Interviews

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Les manifestants se transforment en milliers de personnes qui battent la fermeture d'Internet

Interviews 17 October 2017

Read the interview in English CIVICUS parle avec KEPOMEY Koffi Dela Franck de l'organisation non gouvernementale Concertation Nationale de la Société Civile au Togo des récentes manifestations dans le pays sur les limites du mandat présidentiel.

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The Political Parties Bill is ‘poison for Zambia’s ailing democracy’

Interviews 10 October 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Zambian human rights defender McDonald Chipenzi.

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NGO soldiers on giving holistic care to rape survivors in DRC

Interviews 12 July 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Julienne Lusenge, director of SOFEPADI (Solidarite Feminine pour la Paix et le Development Integral), an NGO based in the Democratic Republic of Congo which supports and empowers women and girls who are rape and domestic violence survivors.

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Liberian rural communities face ‘David vs Goliath’ battle with multinationals

Interviews 12 June 2017

CIVICUS speaks to a Liberian activist about the invasions by multinational companies into community and indigenous lands.

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Dire situation for journalists and civil society in Turkey

Interviews 22 May 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Huseyin Hurmali, President of the Journalists and Writers Foundation about the difficult environment for journalists in Turkey.

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Cultural barriers are lifting but legal and political obstacles still hinder gender equality in Chile

Interviews 15 May 2017

Spanish CIVICUS speaks to Natalia Muñoz Castillo, director of International Affairs at the Observatory Against Street Harassment (OCAC), a Chilean civil society organisation that works to make public spaces safe and egalitarian, making them accessible to the most vulnerable, and specifically to women, children, adolescents and LGBTI people.

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Hungary new Bill aims to silence civil society that criticises the state

Interviews 08 May 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Anita Koncsik of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) on the recent Bill on transparency of organisations receiving foreign funding.

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Advocating for women’s sexual and reproductive rights in Peru, a risky fight against powerful enemies

Interviews 04 May 2017

Spanish CIVICUS speaks to María Ysabel Cedano, Director of DEMUS –Study for the Defense of Women’s Rights, a Peruvian feminist organisation that since 1987 defends human rights, and particularly women’s sexual and reproductive rights, by promoting their free exercise and questioning the hegemonic cultural paradigm on women and their sexuality.

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Omani human rights activist silenced and pushed into exile

Interviews 25 April 2017

CIVICUS interviews Habiba Al Hinai a human rights defender from Oman who had to leave the country for her own safety.

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Closure of Himal magazine part of ongoing onslaught on free expression in the South Asia region

Interviews 20 April 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Aunohita Mojumdar the editor of Himal Southasian, a review magazine of politics and culture based in Nepal and run by the not-for-profit Southasia Trust.

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Bolivian government using law and force to cow civil society into silence

Interviews 05 April 2017

Spanish CIVICUS speaks to Marco Antonio Gandarillas, Director of the Centre of Information and Documentation Bolivia (CEDIB), a human rights organisation founded in 1970 with the aim of providing information and consulting services with a critical eye on the social reality of Bolivia and Latin America.

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Togo’s violations of the press are out of step with democratic norms

Interviews 03 April 2017

French CIVICUS speaks to Koffi Déla Frack Kepomey, the executive director of Concertation Nationale de la Société Civile du Togo (CNSC-Togo) concerning the recent closure of a television and radio station by the regulatory authority as well as the torture of a journalist.

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Worker’s rights activism and human rights activism must be linked

Interviews 30 March 2017

Shawna Bader-Blau, executive director of the Solidarity Center, the largest worker rights organisation based in the United States speaks to CIVICUS about challenges facing workers, Solidarity Center’s work and the response of professional NGOs to worker’s rights.

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Malawi makes good reforms on civic space but new NGO Policy sidelines human rights CSOs

Interviews 28 March 2017

CIVICUS interviews, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitations’ Fletcher Simwaka about the state of civic space in Malawi and the new NGO policy.

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Egyptian women's rights defenders risk life in prison

Interviews 15 March 2017

Azza Soliman and Mozn Hassan have both been working to improve women's rights in Egypt.

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It’s not all doom and gloom on the ICC and Africa

Interviews 13 March 2017

At the recent summit of the African Union (AU), states adopted what appeared to be a plan to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the global body that prosecutes grave crimes and challenges impunity.

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Colombian activists: ‘We are paying with our lives to defend water’

Interviews 07 March 2017

Spanish CIVICUS speaks to Carlos Andrés Santiago, spokesperson of CORDATEC, an organisation that defends water, the territory and the ecosystems of San Martín, in the Colombian region of Cesar.

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Zambia’s media under siege

Interviews 06 March 2017

Following reported violations on the press in Zambia that have included the closing of a newspaper and two radio stations, CIVICUS speaks to Wilson Pondamali a Zambian freelance investigative journalist and media activist to detail the situation 1.

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Letter to Dr. Angela Merkel ahead of visit to Cairo

Interviews 27 February 2017

24 February 2017 Dr Angela Merkel Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Willy-Brandt-Straße 1 10557 Berlin Subject: Your visit to Cairo, 2-3 March 2017, amidst clampdown on human rights in Egypt Dear Chancellor Merkel,

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Claiming the space for women in Argentina, one step at a time

Interviews 24 February 2017

Spanish CIVICUS speaks to Ana Correa, a member of the organising group of #NiUnaMenos, a movement that has held massive protests against gender-based violence in Argentina.

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Closed and repressed: No space for democracy to take root in Eritrea

Interviews 24 January 2017

CIVICUS interviews a human rights defender from Eritrea, who speaks about the nature of the government and its complete disregard for fundamental human rights.

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Shock and sadness spurs anti-Trump protestors

Interviews 19 January 2017

Ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States of America, activists and civil society are mobilising protests against the new establishment.

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Syrian civil society not being heard by international donors

Interviews 18 January 2017

CIVICUS asked Nibal Salloum, program manager at the Syrian peace-building organisation Nuon, about the situation for civil society in Syria and the challenges faced working in a conflict area.

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Suppression of freedom of expression in Uganda increases

Interviews 11 January 2017

CIVICUS speaks to Ugandan independent blogger and journalist Rosebell Kagumire (pictured).

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Burundi civil society sees the International Criminal Court as a last resort for justice

Interviews 09 January 2017

Human rights defender Cyriaque Nibitegeka speaks to CIVICUS about Burundi’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court and the implications for human rights and victims of human rights abuses.

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Strict legal restrictions on foreign funding hit India’s NGOs

Interviews 04 January 2017

CIVICUS interviews Mathew Jacob on the restrictions on freedom of association and attacks on civil society in India including laws on foreign funding.

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Drug war unsettles civil society in Philippines

Interviews 14 December 2016

Since assuming power in May 2016 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has embarked on a controversial campaign against drugs in which over 3 000 people have been killed over three months in extra judicial killings for allegedly being drug peddlers or users.

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Victims of human rights violations will be worst affected if South Africa exits the International Criminal Court

Interviews 12 December 2016

CIVICUS speaks to Angela Mudukuti about South Africa’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, the implications for human rights and justice and the work which the Southern Africa Litigation Centre is doing on this issue.

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Despite progress, freedom of expression still under threat on the African continent

Interviews 09 December 2016

To commemorate International Human Rights Day, CIVICUS speaks to the Chair of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) - Advocate Faith Pansy Tlakula about the state of human rights in Africa.

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Mozambique NGOs battle for free civic space

Interviews 30 November 2016

To read this in Portugese, click here.

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Indonesian activists fear being targeted by cyber-bullying law

Interviews 18 November 2016

CIVICUS speaks to Asep Komarudin (pictured) of Legal Aid Institute for the Press concerning the cyber bullying amendment that was recently made to the Electronic Information and Transactions Bill.

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Increased violence in South Sudan is increasing difficulties for human rights defenders

Interviews 12 October 2016

CIVICUS spoke to a civil society leader based in Juba, South Sudan about why the government threatened and prevented human rights defenders from travelling to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva for reviews on South Sudan and the general state of human rights and media freedoms in the country five years after the country became independent.

Intolerance of civil society in Vietnam: An interview with Penelope Faulkner from the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights

Interviews 20 April 2016

Vice-President of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR), Penelope Faulkner, speaks to CIVICUS about the current challenges faced by civil society in Vietnam and the role of international solidarity networks in supporting the creation of a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders.

Death is something we were expecting: Interview with Amadiba Crisis Committee

Interviews 05 April 2016

On 22 March 2016, Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe (pictured), chairperson of the, Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) was assassinated at his home by two assailants who shot him eight times in the head.

Support human rights defenders in Ethiopia: CIVICUS interview with Betre Yacob Getahun

Interviews 03 December 2015

CIVICUS speaks to Betre Yacob Getahun a journalist, writer, and human rights advocate and the founder and president of Ethiopian Journalists Forum (EJF).

CIVICUS interview with José De Echave, co-founder of CooperAcción

Interviews 16 July 2015

Read the interview in Spanish.

CIVICUS interview with Emily Howie (HRLC)

Interviews 09 July 2015

Emily Howie, director of advocacy and research at the Human Rights Law Centre in Australia speaks to CIVICUS about civic space challenges in her country.

CIVICUS interview with Mohamed Lofty (ECRF)

Interviews 24 June 2015

Mohamed Lofty of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) speaks to CIVICUS about the travel ban imposed on him on 2nd of June 2015 while he was travelling to Germany to conduct a series of advocacy visits parallel to President Al-Sisi’s visit.

Insights on the current protests in Macedonia: An interview with two leading civil society activists

Interviews 27 May 2015

Emina Nuredinoska (left) of the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and Tanja Hafner Ademi (right) of the Balkan Civil Society Development Network speak to CIVICUS about ongoing protests against the Government and the current state of civil society in Macedonia.

Collaborate to curb restrictions on civic space in Turkey: An interview with Savaş Metin (KYM)

Interviews 06 May 2015

Savaş Metin, the General Secretary of Kimse Yok Mu Association (KYM) in Turkey, speaks to CIVICUS about the ongoing judicial harassment of their organization and the Turkish government’s systematic crackdown on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Turkey.

Interview with leading civil society activist in Sudan: Abdel-Eahman El Mahdi

Interviews 06 May 2015

Abdel-Rahman El Mahdi, Director of the Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA), speaks to CIVICUS about escalating restrictions on civil society and the prospect of engaging in a multi-stakeholder national dialogue to address pressing human rights issues in Sudan.

Extrajudicial powers being abused by India's Armed Forces: An Interview with Human Rights Activist Ravi Nitesh

Interviews 11 March 2015

Ravi Nitesh of the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) speaks to CIVICUS about the vicious cycle of judicial harassment Manipuri activist Irom Sharmila faces merely due to her peaceful resistance to India’s draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958, (AFSPA).

Call on Egyptian government to end all human rights violations - CIVICUS interview with Hussein Magdy (ECRF)

Interviews 19 February 2015

Hussein Magdy of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) speaks to CIVICUS about how Egyptian civil society is dismayed at the ongoing crackdown on fundamental freedoms which are guaranteed by Egypt’s national and international human rights obligations.

"Push for the repeal of the CSO Proclamation" - CIVICUS Interview with Soliyana Gebremichael (EHRP)

Interviews 12 February 2015

Soliyana Gebremichael, founding member of the Zone9 bloggers collective and Coordinator of the Ethiopian Human Right Project, speaks to CIVICUS about the Ethiopian government's ongoing persecution of civil society and independent media in the run-up to general elections scheduled for May 2015.

Cambodia: Human rights situation remains critical - CIVICUS interview with Chak Sopheap (CCHR)

Interviews 23 January 2015

CIVICUS speaks to Ms.

The persecution of civil society activists in Azerbaijan: An interview with Turgut Gambar (Founding member of NIDA)

Interviews 29 October 2014

Turgut Gambar, founding member of NIDA Civic Movement, speaks to CIVICUS about the growing restrictions on civil society in Azerbaijan and the government’s ongoing judicial harassment of activists.

Government restrictions on foreign funding alarms Pakistani CSOs: A CIVICUS interview with Qamar Naseem

Interviews 15 October 2014

Qamar Naseem of the Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) speaks to CIVICUS about growing restrictions imposed on civil society organisations and the Pakistani government’s attempts to curb access to funding from international sources.

CIVICUS interview with Bangladeshi civil society activist and Secretary of Odhikar, Adilur Rahman Khan

Interviews 04 September 2014

Prominent Bangladeshi civil society activist and Secretary of Odhikar, Adilur Rahman Khan, speaks to CIVICUS about growing restriction on civil society in Bangladesh and his continued judicial harassment under the Cyber Crimes Tribunal.

Hungarian civil society shocked at the pace of increasingly restrictive measures: An interview with Veronika Mora of the Okotars Foundation (Hungarian Environmental Partnership Foundation)

Interviews 27 August 2014

Veronika Mora, of the Okotars Foundation( Hungarian Environmental Partnership Foundation) speaks to CIVICUS about the Orban government’s clampdown on Hungarian civil society and their sources of funding.

Nawaz Sharif must provide support to CSOs instead of disenabling the environment they operate in: An Interview with Professor Mohammed Ismail

Interviews 11 August 2014

Professor Mohammed Ismail of the Pakistan NGOs Forum (PNF Pakistan), speaks to CIVICUS about the overall operating environment of civil society in Pakistan and the recent bills which severely curb civic space.