Interviews

Featured

PALESTINE: ‘Colonial powers of the global north have normalised murder and devastation in the global south’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with a Palestinian civil society activist, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, about the use of online activism to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine and seek international support.
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PANAMA: ‘Protests reflect structural inequalities and frustration at blatant corruption’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent protests in Panama with Eileen Ng Fábrega, Executive Director of the Panamanian Chamber of Social Development (CAPADESO).
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EGYPT: ‘The president is desperate for international attention ahead of 2024 election’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ahmed Samih about the repression of civic space in Egypt ahead of the COP27 climate summit, which will be held in Egypt in November.
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SIERRA LEONE: ‘We advocate for a civic space where people can protest with no risks’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent protests in Sierra Leone with Andrew Lavali, Executive Director of the Institute for Governance Reform, a civil society organisation (CSO) that advocates for good governance in Sierra Leone.
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NICARAGUA: ‘The regime seeks to annihilate all forms of autonomous citizen organisation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with María Teresa Blandón, a Nicaraguan human rights defender and director of Feminist Programme La Corriente, a civil society organisation (CSO) whose legal status was recently cancelled by the authoritarian regime led by President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Featured

CANADA: ‘The Pope didn’t deliver a clear apology to Indigenous people on behalf of the Catholic Church’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Virginie Ladisch of the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) about the recent apology of Pope Francis to Canadian Indigenous peoples and the legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
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MALAWI: ‘The tactics used by the current administration are the same used by its predecessors’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent protests in Malawi with Michael Kaiyatsa, Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR).
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DRC: ‘The United Nations’ peacekeeping mission has failed’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the ongoing protests against the United Nations (UN) Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), MONUSCO, with social activists Espoir Ngalukiye and Sankara Bin Kartumwa.
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JORDAN: ‘Transnational feminist solidarity is vital in the struggle against gender-based violence’

Interviews
 Content warning: this interview contains references to femicide and violence.
Featured

KENYA: ‘People are discouraged from voting when they think that voices do not matter’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent presidential election in Kenya with Ken Ogembo, programme manager of Siasa Place.
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SIERRA LEONE: ‘We are dealing with a relentless campaign by anti-rights groups’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the struggle for sexual and reproductive health rights in Sierra Leone with Nicky Spencer-Coker, head of advocacy and movement building of Purposeful Sierra Leone.
Featured

THAILAND: ‘Spyware was used to monitor protesters’ online activity’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the use of surveillance technology against civil society activists in Thailand with Sutawan Chanprasert, founder and executive director of DigitalReach, a civil society organisation (CSO) that promotes digital rights, human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia.
Featured

GUINEA: ‘The democratic future of the region is at stake in our country’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the lack of progress in the transition to democracy in Guinea since its 2021 military coup with Abdoulaye Oumou Sow, head of communications for the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC).
Featured

JAPAN: ‘Links between politics and the religious right have impeded progress on LGBTQI+ rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Akira Nishiyama, executive officer 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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CANADA: ‘Indigenous people who are most marginalised experience significant human rights violations.’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous people’s rights in Canada with Melanie Omeniho, president of Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak/Women of the Metis Nation (LFMO).
Featured

AUSTRALIA: ‘Indigenous Australians must be represented at the heart of policy-making’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Australia with Paul Wright, National Director of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), a civil society organisation (CSO) that works in solidarity with and advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia, including by aiming to change the attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous Australians.
Featured

UNITED NATIONS: ‘The power of anti-rights groups is growing; difficult times lie ahead’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tamara Adrián, founder and director of DIVERLEX-Diversity and Equality Through Law, about the successful civil society campaign for the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations’ (UN) Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Featured

EGYPT: ‘Women’s rights are not a priority in the government’s agenda’

Interviews
Content warning: this interview contains references to sexual assault, rape and femicide.
Featured

BANGLADESH: ‘Civil society made a lot of efforts to stop Japan financing the Matarbari project’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the cancellation of the Matarbari 2 coal-fired power plant project in Bangladesh with Sharif Jamil, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA), a platform that organises civil society movements against environmental degradation.
Featured

‘Due to closed civic space, it is difficult to build the resilience of communities inside the country’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Helen Kidan, executive member of the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR), about 20 years of crackdown by the Eritrean government and continuing human rights violations.
Featured

CAMEROON: ‘Indigenous people should be at the forefront of our own movement and speak for ourselves’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Cameroon with Barrister Unusa Karimu, board member of Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA).
Featured

SPAIN: ‘We demand legal and safe channels for migration; attempts to stop it will only cause more suffering’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Solidary Wheels about the deadly consequences of European governments’ anti-migrant policies, in light of the deaths of migrants at an attempted crossing of the Spain-Morocco border on 24 June.
Featured

Pakistan:‘International support to civil society must come with understanding of our political & societal context’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the political situation in Pakistan since the removal of its Prime Minister Imran Khan with journalist and researcher Rabia Mehmood.
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MONGOLIA: ‘The government makes decisions without proper consultation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with two civil society activists, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, about restrictions experienced by civil society in Mongolia and proposed new laws affecting civil society.
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TUNISIA: ‘The new constitution will guarantee the president extensive powers, enabling further violations’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Tunisia’s 25 July constitutional referendum with Amine Ghali, director of Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM).
Featured

JAMAICA: ‘We must establish a republic – where the people are sovereign and not the Queen’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the movement to make Jamaica a republic with Professor Rosalea Hamilton, founding director of the Institute of Law and Economics and member of the Advocates Network.
Featured

TURKEY: ‘Civilian refugees should not be used as political bargaining chips’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Bassam Alahmad, co-founder and executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), about the Turkish plan to return one million refugees to Syria.
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BURUNDI: ‘Our right to be recognised and represented as an Indigenous community is being violated’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Burundi with Severin Sindizera, Global Coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Global Forum for Sustainable Development (IPGFforSD).

TANZANIA: ‘The human rights of the Maasai people are violated through involuntary assimilation and relocation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the unlawful eviction of Maasai people from their ancestral lands with Joseph Moses Oleshangay, a Tanzanian human rights lawyer and activist for democracy and Indigenous peoples’ land rights.
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ROHINGYA REFUGEES: ‘We want to go back home in peace’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and youth activism with Maung Sawyeddollah, founder and executive director of the Rohingya Students Network, a global network of Rohingya students and young people based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
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COLOMBIA: ‘People are tired of the long hegemony of political elites who are also economic elites’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent presidential election in Colombia with Gina Romero, executive director of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (RedLad).
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VIETNAM: ‘Failure to address torture of political prisoners should trigger a review of trade deals’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Kaylee Uland and Jessica Nguyen, co-director and advocacy officer with The 88 Project, about the criminalisation and repression of human rights activism in Vietnam.
Featured

CAMBODIA: ‘No free and fair election can take place in the current political environment’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Cambodia’s communal elections of June 2022 with Lee Chung Lun, Campaign and Advocacy Programme Officer of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL).
Featured

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN: ‘The future of work requires a shift away from a focus on time’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the proposal for a four-day working week with Hazel Gavigan, Global Campaigns and Activation Officer of 4 Day Week Global.
Featured

SUDAN: ‘We are back to the situation that preceded the revolution’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Sudan’s situation under military rule with Nazik Kabalo, a woman human rights defender (HRD) from Sudan.
Featured

BELIZE: ‘Many laws remain that keep LGBTQI+ people as second-class citizens’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Belize and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Caleb Orozco, the chief litigant in a case successfully challenging Belize’s discriminatory laws and co-founder of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM).
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UGANDA: ‘Hate speech against LGBTQI+ people comes from religious, traditional and political leaders’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Opio Sam Leticia, founder and Executive Director of Queer Youth Uganda (QYU).
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THE GAMBIA: ‘Civil society works to ensure Jammeh and other perpetrators of human rights violations face justice’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the prospects of The Gambia’s former dictator Yahya Jammeh being put on trial with Adama Jallow, National Coordinator of the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victim’s Center).
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TURKEY: ‘Refugees are the perfect scapegoat in times of crisis’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Dilan Akbayır, a social worker who works with Syrian refugees, about Turkey’s plan to send refugees back to Syria and the rise of anti-refugee sentiment and racism against Syrians in Turkey.
Featured

USA: ‘The Starbucks unionisation campaign has sparked the imagination of workers across the country’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about unionisation efforts at Starbucks with Theresa Haas, director of global strategies of the labour union Workers United.
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PALESTINE: ‘They label us antisemites or terrorists to silence us and paralyse our human rights work’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civil society’s online activism against repression and oppression in Palestine with Nadim Nashif, executive director and co-founder of 7amleh: The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media.
Featured

ZIMBABWE: ‘Society is only starting to open up to the idea of living harmoniously with LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Zimbabwe and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Samuel Matsikure, programmes manager at GALZ-Association of LGBTI people in Zimbabwe.
Featured

JAMAICA: ‘Laws that discriminate against LGBTQI+ people send a signal about our place in society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Jamaica and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Glenroy Murray, Executive Director of J-FLAG.
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NIGERIA: ‘People experience gross rights violations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Nigeria and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Olaide Kayode Timileyin, executive director of Queercity Media and Productions.
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CUBA: ‘All tactics used by activists have been turned into crimes’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about changes to the Cuban Penal and Family Codes and the government’s reaction to mass protests in 2021 with Marta María Ramírez, a Cuban journalist and autonomous feminist.
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ZIMBABWE: ‘We need CSOs to continue working and defending people’s rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a proposed NGO bill and the threat it represents for Zimbabwean civil society with Ernest Nyimai, the Acting Executive Director of Zimbabwe’s National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO).
Featured

KENYA: ‘The government has put all the burden of addressing homophobia on civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Kenya and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Stephen Okwany, programme director of Talanta Africa.
Featured

SRI LANKA: ‘They arrest us to stop us, silence us and instil fear in others’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Hejaaz Hizbullah, a human rights defender who was kept in detention for 22 months under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Featured

BERMUDA: ‘A right that the LGBTQI+ community enjoyed for four years has been stripped away’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent court decision on same-sex marriage in Bermuda with Adrian Hartnett-Beasley, a founding board member of OUTBermuda.
Featured

LEBANON: ‘The political youth movement was a major pillar of the opposition to the ruling class’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent general election in Lebanon with Marwan Issa, research assistant with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut.

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