Interviews

Featured

EU-EGYPT DEAL: ‘The EU is losing its credibility as a value-driven ally to civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Rasmus Alenius Boserup, executive director of EuroMed Rights, about the recent deal signed between the European Union (EU) and Egypt and its implications for the rights of migrants and refugees.
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EUROPE: ‘Interconnected police records facilitate cross-border access to information on protesters and activists’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Chris Jones, executive director of Statewatch, about the European Union’s (EU) Prüm II regulation and its implications for human rights and civic freedoms.
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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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UN: ‘There’s a growing presence of anti-rights groups in spaces intended to advance gender justice’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Amina Hersi, head of Gender Rights and Justice at Oxfam International, about women’s rights activism and anti-gender backlash at the 68th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the main UN forum promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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TAIWAN: ‘Civil society plays key roles in tackling natural disasters and man-made threats, notably from China’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, chair of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), about the response to the earthquake that Taiwan experienced in early April – the strongest in 25 years.
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VENEZUELA: ‘The law against fascism could enable serious human rights violations’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Julio Armando Morón Pulido of CIVILIS about the threat posed by a draft law against fascism currently in discussion in Venezuela’s congress.
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CHAD: ‘This election seems orchestrated to ensure the permanence of the transitional president’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Chad’s upcoming presidential election with Remadji Hoinathy, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies’s (ISS) Regional Office for West Africa.
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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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USA: ‘The proposed TikTok legislation violates social media users’ rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Brendan Gilligan, a legal fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) civil liberties team, about the US government’s initiative to ban TikTok or force its sale.
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NIGERIA: ‘Many families prefer to keep their daughters at home to ensure their safety’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with activist Jeff Okoroafor about Nigeria’s security situation, including the trend of kidnappings of schoolchildren by rebel groups.
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HAITI: ‘Gangs control the country instead of the authorities’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with freelance journalist Nancy Roc about the increase in gang violence and the political situation in Haiti.
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FRANCE: ‘The inclusion of the right to abortion in the Constitution is a true feminist victory’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Floriane Volt, Director of Public and Legal Affairs at the Women’s Foundation (Fondation des Femmes), about recent changes to the French Constitution to include the right to abortion.
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IRELAND: ‘The referendums failed because the government overlooked the need to engage affected communities’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Sinéad Murray, Communications, Membership and Information Officer at Treoir, about Ireland’s recent unsuccessful Family and Care Referendums.
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DRC: ‘Civil society action is needed more than ever, but the space in which it can undertake it is getting smaller’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Bahati Rubango, country coordinator at the Women’s International Peace Centre (WIPC), about conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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SUDAN: ‘The only way out of this mess is through civilian rule’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the war in Sudan and its repercussions for women and civil society with Reem Abbas, a Sudanese feminist activist, writer and fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP).
Featured

BURKINA FASO: ‘Pro-democracy civil society is practically paralysed by the intensity and ferocity of the repression’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ousmane Miphal Lankoandé, Executive Secretary and Coordinator of the governance and citizen mobilisation programme at Balai Citoyen (‘Civic Broom’) about human rights and civic space in Burkina Faso.
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BELGIUM: ‘Petrochemical production must align with human and environmental wellbeing’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tatiana Luján, Materials Systems Lead at ClientEarth, about a lawsuit filed in collaboration with 15 other civil society organisations (CSOs) against a plan to open a huge plastics plant in Belgium, known as Project One, by petrochemicals giant INEOS.
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DENMARK: ‘Many are eager to see tangible action to address the situation in Gaza’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Vibe Klarup, Secretary General of Amnesty International Denmark, about the joint civil society lawsuit brought against the Danish state to stop Danish arms exports to Israel.
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NIGER: ‘France and the USA have displayed imperial attitudes towards poor countries in Africa’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Niger’s recent decision to suspend military cooperation with the USA with Dr Boubacar N’Diaye, Emeritus Professor of Pan-African Studies and Political Science at the College of Wooster, international consultant on security sector governance and former chair of the African Security Sector Network, a pan-African think tank focused on security governance issues in the continent, and particularly in West Africa.
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SENEGAL: ‘The restriction of civic space remains civil society’s greatest concern’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Malick Ndome, senior policy adviser and board member at the Council of Non-Governmental Organisations in Support of Development (CONGAD), about the recent election in Senegal.
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BALKANS: ‘The emergence of white supremacism adds another layer of vulnerability for migrants and refugees’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Myriam Correa, director of Collective Aid, about the situation of migrants across the Balkan migration route.
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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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MOZAMBIQUE: ‘We need to reach out to communities to get them involved in the fight for peace’

Interviews
PORTUGUESE CIVICUS speaks with Simão Tila, executive director of the League of NGOs in Mozambique (JOINT), about the increase in violence in northern Mozambique, its causes and civil society’s efforts to help resolve the situation.
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KYRGYZSTAN: ‘Civil society realises the importance of joint actions to protect rights and freedoms’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the potential approval of a Law on Foreign Representatives that would further restrict civil society in Kyrgyzstan with Murat Karypov, Project Coordinator of the legal programme of Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan.
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HONG KONG: ‘The law is not about national security – it’s about the authoritarian regime’s control’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the passing of a new security law and the state of civic space in Hong Kong with Patrick Poon.
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NETHERLANDS: ‘Anti-rights movements are gaining ground, challenging progress towards gender equality’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Eva Lia Colombo, Project Leader Climate & Gender at WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform, about the state of the feminist movement in the Netherlands amid the rise of the far right and the cancellation of a feminist march on 10 March.
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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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PORTUGAL: ‘These elections have reminded us that democracies are fragile and imperfect’

Interviews
PORTUGUESE CIVICUS speaks about the results of Portugal’s 10 March election with Ana Carmo of Akto, a Portuguese civil society organisation that promotes human rights and democratic values through advocacy, campaigning and education.
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LESOTHO: ‘We need constitutional protections for press freedom and access to information’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about press freedoms in Lesotho with Kananelo Boloetse, chairperson of the Lesotho Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Lesotho).
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TUVALU: ‘We share Taiwan’s democratic principles, values and struggles for sovereignty’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the prospects following the inauguration of a new government in Tuvalu with Kiali Molu, a PhD candidate in Politics and International Affairs at the University of Bergen in Norway and at the University of the South Pacific.
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KENYA: ‘Protests against femicides encouraged survivors to seek justice’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Wangechi Wachira, Executive Director of the Centre for Rights, Education and Awareness (CREAW), about recent protests demanding justice for femicide victims and policy changes to combat gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya.
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INDIA: ‘Civil society efforts will be crucial to the quality of the elections’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Anjali Bhardwaj, founding member of the Society for Citizen Vigilance Initiatives (Satark Nagrik Sangathan, SNS), about recent electoral reforms and civil society efforts to ensure the quality of India’s upcoming election.
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CHILE: ‘Legislation to tackle forest fires must be based on co-responsibility’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mauro González, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Climate Science and Resilience, (CR)2, about fires that recently spread through Chile’s Valparaíso region.
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AFGHANISTAN: ‘The risks posed by Taliban rule are too grave for the international community to ignore’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of human rights and women’s rights in Afghanistan with Ehsan Shayegan, founder and president of the Porsesh Policy Research Institute (PR).
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JORDAN: ‘Commercial spyware that enables digital repression and abuse must be completely banned’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Access Now about their forensic investigation that exposed the use of Pegasus spyware to target activists and journalists in Jordan.
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EUROPE: ‘Governments are adopting measures that are beneficial for the climate but forget to include people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Karin Van Boxtel, Co Interim Director of Both ENDS, about the farmers’ protests happening across Europe.
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EUROPEAN MEDIA FREEDOM ACT: ‘It will be crucial for EU member states to take this legal framework seriously’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Renate Schroeder, Director of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), about the European Media Freedom Act, the first integrated legislation that protects freedom of expression and media independence and pluralism in the European Union.
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MEXICO: ‘Civil society is a retaining wall against government malpractice’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Carlos G Guerrero Orozco, a Mexican lawyer and co-founder and president of Human Rights and Strategic Litigation-Mexico (DLM Mexico), about a recent victory of Mexican civil society in defence of civic space.
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GREECE: ‘We fought until same-sex marriage stopped being impossible and became a necessary change’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Greece’s recent legalisation of same-sex marriage with Giorgos Keratsas, Communications Officer of Positive Voice-Greek Association of People Living with HIV.
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INDONESIA: ‘Prabowo’s victory represents the worst-case scenario for the future of human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Rizky Argama, Executive Director, and Violla Reininda, Programme Manager at the Centre of Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), about the results of Indonesia’s 14 February presidential election – the world’s biggest single-day election, in which over 200 million people were eligible to vote.
Featured

ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES: ‘We advocate for the repeal of anti-gay laws as a matter of human dignity’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about struggles for LGBTQI+ rights and a recent legal setback in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) with Jeshua Bardoo, founder and Executive Officer of Equal Rights, Access and Opportunities SVG (ERAO SVG).
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NETHERLANDS: ‘No government should allow transfers of weapons to a state committing war crimes’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Frank Slijper, Arms Trade project lead at PAX, about a recent court victory in a case brought jointly with Oxfam Novib and the Rights Forum against the Dutch government for exporting arms to Israel that are being used in the assault on Gaza.
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IRAN: ‘The regime is executing protesters to create fear and suppress any attempt at new mobilisation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the ongoing wave of executions in Iran with Asal Abasian, an Iranian journalist and queer feminist activist.
Featured

HORN OF AFRICA: ‘De-escalation must be the primary objective’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mengistu Assefa, Program Manager at the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), about a port deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland and the possibility of it escalating into an armed conflict with Somalia.
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ‘The police response to riots mustn’t happen again’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent riots and the worsening human rights situation in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Shirley Abriella Kaupa, Program Coordinator at Magna Carta PNG.
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GLOBAL: ‘Only through adherence to humanitarian principles and the rule of law can we shift away from armed conflict’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Neshan Gunasekera, an international lawyer from Sri Lanka, about the role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of the case brought by South Africa against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Featured

SENEGAL: ‘After being an example of democracy in Africa, we are increasingly tending towards authoritarianism’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Abdou Aziz Cissé, Advocacy Officer at AfricTivistes, about President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential election that was due on 25 February and its implications for democracy in Senegal.
Featured

PORTUGAL: ‘The rise of the populist right only further weakens trust in the political system’

Interviews
Also available in Portuguese CIVICUS speaks about early elections taking place in Portugal on 10 March with Ana Carmo from Akto, a Portuguese civil society organisation that promotes human rights and democratic values through advocacy, campaigning and education.

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