch about his hopes for a solution. Read the full interview, visit: http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/FRONTPAGE_ZIMBABWE_No35.htm
| |||||||
A changing landscape for civil society in Russia? CSW readers respond In the previous issue of CSW Monthly Bulletin, we interviewed Maria Kanevskaya from the Russian Lawyers for Civil Society. Maria warned about the threats posed to Russian civil society by amendments to the NGO law. In response to Maria’s interview, we received two letters - the first from Andrey Nenashev of Lawyers for Civil Society, and the second from Sarah Lindemann-Komarova and Elena Malitskaya of the Siberian Civic Initiatives Support Center. Read the full interview, visit: http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/DIALOGUES_RUSSIA_No35.htm
| |||||||
Growth and censorship of the Internet in Azerbaijan Eldar Zeynalov, Director, Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan The Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan, one of the first and most prominent independent human rights organisations in Azerbaijan, has just celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. In this article, the HRCA’s director Eldar Zeynalov writes about how the Internet has enhanced the work of his organisation. He also discusses the growing role of the Internet in human rights activities in the region, as well as the challenges activists face in responding to the pressures of censorship and the overall economic and political environment. Given the difficult environment in many post-Soviet countries, he explains why virtual communication is critically important for human rights work. For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/ANALYSIS_AZERBAIJAN_No35.htm
| |||||||
Guarding against the loss of information Wojtek Bogusz, Front Line & Dimitri Vitaliev, digital security consultant The information stored on your computer (sometimes years of work) can be lost in a myriad of different ways. Don’t wait until your computer crashes to think about backing up your information. You need a structured backup policy that reflects your current situation, including the types of information you have stored, and how to recover that information in an emergency. This is the third article in a CSW Monthly Bulletin series, highlighting practical ways you can increase your digital security and privacy. For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/DIGITAL_SECURITY-No35.htm
| |||||||
EGYPT: Court rejects government decision, allows trade union to operate 2 April - Egypt's Administrative Court overturned the government's refusal to allow the Centre for Trade Union and Workers' Services (CTUWS) to operate. The Centre had been subjected to a series of administrative obstacles, culminating in its closure by security forces in 2007, reports the International Trade Union Confederation. http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article1954
UN: Human rights review of all countries begins 7 April - The Universal Periodic Review, a new mechanism to examine the human rights record of every United Nations Member State, was launched at the Human Rights Council. Over two weeks, a first group of 16 countries – starting with Bahrain and Ecuador – had their records scrutinised, as part of the review, one of the reforms which differentiates the Council from the Commission on Human Rights, which it succeeded in 2006. www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26234&Cr=rights&Cr1=council
| |||||||
AFGHANISTAN: Attacks on NGOs rise 15 April - Attacks on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and aid workers by anti-government forces, chiefly Taliban insurgents, have risen sharply in the first quarter of 2008, reports IRIN News. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77770
AZERBAIJAN: Laws on freedom of assembly and voluntary activity debated 25 April - A draft law on voluntary activity has passed its first reading in the parliament, reports the Azeri Press Agency. Amendments to the law of freedom of assembly are also being debated in parliament, reports Trend News. http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1194872&lang=EN http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=47753
BELARUS: Office of women's rights defenders raided 4 April - The offices of the organisation Female Centre "Adliga" were raided, and the apartments of two members were also searched, and an additional two members were arbitrarily detained, reports Front Line. http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1388
CHINA: Lawyers harassed and threatened 29 April - Chinese lawyers who take cases seen by the government as politically sensitive or potentially embarrassing face severe abuses ranging from harassment to disbarment and physical assaults, Human Rights Watch reports. http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/28/china18656.htm
COLOMBIA: Paramilitary threatens social leaders 18 April - Death threats were issued by the paramilitary umbrella group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) against Fr. Rafael Gallego, an animator and representative of the community radio station Ecos de Tiquisio, and against other priests and members of social organisations of the region, reports AMARC-Latin America. http://canada.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/92801
CUBA: Rally violently suppressed 25 April - Authorities violently suppressed a demonstration organised by the Ladies in White who were demanding the release of prisoners of conscience, reports the Cuban organisation Fundacion para los derechos humanos.
IRAN: Nobel laureate threatened 14 April - 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi received an anonymous letter threatening her life, reports OMCT. No investigation has reportedly yet taken place. http://www.omct.org/index.php?id=&lang=eng&articleSet=Appeal&articleId=7720
KAZAKHSTAN: Draft laws threaten religious activity 6 May - Religious leaders have expressed serious concerns about proposals now in parliament to amend the religion law and a number of other laws affecting religious activity, reports Forum 18 News Service. http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1125
KUWAIT: Law restricts freedom of assembly 15 April- A new law introduced by the Kuwaiti government infringes on the right to organise gatherings or peaceful protests, reports HRinfo. http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/92803/
PALESTINE: Lack of fuel halts NGO operations 29 April - An Israeli blockade causing a lack of fuel has forced many organisations in the Gaza Strip to reduce their activities over the last few months, reports Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. http://www.mezan.org/site_en/index.php
PERU: Government smears human rights NGOs 2 May - The Peruvian government, with the backing of the parliamentary bloc that supports former President Alberto Fujimori, has unleashed a smear campaign against non-governmental organisations that defend human rights, reports IPS. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42217
RUSSIA: Law to allow for closure of media outlets 1 May - An amendment that would allow the Russian courts to close media outlets for publishing defamatory statements has made its way through the parliament’s lower house, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists. http://www.cpj.org/news/2008/europe/russ01may08na.html
TURKEY: Amendments fail to protect freedom of expression 2 May - Recent amendments to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code - insulting Turkishnes - are wholly insufficient and will not protect freedom of expression, reports Article 19. http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/turkey-art-301-reforms.pdf
VENEZUELA: Rights body concerned over restrictions on dissent 4 April - In their 2007 report on Venezuela, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has expressed concern over the hostile environment toward political dissent; criminalisation of social protest; and harassment of non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders, among others, reports el universal. http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/04/04/en_pol_art_2007-report-of-the-o_04A1492245.shtml
|
|
New Tactics: Ongoing community dialogues Got a question? Got an idea? Need some advice? Want to connect with other people doing human rights work? The New Tactics dialogues area is a collection of community member blogs, and is the right place for all of those things. For more information, visit http://www.newtactics.org/dialogues/home
| CONTACT US
| We hope you enjoyed the Bulletin! If you would like to send an appeal or share information with us regarding issues affecting civil society in your region, please contact the Civil Society Watch (CSW) team at, cswatch@civicus.org To subscribe or unsubscribe please e-mail , cswcommunity@civicus.org CIVICUS House, PO Box 933, Southdale, Johannesburg, 2135, South Africa, tel +27 11 833 5959 / fax +27 11 833 7997
| CIVICUS is an alliance of members and partners in over 100 countries, dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action around the world. Civil Society Watch is a programme of CIVICUS, which seeks to expose, address and prevent threats to civil society's rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. For more information, visit www.civicus.org and www.civilsocietywatch.org
|
| DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this bulletin are a reflection of those contained in the original reports to which they are linked here, and are not necessarily those of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. |