Interviews

Featured

TUNISIA: ‘Civil society has remained active in a context of erosion of democracy and receding civic space’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the challenges faced by Tunisia’s civil society as the government moves to restrict foreign funding with Larbi Sadiki, director of the Democratic Sustainability Forum (Demos-Tunisia), scholar of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and fellow of Japan’s Toda Peace Institute.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA: ‘Repression sends a sobering message to anyone toying with the idea of organising for rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about repression in Equatorial Guinea with civil society activist Joaquín Elo.
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KENYA: ‘The court sent a message that LGBTQI+ people are human beings entitled to all rights and freedoms’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a recent court order protecting LGBTQI+ people in Kenya with the advocacy team of the Centre for Minority Rights and Strategic Litigation (CMRSL), a civil society organisation working for the equality and dignity of LGBTQI+ people and against discrimination and violence.
Featured

URUGUAY: ‘We don’t need a new media law, but proper implementation of the existing one’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Fabián Werner, president of the Centre for Archive and Access to Public Information (CAinfo), about a Media Law being discussed in Uruguay’s Congress.
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TURKEY: ‘Civil society can still defeat the foreign agents bill if it plans and acts strategically’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Gürkan Özturan, media freedom monitoring officer with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), about the concerning implications of a proposed law on foreign agents in Turkey.
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NETHERLANDS: ‘The coalition agreement softened the far-right’s stance, but the new government won’t defend minorities’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Thijs Berman, executive director of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), about the human rights concerns raised by the strict asylum policy proposed by the far right on joining the new government.
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GAZA: ‘A free press is the ultimate antidote to the fog of war’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Carlos Martínez de la Serna, Program Director at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), about the vital role of journalists in armed conflicts, including the current war in Gaza, their protection under international humanitarian law and the challenges they face in doing their jobs.
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MEXICO: ‘Sadly, the most notable feature of the campaign is the number of candidates killed’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Mexico’s 2 June general elections with Luis Eduardo Medina Torres, professor and elections researcher in the Department of Sociology at the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico.
Featured

CUBA: ‘The state is trying to reimpose fear so people don’t dare exercise their rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Johanna Cilano, Amnesty International's researcher for the Caribbean, about protests in Cuba and the challenges of activism in closed civic space.
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CHINA: ‘The Tiananmen massacre set the regime on the path it is still on today’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with exiled Chinese human rights defender Zhou Fengsuo on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Featured

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS: ‘Advancing LGBTQI+ rights requires advocacy, awareness-raising and a concerted effort to foster a culture of inclusion’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tim Prudhoe, a lawyer with Stanbrook Prudhoe, about a legal challenge brought against discriminatory legislation against LGBTQI+ people and the struggle for equal rights of same-sex married partners in Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Featured

PANAMA: ‘We’ll have to stay vigilant and resist any attempt to curtail rights and freedoms’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the results of Panama’s recent presidential election with Olga de Obaldía, executive director of the Foundation for the Development of Civic Freedom.
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GAZA: ‘The attacks and disinformation campaign against UNRWA are aimed at dismantling it’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Jonathan Fowler of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), about the agency’s role in Gaza and the challenges it faces.
Featured

AMERICAS: ‘The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will clarify states’ obligations in the face of the climate crisis’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Manuel Páez Ramírez, lawyer with the Human Rights and Environment Programme of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defence (AIDA), about the advisory opinion on climate emergency and human rights that Chile and Colombia have requested from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR).
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CROATIA: ‘The entry of the far right into government will halt or reverse progress on human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ivan Novosel, director of programmes at Human Rights House Zagreb, about the results of Croatia’s recent parliamentary election and the potential consequences of the entry of the far-right Homeland Movement (DP) into the ruling coalition.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ‘This election is about whether South Africans still believe in democracy’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tessa Dooms, Programmes Director at Rivonia Circle, about the upcoming general election in South Africa.
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GEORGIA: ‘The foreign agents law poses a threat to the vibrancy and autonomy of civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Nino Samkharadze, policy analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics, about the controversial ‘foreign agents’ law just passed in Georgia.
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USA: ‘Our aggressive tactics helped amplify the demands of the broader climate movement’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Evan Drukker-Schardl of Climate Defiance about the disruptive tactics the organisation uses to put climate change on the agenda.
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INDIA: ‘Anti-Muslim hate speech sustains polarisation that benefits the ruling party’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about India’s ongoing elections with Aakar Patel, board chair of Amnesty International India.
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MALDIVES: ‘The election’s outcome wasn’t determined by expectations but rather by disillusionment’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Shahindha Ismail, founder of the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN), about the recent parliamentary election in Maldives, the implications of the country’s realignment with China and the impacts of the climate crisis.
Featured

NORTH MACEDONIA: ‘The election results will have a direct impact on foreign policy’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Darko Duridanski, executive director of the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers, about the recent election in North Macedonia.
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HONDURAS: ‘We live in a hostile country for women and their reproductive freedoms’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Regina Fonseca, coordinator of the Strengthening the Right to Decide programme of the Women’s Rights Centre (CDM), about the case the organisation took to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee in search of changes to the ban on abortion in Honduras.
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GAZA: ‘Double standards erode the principles of international humanitarian law and undermine its credibility’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the erosion of international humanitarian law in the context of war in Gaza and other conflicts with Marco Sassòli, Professor of International Law at the Geneva University in Switzerland.
Featured

VENEZUELA: ‘The opposition candidacy brings hope for a democratic transition’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the challenges of Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election and the recent selection of an opposition candidate with Guillermo Aveledo, Dean of Legal and Political Studies at the Metropolitan University of Caracas.
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DOMINICAN REP: ‘Anti-rights groups are increasingly organised and mobilised’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Alicia Méndez Medina of the Junta de Prietas collective about the campaign for the legalisation of abortion and feminist, anti-racist and other rights struggles in the Dominican Republic.
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MALI: ‘Civil society demands a return to constitutional order through free elections’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the growing repression of civil and political liberties and the consolidation of power by Mali’s military junta with a civil society activist who asked to stay anonymous for security reasons.
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USA: ‘The issue of abortion is expected to significantly shape political discourse in this crucial election’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about struggles to access abortion services in the USA with Sheena Dooley, Gabriela Fuentes and Mazie Stilwell of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa (PPAI).
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BRAZIL: ‘Anti-democratic political leaders and supporters remain active’

Interviews
Portuguese CIVICUS speaks about the rise of the far right in Brazil with Flávia Pellegrino, executive coordinator of the Pact for Democracy.
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UGANDA: ‘Politicians fuel the anti-LGBTQI+ movement to achieve political goals’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Noa Muhoozi Kainerugaba, team leader at Trans Refugee Initiative, about Uganda’s Constitutional Court’s recent ruling upholding the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act.
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EUROPE: ‘The European Court agreed that climate protection is a fundamental human right’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Dr Elisabeth Stern, board member of KlimaSeniorinnen Switzerland (Senior Women for Climate Protection), a civil society organisation representing older Swiss women who recently won a climate litigation case against Switzerland at the European Court of Human Rights.
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INDIA: ‘The negative impacts of AI on democratic processes seem to be outweighing the positive’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Vandita Morarka, founder and CEO of the One Future Collective, about AI-powered disinformation in the campaign for India’s current election.
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GERMANY: ‘Legal defence of international humanitarian law during the Gaza conflict is imperative’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civil society’s lawsuit to try to stop Germany’s exports of arms to Israel with Alexander Schwarz, a German human rights lawyer and deputy program director of the International Crimes and Accountability Program of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
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TURKEY: ‘The municipal election was unfair, yet highly competitive, allowing the opposition to win’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, regional director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Turkey, about Turkey’s recent municipal elections that saw opposition parties gain ground.
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DOMINICA: ‘It’s an ongoing journey to achieve full inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Daryl Phillip, founder and coordinator of Minority Rights Dominica (MiRiDom), about a recent High Court ruling that decriminalised same-sex relations in Dominica.
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GHANA: ‘The anti-LGBTQI+ law enshrines prejudice and discrimination and perpetuates inequalities’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the ‘Anti-LGBTQI+ bill’ recently passed in Ghana with Solomon Atsuvia, Programmes Manager at Rightify Ghana.
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SOLOMON ISLANDS: ‘It is our collective duty to uphold democracy and work towards a better future for all’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Maverick Peter Seda, cofounder and coordinator of Youth for Change Solomon Islands (YFCSI), about civil society engagement in the country’s 17 April general election.
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SWEDEN: ‘Sida’s decision to terminate our agreements breaks decades of trustful relationships with civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Eva Ekelund, Deputy Director of Act Church of Sweden, about the Swedish International Development Agency’s (Sida) decision to terminate their agreements with strategic partner civil society organisations (CSOs).
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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.
Featured

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.
Featured

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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