Interviews

Featured

OLYMPICS: ‘This was supposed to be a unifying event, but the reality is always more complicated’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the political, economic, social and human rights implications of the recent Olympic Games with UK-based academic, journalist and author David Goldblatt, whose latest book is The Games: A Global History of the Olympics.
Featured

VIETNAM: ‘Human rights conditions will likely worsen as the country descends into a police state’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent leadership changes in Vietnam with David Tran, coordinator of the Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy, a civil society platform that promotes democracy in Vietnam and the region through international cooperation and the strengthening of local civil society.
Featured

UK: ‘Social media platforms have become breeding grounds for far-right ideologies’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the causes and consequences of recent far-right riots with Kulvinder Nagre, Research and Policy Officer at Race On The Agenda (ROTA), a UK-based civil society organisation working to tackle racial inequality and promote social justice.
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UK: ‘Many in the climate justice movement are finding creative and imaginative ways to protest’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Chris Garrard, co-founder and co-director of Culture Unstained, about the campaign to end fossil fuel sponsorship of cultural institutions, which oil companies use to try to present a positive public image.
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NIGERIA: ‘The government must respect people’s right to protest and listen to our demands’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses protests in Nigeria with youth activist Hassan Nurudeen.
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BANGLADESH: ‘A government that commits crimes against humanity shouldn’t stay in power under any circumstances’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about protests, their repression and the changes they’ve brought about in Bangladesh with civil society activist Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, also known as Zaman Ashraf.
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MALAWI: ‘Many will interpret the court ruling to mean there’s no place for LGBTQI+ people in our country’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the Malawi Constitutional Court’s decision to uphold the criminalisation of homosexuality with members of the Nyasa Rainbow Alliance, a civil society organisation that has supported LGBTQI+ people and promoted LGBTQI+ rights for a decade, despite facing significant legal and societal challenges.
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CAMBODIA: ‘We face repression because we disrupt projects that benefit powerful people and corporations'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Lisa Saad of Mother Nature Cambodia about the criminalisation of environmental activism in Cambodia.
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GEORGIA: ‘The ‘anti-LGBT’ bill would make life nearly impossible for LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses proposed legislative changes that target LGBTQI+ people in Georgia with Tbilisi Pride director Tamar Jakeli.
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VENEZUELA: ‘We had hoped the election would lead to a negotiated transition’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Venezuela’s recent election with Luz Mely Reyes, Director General of the Venezuelan digital media outlet Efecto Cocuyo.
Featured

BANGLADESH: ‘The interim government must ensure justice for the wrongs of the past regime’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about protests, their repression and the changes they’ve brought about in Bangladesh with human rights defender and student leader Nahid Islam.
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SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE: ‘We fear the pact will be yet another document with high ideals but little practical impact’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the upcoming Summit of the Future with Ophelia Kemigisha, United Nations (UN) Program Officer at Outright International, a global organisation that works to improve LGBTQI+ rights around the world.
Featured

GLOBAL: ‘There are multiple paths to justice and accountability for violations of international law’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Rebecca Shoot, Executive Director of Citizens for Global Solutions, about the advisory opinion recently issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Featured

SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE: ‘Our influence depends on states’ willingness to adopt a progressive agenda’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the upcoming Summit of the Future with Jennifer Rauch, Global Advocacy Officer at Fòs Feminista, a global feminist organisation that promotes sexual reproductive health and rights around the world.
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SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE: ‘Civil society has been vocal in urging that the summit address the real needs of people’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the upcoming Summit of the Future with Julie Murray, Advocacy Advisor at Save the Children International, a global organisation advocating for children’s rights and interests worldwide.
Featured

ECUADOR: ‘We demand that the violation of the rights of nature be recognised and reversed’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Darío Iza Pilaquinga, president of the Kitu Kara People of the Kichwa nationality of Ecuador, about a historic court ruling that applied a constitutional provision recognising the rights of nature.
Featured

KENYA: ‘The government must work with civil society to eradicate gender-based violence’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Fridah Wawira, gender specialist and acting Executive Director of the Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW), about gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya and civil society efforts to eradicate it.
Featured

CAMBODIA: ‘The more effective your activism, the more likely you are to be targeted by the government’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses environmental activism in Cambodia’s heavily repressed civic space with Naly Pilorge, Outreach Director of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO).
Featured

POLAND: ‘Under the Law and Justice party, being a woman became an extremely difficult experience’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent setbacks for reproductive rights in Poland with Antonina Lewandowska, national advocacy coordinator at the Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA).
Featured

IRAN: ‘We shouldn’t have to wait for another tragedy to draw attention to violations of LGBTQI+ people’s rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with LGBTQI+ activist Rezvaneh Mohammadi about her experiences in Iran and in exile.
Featured

SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE: ‘The UN Secretary-General underestimated the difficulty of reaching consensus’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the upcoming Summit of the Future with Renzo Pomi, who represents Amnesty International at the United Nations (UN) in New York.
Featured

CHILE: ‘Anti-rights groups attacked the Pride march to try to undermine its peaceful character’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the struggle for LGBTQI+ rights in Chile with Ramón Gómez, human rights officer of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MOVILH).
Featured

USA: ‘The framers of the constitution envisioned an accountable president, not a king above the law’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the recent US Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and its potential impact on the 5 November presidential election with Praveen Fernandes, Vice President at the Constitutional Accountability Center, a US think tank and public interest litigation organisation dedicated to studying and applying the constitution’s text, history and values.
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.
Featured

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.
Featured

ARGENTINA: ‘The state is abandoning its role as guarantor of access to rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the deterioration of civic space and human rights under Argentina’s current government with Vanina Escales and Manuel Tufró of the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS).
Featured

HONDURAS: ‘We demand environmental justice in the face of corrupt interests insensitive to local needs’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses community resistance to mining mega-projects in Honduras with Juana Esquivel, representative of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa.
Featured

USA: ‘The stakes in the 2024 election are incredibly high for the fate of US democracy’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the recent US Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and its potential impact on the 5 November presidential election with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law.
Featured

FRANCE: ‘Civil society played a crucial role in keeping the far right out of power’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the French election with Paymon Azmoudeh, a France-based political and geopolitical risk analyst.
Featured

SUDAN: ‘The international community’s response to atrocities has been painfully slow and ineffective’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the role of civil society in responding to the conflict in Sudan with Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA).
Featured

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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BRAZIL: ‘The law should protect women and girls, not criminalise them’

Interviews
Portuguese CIVICUS discusses abortion rights in Brazil with Guacira Oliveira, director of the Feminist Centre for Studies and Advice (CFEMEA).
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GLOBAL ARMS TRADE: ‘By halting the supply of weapons, states can help prevent human rights violations’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses civil society efforts to control arms proliferation with Hine-Wai Loose, Director of Control Arms, a global civil society coalition with over 300 partners in all regions of the world.
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KENYA: ‘Young people want their concerns to be addressed, not dismissed because of their age’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent protests in Kenya with Bina Maseno, Executive Director of Badili Africa, a women’s rights organisation that seeks to engage young women who are disenfranchised, disengaged and disillusioned by politics.
Featured

INDONESIA: ‘Proposed changes to the Broadcasting Act are part of a regression driven by religious fundamentalism’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses proposed changes to Indonesia’s Broadcasting Act that would restrict LGBTQI+ rights with Dédé Oetomo.
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AFGHANISTAN: ‘The Doha meeting has raised concerns the UN is indirectly legitimising the Taliban’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the exclusion of women from international talks on Afghanistan currently being held in Qatar with Sima Samar, former chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).
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MEXICO: ‘Civil society expects the new government to be more receptive and open to dialogue’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the results of recent Mexican elections with Daniela Arias Sánchez, Coordinator of the Election Lab of Mexico, an independent think tank dedicated to research, reflection and analysis on issues related to elections and democracy in Latin America.
Featured

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.
Featured

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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SERBIA: ‘We live in a system that’s allergic to pluralism, with a government hostile to critical voices’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent local elections in Serbia with Tamara Branković, deputy program director at the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA).
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NEW CALEDONIA: ‘The French parliamentary elections will have an impact on our future’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Nathalie Tehio, president of the Human Rights League, about recent protests against electoral changes imposed by the French government in New Caledonia.
Featured

IRAN: ‘Women and queer people are at the forefront of the struggle against religious despotism’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Asal Abasian about their experiences as a queer and feminist activist in Iran and in exile.
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PAKISTAN: ‘The government must hold accountable those responsible for excessive force against protesters’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent protests in Pakistan with Asad Iqbal Butt, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a civil society organisation that works for the realisation of the full range of human rights for all of Pakistan’s citizens and residents.
Featured

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.
Featured

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.
Featured

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).
Featured

GLOBAL ARMS TRADE: ‘Exporting states are often involved in the conflicts they supply arms to’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the global arms market’s role in conflict with Mathew George, director of the Arms Transfers Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Featured

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: ‘There’s deep-rooted structural anti-Haitian racism’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the status of people of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic with Joseph Cherubin, a Haitian doctor and founder and executive director of the Sociocultural Movement of Humanitarian and Environmental Work (MOSCTHA).
Featured

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.
Featured

BANGLADESH: ‘Civic space is the victim of zero-sum game politics and dysfunctional democratic institutions’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civic space restrictions in Bangladesh with Iftekhar Zaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the accredited national chapter of Transparency International, a leading global anti-corruption organisation.

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