CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance calls on ASEAN to stop enabling Myanmar junta’s continuing brutal oppression against its citizens.

Johannesburg, South Africa Civil society organisations come together on 29 January 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa to launch a new initiative to anticipate and react to changes in the enabling environment - an environment where civil society can thrive, express itself freely and actively engage in shaping its context.

CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations, calls on the United States to reverse the executive orders by  President Donald Trump that undermine and threaten global progress.

Read the statement in Thai As Arnon Nampa's fourth anniversary as a Gwangju Prize for Human Rights winner dawns, he still unfairly languishes in prison for his activism.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Re: Press Freedom Protections in Sri Lanka Dear President Dissanayake, Congratulations on your recent election as president of Sri Lanka.

  CIVICUS global civil society alliance calls on President William Ruto and the government of Kenya to immediately and unconditionally free 20 protestors still missing.

Johannesburg, 6 January 2025: Cameroon authorities must immediately reverse the suspension of civil society organisations (CSOs) protecting human rights defenders in Central Africa, said CIVICUS today.

Today, 16 December 2024, Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja has endured 5,000 days of arbitrary detention in Bahrain.

On the 12-year anniversary of the unresolved enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals worldwide, urge United Nations (UN) member states to express their concern over this continuing crime and to call for the prompt resolution of Sombath’s case at the upcoming review of the human rights record of Laos.

The next edition of International Civil Society Week (ICSW), the flagship event bringing together and celebrating global civil society, is slated for November 2025.

As we observe International Palestinian Solidarity Day, CIVICUS and Resilience Pathways stand together in unyielding solidarity with Palestinian people and the civil society organisations that continue to champion human rights, justice, and dignity, in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The undersigned organisations express concern over the Thai Government’s recent attempt  to pass the Draft Act on Associations and Foundations 2024, which, if adopted, would lead to violations of  the right to freedom of association and further undermine democracy in the country.

Membership Engagement Month 2024 (#MEM24) is a special time for the CIVICUS global civil society alliance to connect, celebrate, learn, and collaborate.

  On 22 November 2024, Khurram Parvez, a prominent Kashmiri human rights defender, will mark three years of wrongful incarceration on unsubstantiated charges of terrorism and related offences.

The 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists convicted in a sham trial must be released immediately, said CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance today.

Azerbaijan must curb increasing assaults on civil society and stop harassing peaceful protesters and journalists, said CIVICUS today.

Civil society invested significant time and energy in the Summit of the Future.

CIVICUS, alongside 12 other human rights organisations, has signed an open letter urging United Nations (UN) member states to take immediate action to ensure an independent investigation and accountability for human rights violations committed in Bangladesh.

Kashmiri human rights defender arbitrarily detained for 1,000 days Indian authorities have arbitrarily detained Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez for over 1,000 days.

On 02 August 2024 journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj completes 500 days in jail at the maximum-security Rohini prison in New Delhi, India.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance calls on the government of Bangladesh to end the brutal violence and excessive use of force against the quota reform protesters immediately.

  CIVICUS and sixteen partner civil society organisations call on the Kenyan Government to respect Kenyan citizen’s right to protest, release arrested activists and to provide justice to those killed or injured in brutal retaliations by security forces.

CIVICUS Global Civil Society Alliance and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) call on the Bangladeshi authorities to immediately end the ongoing judicial harassment of Muhammad Yunus.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)  condemn the harassment and smear campaign against the labour rights group, The Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), for a report they published on unions and freedom of association in Cambodia.

Bangkok/ Dhaka/ Geneva/ Johannesburg/ Kuala Lumpur/ London/ Manila/ Melbourne/ Paris/Washington DC: 25 June 2024: On the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June, we, the undersigned organisations, are gravely concerned over the continuing acts of torture and other ill-treatment committed by law-enforcement agencies and security forces in Bangladesh, and the lack of access to comprehensive rehabilitation services including medical, psychological, legal, and social support for torture victims.

The European Union System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) program seeks to support civil society to thrive by preventing efforts to restrict civic space and shut down civil society organisations.

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Thirty-five years ago, the Chinese government turned weapons against their own people in Beijing.

CIVICUS, a global civil alliance and the Asia Democracy Network (ADN) are extremely disturbed by reports that seven people have been arrested under a new security law for alleged seditious intent, including imprisoned human rights defender Chow Hang-tung, who has been detained since September 2021.

Agenda Item 3 – Human rights situation in Africa (with a special focus on shrinking of civic space) Delivered by Paul Mulindwa, Africa Advocacy Lead at CIVICUS The global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, welcomes this opportunity to address the African Commission under Agenda Item 3: Human Rights Situation in Africa.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights held a panel on 24 May 2024 at its 79th Ordinary Session to discuss the draft Declaration on the Promotion of the Role of Human Rights Defenders and their Protection in Africa.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS), Focus on the Global South, Front Line Defenders, Asia Democracy Network are profoundly saddened and outraged by the tragic death of Netiporn ‘Bung’ Sanesangkhom, a young activist who peacefully and courageously fought for justice and monarchy reform in Thailand.

Protests banned on grounds of protecting ‘public order’ and ‘security’ Authorities have resorted to excessive force in multiple countries, including the use of pepper spray, kettling and the deployment of police dogs Palestinian flags and scarves also widely banned European and international NGOs urge the Commission to act on restrictions The European Civic Forum, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, CIVICUS, European Network Against Racism and Solidar are calling on the European Commission to address at the highest political level the unlawful restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression imposed by member states since the dramatic escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine last year.

(20 March 2024) We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj.

Today, we pay tribute to Cao Shunli, and all human rights defenders targeted by the Chinese government for their commitment to uphold the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

View full report here.

View full report here.

Hypocrisy by powerful countries undermined the rules-based international order and repressions against human rights and climate activists stalled or reversed progress around the world, says the State of Civil Society Report by CIVICUS.

On International Women’s Day, the undersigned organisations renew their call on Saudi Arabian authorities to release all women human rights defenders (WHRDs), women’s rights activists and their supporters who are detained in contravention of international human rights standards.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS are deeply concerned over the intensifying regression of Thailand’s civic space.

Fås også på engelsk Danmark må styrke indsatsen for at befri Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja på årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain KØBENHAVN/LONDON/JOHANNESBURG - #FreeAl-Khawaja-kampagnen, SALAM DHR og den globale civilsamfundsalliance CIVICUS opfordrer Danmark til at gøre mere for at sikre løsladelsen af den fængslede dansk-bahrainske menneskerettighedsforkæmper Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja forud for årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain i 2011.

Photo credit:  Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Asia Democracy Network (ADN) strongly condemn the conviction of Mongkorn ‘BusBas’ Thirakot, a 30-year-old activist and online clothing retailer from Chiang Rai.

  A year on from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim being sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister and forming a unity government, ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS believe there has been a  lack of progress in undertaking reforms to ensure better human rights protection.

CIVICUS statement at the 77th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights    Agenda Item 3 (Human rights situation in Africa) Statement on the situation of environmental human rights defenders in Africa Delivered by Paul Mulindwa  Global civil society alliance CIVICUS and partners under Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition congratulate the Chair, on your re-election for the 2nd mandate as the chair of the Commission, and we commit to a continued collaboration.

We, the undersigned digital and human rights organizations, join the open call for an immediate ceasefire to end the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza, to halt a humanitarian catastrophe, and to prevent further loss of innocent lives in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond.

ARABICJOHANNESBURG – Global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on the United Arab Emirates to immediately release human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor ahead of his 54th birthday on 22 October.

Russian Johannesburg/Brussels - As the eighth anniversary of the unjust detention of Tajikistan human rights lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov approaches, global civil society alliance CIVICUS and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) call on the country’s authorities to immediately release him and unconditionally drop all charges.

JOHANNESBURG/NEW YORK - As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly this September, global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on UN leadership to use this year’s summit to prove its value to solve the world’s compounding crises.

On 15 August 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and unleashed a systematic assault on civic space.

Lao authorities have reportedly arrested and detained well-known Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei since 28 July 2023.