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November 2015

Issue: 100



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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Article 19: Legal analysis on the problems with Myanmar’s newly adopted Broadcasting Act.
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Article 19: ‘Defending from the Outside - Iranian Human Rights Defenders in the Diaspora’.
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Amnesty International: ‘Treated like criminals: DRC's race to silence dissent in the run up to elections’ 
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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


UNITED NATIONS: Third Committee approves final draft of resolution on human rights defenders
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Kenya court unfreezes bank accounts of NGOs
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Indonesia frees Papuan pro-democracy campaigner after a decade
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Case against Ugandan human rights defender dismissed.
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CIVICUS urges African leaders and the international community to pay attention to gross human rights violations in Burundi
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CIVICUS and 31 organisations urge South African President Jacob Zuma to assist in the release of Angolan human rights defenders
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CIVICUS calls on the Kenyan government to cease harassment of civil society organisations
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CIVICUS joins call to Bahraini government to release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab
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BAHRAIN: Thirty two individuals sentenced to combined 429 years for engaging in political protest and unrest
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Brother of human rights lawyer harassed
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BANGLADESH: Parliament wants Transparency International licence terminated
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Writers, publishers and bookshop owners protest against on-going attacks and impunity
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BRAZIL: Political blogger/journalist assassinated in north of the country
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BURUNDI: CSOs urge for a special session at the Human Rights Council on Burundi
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Government freezes bank accounts of human rights activists
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CAMEROON: Environmental and human rights activist fined for allegedly propagating false news
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CHINA: Life sentence and judicial harassment against Buddhist leader
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Three human rights defenders advocating for press freedom convicted for disturbing “social order”
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EGYPT: Prominent human rights activist harassed for writing series of articles about the military
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FRANCE: Emergency law seen as a threat to freedom of association and expression
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GAMBIA: Police disrupt and arrest protestors in anti-sand mining demonstration
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HONDURAS: Government bans journalist from profession in violation of Inter-American Commission for Human Rights order
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ISRAEL: Third Palestinian radio station shut down in less than a month
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JAPAN: Several CSOs raise concerns over Saitama City Council vote to restrict Citizens’ Activities Support Centre
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KAZAKHSTAN: President urged not to sign restrictive NGO Bill into law
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MAURITANIA: Seventeen human rights organisations urge authorities to release two jailed anti-slavery activists
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MEXICO: Activist journalist receives death threat
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OMAN: Human rights defender jailed
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PAKISTAN: Authorities refuse to register nine international NGOs
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CSOs worry over cyber-crimes bill
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PERU: Human rights activist threatened with death for “poisoning the minds of people”
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RUSSIA: Authorities name 100th foreign agent, new bills on NGOs tabled
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Open Society Foundation banned under new law
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SAUDI ARABIA: Poet retried and sentenced to death
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Well-known lawyer and human rights defender assassinated
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SUDAN: Authorities bar activist from travelling abroad
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TANZANIA: Police arrest and seize equipment of election observer civil society coalition
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TURKEY: Journalists face life sentences for “divulging state secrets”
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UGANDA: Journalists threatened and intimidated over land dispute investigation
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VENEZUELA: Parliament urged to reject restrictions on freedom of association in draft law on international cooperation
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VIETNAM: CSOs and academics lobby for release of prisoner of conscience
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Interview  with Civil Society Activists

Kirsten Auken of Danmission speaks to CIVICUS about the negative effects of the recent reductions of Danish development aid to CSOs.
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Wael Hmaidan of the Climate Action Network tells CIVICUS that the COP 21 climate conference is a test of the world’s commitment to the SDGs.
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Jonas Tshiombela Kabiena of the NGO New Congolese Civil in the Democratic Republic of Congo speaks about challenges to civic space in the country ahead of the 2016 elections.
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CIVICUS speaks to a civil society member in Cameroon (who asked to remain anonymous) following the arrest in September of members of the CSO Dynamic Citizen for holding a governance workshop.
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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.

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Mandeep Tiwana
Teldah Mawarire

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