Interviews

Featured

GLOBAL SECURITY: ‘NATO remains as relevant today as it was when it was established in 1949’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit with Jamie Shea, former NATO official and current Professor of Strategy and Security at the University of Exeter, UK and Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at the think tank Friends of Europe.
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CHINA: ‘Feminism remains resilient because it addresses issues central to everyday life’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses women’s rights and a crackdown on feminist activists in China with Jing Guo, founder of the Legal Aid Hotline for Women’s Right to Work, which provides legal and psychological support to women facing gender-based discrimination and violence.
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IRAN: ‘The reformist candidate’s victory won’t lead to significant improvements in civic space or human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Iran’s presidential election with Sina Entesari, an Iranian journalist and human rights defender currently living in exile.
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NAMIBIA: ‘Our victory can inspire and encourage LGBTQI+ activists in other countries’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the decriminalisation of same-sex relations in Namibia with Kevin Wessels, a young Namibian LGBTQI+ activist.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ‘Healthcare workers are in distress too, and we need action now’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent protests by South African health workers with doctor and global health advocate Zolelwa Sifumba.
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THAILAND: ‘Part of our success in claiming LGBTQI+ rights came from intersecting with the democracy movement’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Thailand’s legalisation of same-sex marriage with Matcha Phornin, founder of Sangsan Anakot, an ethnic minority and Indigenous LGBTQI+ feminist organisation working to empower Indigenous women, girls and young LGBTQI+ people.
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IRAQ: ‘Tolerance for abuses against LGBTQI+ people has now been made explicit through legislation’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the criminalisation of same-sex relations in Iraq with Sarah Sanbar, researcher at Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division.
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CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY: ‘Solidarity is essential because we face very powerful interests’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses civil society’s advocacy for the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) with Brad Adams, Executive Director and founder of Climate Rights International (CRI).
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ITALY: ‘Authoritarian tendencies manifest themselves in efforts to control information and stifle dissent’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ilaria Masinara, Head of the Campaigning Unit at Amnesty International Italia, about escalating threats to freedom of expression and the media in Italy.
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SINGAPORE: ‘The entrenched system instils fear, making progress for civil society slow and difficult’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Singapore’s recent leadership change with Kirsten Han, an independent writer, journalist and member of the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC).
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GERMANY: ‘The rise of the far right will make things more difficult, but the EU will remain functional – for now’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Andreas Müller, Executive Director of Democracy International, about the European Parliament elections and his expectations for the results in Germany.
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TURKEY: ‘Civil society can still defeat the foreign agents bill if it plans and acts strategically’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Gürkan Özturan, media freedom monitoring officer with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), about the concerning implications of a proposed law on foreign agents in Turkey.
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TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS: ‘Advancing LGBTQI+ rights requires advocacy, awareness-raising and a concerted effort to foster a culture of inclusion’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tim Prudhoe, a lawyer with Stanbrook Prudhoe, about a legal challenge brought against discriminatory legislation against LGBTQI+ people and the struggle for equal rights of same-sex married partners in Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
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CROATIA: ‘The entry of the far right into government will halt or reverse progress on human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ivan Novosel, director of programmes at Human Rights House Zagreb, about the results of Croatia’s recent parliamentary election and the potential consequences of the entry of the far-right Homeland Movement (DP) into the ruling coalition.
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EUROPE: ‘The European Court agreed that climate protection is a fundamental human right’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Dr Elisabeth Stern, board member of KlimaSeniorinnen Switzerland (Senior Women for Climate Protection), a civil society organisation representing older Swiss women who recently won a climate litigation case against Switzerland at the European Court of Human Rights.
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TURKEY: ‘The municipal election was unfair, yet highly competitive, allowing the opposition to win’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, regional director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Turkey, about Turkey’s recent municipal elections that saw opposition parties gain ground.
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DOMINICA: ‘It’s an ongoing journey to achieve full inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Daryl Phillip, founder and coordinator of Minority Rights Dominica (MiRiDom), about a recent High Court ruling that decriminalised same-sex relations in Dominica.
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SOMALIA: ‘The work of women’s rights groups is vital in changing the perceived role of women in society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent protests against femicides in Somalia with Ilyas Adam, a Center for Victims of Torture fellow, award-winning human rights journalist and senior consultant at the Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD).
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SOMALIA: ‘Civil society is playing key roles in the ongoing constitutional process’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mahad Wasuge, executive director of Somali Public Agenda (SPA), about recent constitutional change and its implications for Somali civil society.
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HAÏTI : « Les gangs contrôlent le pays en lieu et place des autorités »

Interviews
CIVICUS échange sur l’augmentation de la violence des gangs et la situation politique en Haïti avec Nancy Roc, journaliste indépendante.
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SLOVAKIA: ‘The election result may reinforce the country’s image as a problematic EU member’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Michal Piško, Director of Transparency International Slovensko, about Slovakia’s recent first-round presidential election and the upcoming runoff.
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CROATIA: ‘The longer this government remains in power, the weaker democracy and the rule of law become’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about ongoing anti-government protests in Croatia with Oriana Ivković Novokmet, Executive Director of Gong.
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SRI LANKA: ‘The government curtails online expression critical of democratic and governance deficits’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent restrictions on freedom of expression in Sri Lanka with Darshatha Gamage, Head of Programmes at Hashtag Generation.
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EUROPE: ‘Member states must introduce national anti-SLAPP legislation to protect public watchdogs’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Francesca Borg Costanzi, Advocacy Officer at the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, about the recently adopted European Union (EU) Anti-SLAPP Directive and its importance in preventing abusive lawsuits against public watchdogs.
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PAKISTAN: ‘It doesn’t matter who casts the vote as much as who counts the vote’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Pakistan’s upcoming election with Muhammad Mudassar, Chief Executive Officer at the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP-Pakistan).
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ARMENIA: ‘Lack of compelling international action allowed the attack on Nagorno-Karabakh to occur’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh – the disputed territory within Azerbaijan that until recently was governed by ethnic Armenians – with Lida Minasyan, a feminist peace activist and Resource Mobilisation Consultant at the Central Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central and North Asia (CEECCNA) Collaborative Fund.
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MAURITIUS: ‘LGBTQI+ people no longer need to live with the constant fear of being criminalised’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Najeeb Ahmad Fokeerbux, founder of the Young Queer Alliance (YQA), about the recent ruling by the Mauritius Supreme Court that declared the criminalisation of same-sex relations unconstitutional.
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ARMENIA: ‘As people leave their homes in search of safety, humanitarian organisations must support their basic needs’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the civil society humanitarian response to the Azerbaijani blockade and military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh – the disputed territory within Azerbaijan that until recently was governed by ethnic Armenians – with Shushanik Nersesyan, Media and Communication Manager at People in Need (PIN) Armenia.
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NORTH KOREA: ‘Since Kim Jong-un came to power, the surveillance and security system has increased dramatically’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about activism in the closed civic space of North Korea with Bada Nam, Secretary General of People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE).
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BOTSWANA: ‘We must strategise so that we don’t merely react to crises and anti-rights action’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the struggle for LGBTQI+ rights in Botswana with Dumiso Gatsha, an LGBTQI+ activist and founder of Success Capital.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘There will be little change on First Nations people’s recognition, representation and rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Peter Lewis, president of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), about the recent defeat in a referendum of a proposal to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and create a permanent institution so they can speak directly to government and parliament on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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MOROCCO: ‘Support those who were there before the earthquake hit and will stay when the cameras are gone’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the role of civil society in the response to the recent earthquake in Morocco with Victoria Vrana, Chief Executive Officer at GlobalGiving.
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JAPAN: ‘Each victory brings backlash, but LGBTQI+ people will keep fighting for equality and dignity'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the struggle for LGBTQI+ rights in Japan with Akira Nishiyama, Deputy Secretary General of the Japan Alliance for Legislation to Remove Social Barriers based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, J-ALL).
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MEXICO: ‘The decriminalisation of abortion is a huge collective achievement for the feminist movement’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Alba Adriana Jiménez Patlán, director of the Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Mexico (ddeser), about the historic ruling of the Mexican Supreme Court decriminalising abortion at the federal level.
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ZIMBABWE: ‘This so-called election was a circus and a waste of resources’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Zimbabwe’s August general election and its aftermath with Obert Masaraure, national president of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe and spokesperson of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, which brings together 84 Zimbabwean civil society organisations (CSOs).
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PHILIPPINES: ‘The government is headed by a former dictator’s son who reached power in a suspicious manner’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Nymia Pimentel-Simbulan about the human rights situation in the Philippines since the start of Ferdinand Marcos Junior’s government.
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COP28: ‘Having a climate summit in an oil-and-gas country can jeopardise the outcomes’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Harlee Richards, strategist at Follow This.
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UK: ‘We engage in disruptive protest to keep the climate catastrophe in people’s minds’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mitch Rose, a volunteer activist with Just Stop Oil, about climate activism and its criminalisation in the UK.
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TURKEY: ‘For the embattled LGBTQI+ movement, simply persisting in taking to the streets is an achievement’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about 2023 Pride and the civil society response to the Turkish government’s anti-LGBTQI+ campaign with Damla Umut Uzun, international relations and fundraising officer at Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL).
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ANGOLA: ‘The untrue government narrative reveals an aversion to civil society denouncing malpractice’

Interviews
 PORTUGUESE CIVICUS discusses the state of civic space and the new restrictions being imposed on civil society in Angola with Emilio José Manuel, focal point for Angola of the Lusophone Platform for Human Rights and founding member of the Working Group for Human Rights Monitoring in Angola (GTMDH).
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ESTONIA: ‘Legal changes deepen the cultural shift favourable to LGBTQI+ rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civil society’s role in the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in Estonia with Kelly Grossthal, head of strategic litigation at the Estonian Human Rights Centre (EHRC).
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FINLAND: ‘We’ll have the most right-wing government since the 1930s’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Finland’s new government with Silla Ristimäki, development policy specialist at Fingo.
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GERMANY: ‘Our street blockades hurt society the least and put no one’s life in danger’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Zoe Ruge of Last Generation about climate activism and its criminalisation in Germany.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘People deeply understand that rights and liberties are won through protest’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with David Mejia-Canales, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), about anti-protest legislation being introduced in states across Australia and its impact on civil society activism.
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ANGOLA: ‘The new NGO Law is just a way of legalising the government’s arrogance and excesses’

Interviews
PORTUGUESE CIVICUS discusses the state of civic space and the new restrictions being imposed on the work of Angolan civil society with Godinho Cristóvão, a jurist, human rights defender and executive director of the association Movimento de Defensores de Direitos Humanos de Angola (Movement of Human Rights Defenders of Angola, KUTAKESA).
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LITHUANIA: ‘Civil society must humanise the public narrative around irregular migration’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a new law enabling pushbacks of asylum seekers at the Belarus-Lithuania border with Mėta Adutavičiūtė, head of Advocacy at the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI).
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UGANDA: ‘Shrinking civic space means affected communities are not able to make their voices count’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Ireen Twongirwe, a climate activist and CEO of Women for Green Economy Movement Uganda (WoGEM).

CAMEROUN : « Il faut que les communautés bénéficient de ce qui provient de leurs terres »

Interviews
CIVICUS échange sur les aspirations et les rôles de la société civile dans le prochain sommet sur le climat COP28 avec Estelle Ewoule Lobé, cofondatrice de l’organisation de la société civile (OSC) camérounaise l’Action pour la protection en Afrique des déplacés internes et des migrants environnementaux (APADIME).
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ISRAEL: ‘We dream of hundreds of thousands demonstrating for democracy, equality and human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about current protests against judicial changes in Israel with Debbie Gild-Hayo, Director of Public Advocacy of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
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PHILIPPINES: ‘This victory belongs to everyone who supported and fought with us’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent acquittal of 10 human rights defenders in the Philippines with Maria Sol Taule, a human rights lawyer and member of the Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights.

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