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March - April 2013
Issue: 80



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!
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INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Sri Lanka’s Authoritarian Turn – the need for international action
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INTERNATIONAL SERVICE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: Handbook on Reprisals against Human Rights Defenders
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR CIVIL SOCIETY LAW NEWSLETTER
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OBSERVATORY FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: Annual Report 2013
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PROTECTION INTERNATIONAL: Public Policies for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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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.


BELARUS: Charges against journalist for libelling President dropped
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ETHIOPIA: UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calls for release of imprisoned blogger Eskinder Nega
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Highlights

CIVICUS organises events on threats to civil society in Russia, Eurasia and Bahrain at the UN Human Rights Council
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CIVICUS celebrates UN resolution on protection of human rights defenders
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CIVICUS warns about increasingly hostile environment for activists in Azerbaijan 
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CIVICUS speaks out against suppression of Ethiopian media and civil society
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CIVICUS calls for end to judicial persecution of civil society and media in Turkey
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CIVICUS condemns escalating campaign against democratic dissent in Zambia
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CIVICUS calls for cessation of rising harassment of civil society in Burundi
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CIVICUS urges Sri Lanka and The Republic of Korea  to reconsider human rights recommendations

CIVICUS makes UPR submissions highlighting threats to civil society in the Central African Republic, China, Jordan, Mexico, Malaysia  and Nigeria.
 






ALGERIA: Civil society condemns waves of repression against labour activists
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BANGLADESH: Government urged to take measures to prevent protest deaths
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BRAZIL: Inter-American Commission Special Rapporteur calls for proper inquiry into death of journalist investigating police misconduct
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CAMBODIA: Supreme Court refuses bail to land rights activist
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CAMEROON: Death threats issued to human rights lawyers defending gay clients
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CHINA: Government urged to relent on internet censorship with change in leadership
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EGYPT: UN Special Rapporteurs condemn NGO bill
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GAUTEMALA: Trade unionists and human rights defenders at risk
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OMAN: Arrested activists denied due process
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PAKISTAN: Respected social activist assassinated
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QATAR: Poet critical of royal family sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment on appeal
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RUSSIA: Civil society groups condemn mass raids on NGOs
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SAUDI ARABIA: Human rights defenders given heavy sentences after questionable trial
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SOMALIA: Women’s rights reporter becomes third journalist to be killed in the country this year
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SUDAN: Crackdown against Nuba women’s rights activists
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: News blackout imposed on trial of 94 activists charged with national security offences
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VIETNAM: Buddhist under threat for questioning official policies on freedom of religion
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Longgena Ginting, Country Director of Greenpeace Indonesia speaks to CIVICUS about Indonesia’s Mass Organisations Bill and the threat it poses to Civil Society
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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.

CONTACT US

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Mandeep Tiwana

COPY EDITOR
Kiva LaTouche
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DESIGN, LAYOUT and DISTRIBUTION
Oluwakorede Asuni

 


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