Interviews

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GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: ‘The current system is dysfunctional, but we still depend on it in crucial ways’

Interviews 30 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Natalie Samarasinghe, Global Director for advocacy at the Open Society Foundations (OSF), about the need for global governance reform and the proposal for a civil society envoy within the United Nations (UN) system.

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CHILE: ‘The proposed constitution reflects the country’s division rather than being an instrument for its union’

Interviews 27 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Patricia Reyes, director of Fundación Multitudes, about the process to develop a new constitution in Chile since a previous draft was rejected in a referendum in September 2022.

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SDGs: ‘Radical policy changes are our only hope of ending global poverty’

Interviews 26 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Andy Sumner about the prospects for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the underlying dysfunctions of the current global governance system.

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SWITZERLAND: ‘Right-wing populists pose a true threat when other parties meet their demands’

Interviews 25 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Lea Schlenker, board member of Operation Libero, about the rise of right-wing populism in Switzerland’s recent elections.

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ARGENTINA: ‘Milei’s victory expresses the rejection of the previous governments’

Interviews 24 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Yanina Welp, researcher at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, about the results of Argentina’s runoff presidential election, won by a far-right outsider.

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KOSOVO: ‘Civil society plays a crucial role in maintaining communication in difficult times’

Interviews 23 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Milica Andric Rakic, project manager at New Social Initiative (NSI), about intensifying inter-ethnic violence and deteriorating civic space in Kosovo.

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NETHERLANDS: ‘A strong sense of solidarity endures with those who are left-behind’

Interviews 21 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks about snap elections taking place in the Netherlands on 22 November with Niels Hoogerheijde, Policy Advisor at Partos, the Dutch membership body for civil society organisations (CSOs) working in international development.

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IRAN: ‘It is clear that most people don’t support the regime anymore and want it gone’

Interviews 17 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Iranian activist Asal Abasian about the situation more than a year since the start of the protest wave triggered by Mahsa Amini’s killing by the morality police and the prospects for change in Iran.

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INDIA: ‘Media and journalists are under tremendous pressure from the government’

Interviews 16 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Geetartha Pathak, president of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), about the increasing violation of press freedoms in India.

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SERBIA: ‘The government is allergic to pluralism and keeps discrediting dissenting voices’

Interviews 15 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks about Serbia’s upcoming parliamentary elections and civic space conditions with Vukosava Crnjanski, founder and director of the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA).

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VENEZUELA: ‘The opposition could once again become a credible threat to the authoritarian regime’

Interviews 13 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Rafael Uzcátegui, general coordinator of the Venezuelan Programme for Human Rights Education Action (Provea), about the results of recent opposition primaries ahead of the 2024 elections.

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EQUATORIAL GUINEA: ‘The government uses violence to dominate through fear’

Interviews 12 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Alfredo Okenve, president of the Centre for Studies and Initiatives for the Development of Equatorial Guinea (CEIDGE), about the political context in which civil society operates in Equatorial Guinea.

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PAKISTAN: ‘We appeal to the international community to share the responsibility of welcoming Afghan refugees’

Interviews 01 November 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the current move to expel undocumented migrants from Pakistan with Muhammad Mudassar, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP-Pakistan).

BANGLADESH: ‘The government is banishing the opposition in the run-up to the election’

Interviews 31 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Zaman Ashraf about the current pre-election crackdown in Bangladesh.

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PHILIPPINES: ‘Climate change is no longer theoretical. It is a fact of life and a threat to our lives’

Interviews 29 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the impacts of climate change and the response of climate activism with Ronan Renz Napoto, founder and executive director of Balud, a youth-led movement from the Philippines that promotes ecological consciousness by engaging with and empowering young people.

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UK: ‘The anti-boycott bill is the latest government attempt to stifle civil liberties’

Interviews 28 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Daniel Lubin, co-founder of Na’amod (British Jews Against Occupation), about the UK government’s proposed anti-boycott bill that would prevent public bodies from using divestment as a strategy to meet human rights responsibilities and obligations.

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POLAND: ‘Civil society played a crucial role in ensuring the fairness of the election’

Interviews 27 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about Poland’s 15 October parliamentary election with Sonia Horonziak and Filip Pazderski, coordinator and head of the Democracy and Civil Society Programme at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA).

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BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: ‘Civil society has failed to spark people’s activist side’

Interviews 24 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about deteriorating civic space in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with Aida Daguda and Dajana Cvjetkovic, director and programme manager at the Centre for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD).

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MEXICO: ‘When climate activism threatens powerful interests, it is labelled on the same level as terrorists and drug traffickers’

Interviews 23 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the role of civil society and its expectations for the upcoming COP28 climate summit with María Reyes, a young human rights and environmental activist from the Mexican state of Puebla.

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ECUADOR: ‘The election provided a temporary escape valve, but instability is not over’

Interviews 22 October 2023

CIVICUS discusses the results of the 15 October runoff vote in Ecuador’s presidential election with Humberto Salazar, executive director of Fundación Esquel.

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ARMENIA: ‘Lack of compelling international action allowed the attack on Nagorno-Karabakh to occur’

Interviews 21 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh – the disputed territory within Azerbaijan that until recently was governed by ethnic Armenians – with Lida Minasyan, a feminist peace activist and Resource Mobilisation Consultant at the Central Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central and North Asia (CEECCNA) Collaborative Fund.

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MAURITIUS: ‘LGBTQI+ people no longer need to live with the constant fear of being criminalised’

Interviews 20 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Najeeb Ahmad Fokeerbux, founder of the Young Queer Alliance (YQA), about the recent ruling by the Mauritius Supreme Court that declared the criminalisation of same-sex relations unconstitutional.

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ARMENIA: ‘As people leave their homes in search of safety, humanitarian organisations must support their basic needs’

Interviews 19 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the civil society humanitarian response to the Azerbaijani blockade and military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh – the disputed territory within Azerbaijan that until recently was governed by ethnic Armenians – with Shushanik Nersesyan, Media and Communication Manager at People in Need (PIN) Armenia.

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ECUADOR: ‘The new government must dialogue and seek political agreements that are public, not under the table’

Interviews 19 October 2023

CIVICUS discusses the results of the 15 October runoff vote in Ecuador’s presidential election with Ruth Hidalgo, executive director of Participación Ciudadana (Citizen Participation).

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NORTH KOREA: ‘Since Kim Jong-un came to power, the surveillance and security system has increased dramatically’

Interviews 18 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about activism in the closed civic space of North Korea with Bada Nam, Secretary General of People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE).

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BOTSWANA: ‘We must strategise so that we don’t merely react to crises and anti-rights action’

Interviews 18 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the struggle for LGBTQI+ rights in Botswana with Dumiso Gatsha, an LGBTQI+ activist and founder of Success Capital.

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AUSTRALIA: ‘There will be little change on First Nations people’s recognition, representation and rights’

Interviews 17 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Peter Lewis, president of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), about the recent defeat in a referendum of a proposal to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and create a permanent institution so they can speak directly to government and parliament on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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MOROCCO: ‘Support those who were there before the earthquake hit and will stay when the cameras are gone’

Interviews 16 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the role of civil society in the response to the recent earthquake in Morocco with Victoria Vrana, Chief Executive Officer at GlobalGiving.

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JAPAN: ‘Each victory brings backlash, but LGBTQI+ people will keep fighting for equality and dignity'

Interviews 13 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the struggle for LGBTQI+ rights in Japan with Akira Nishiyama, Deputy Secretary General 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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UGANDA: ‘Closure of the UN office will result in the loss of a crucial player in the field of human rights’

Interviews 12 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the human rights situation and the closure of the United Nations (UN) office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Uganda with Dr Livingstone Sewanyana, founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) and UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

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BELGIUM: ‘Small extremist groups are reacting to all advances in women’s rights’

Interviews 11 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Céline Danhier, director of O’YES, about the recent conservative backlash to the implementation of a sex and relationships education programme in state schools in Belgium’s Walloon region.

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ETHIOPIA: ‘The state of emergency has impeded people’s ability to advocate for their rights’

Interviews 08 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Jerusalem Girmay, Chief Communications Officer of Omna Tigray, about the state of emergency imposed in Ethiopia and its implications for the Tigray region.

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NORTH KOREA: ‘It is time for the international community to adopt a ‘human rights up front’ approach’

Interviews 06 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the activism of North Korean escapees with Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK).

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SYRIA: ‘We spread the culture of human rights in a country with one of the world’s worst human rights records’

Interviews 04 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about Syria’s ongoing civil war and human rights crisis and its prospects for democratic change with Fadel Abdul Ghany, founder and Executive Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).

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ERITREA: ‘When the government reacts to our work, we know what we do is making an impact’

Interviews 03 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks with about civil society work in Eritrea’s context of closed civic space with Helen Kidan, chairperson of the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR).

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MEXICO: ‘The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a before and after in the struggle for reproductive justice’

Interviews 02 October 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the recent Supreme Court ruling decriminalising abortion in Mexico with Brenda Rodriguez, communications coordinator of Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE, Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida).

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VIETNAM: ‘The government hates losing face and has zero tolerance for criticism’

Interviews 29 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about recent arrests of leading environmental activists in Vietnam with Penelope Faulkner, President of Quê Me: Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR).

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UGANDA: ‘The UN human rights office was instrumental in addressing human rights concerns in the conflict and post-conflict period’

Interviews 27 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the closure of the United Nations (UN) office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Uganda with Robert Kirenga, Executive Director of the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Uganda (NCHRD-U).

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THE NETHERLANDS: ‘Restrictions on the right to protest should be the exception rather than the rule’

Interviews 26 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Sieger Sloot, an actor and climate activist from a Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion (XR), and Marjolein Kuijers, policy officer on the right to protest at the Dutch section of Amnesty International, about the government’s reaction to climate protests in the run-up to parliamentary elections in the Netherlands in November.

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MEXICO: ‘The decriminalisation of abortion is a huge collective achievement for the feminist movement’

Interviews 25 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Alba Adriana Jiménez Patlán, director of the Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Mexico (ddeser), about the historic ruling of the Mexican Supreme Court decriminalising abortion at the federal level.

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ECUADOR: ‘Indigenous peoples are the forgotten ones of public policies’

Interviews 24 September 2023

CIVICUS discusses Indigenous peoples' environmental activism and civil society's hopes for the upcoming COP28 climate summit with Fausto Daniel Santi Gualina, a leader of the Indigenous Sarayaku people of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

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SPAIN: ‘Explicit manifestations of gender-based violence are just the tip of the iceberg’

Interviews 20 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Isabel Abella Ruiz de Mendoza about the systemic macho violence faced by women in sport, evidenced in a recent case of abuse of power by the highest authority of the Spanish football federation.

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SPAIN: ‘Women are no longer willing to tolerate disrespect or abuse of power’

Interviews 18 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Eleonora Giovio, sports editor of the Spanish newspaper El País, about the systemic abuses faced by women in sport, evidenced in a recent case of abuse of power by the highest authority in the Spanish football federation.

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GABON: ‘Under the old regime civil society was not taken into account’

Interviews 16 September 2023

CIVICUS discusses the military coup in Gabon with Pepecy Ogouliguende, expert in human rights, governance, gender and peace mediation and founder and president of Malachie.

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BAHRAIN: ‘Had there been civic freedoms, the authorities would have known of the deep suffering at Jau Prison’

Interviews 15 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the situation of political prisoners on hunger strike in Bahrain with Jawad Fairooz, founder and director of Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (Salam DHR).

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EGYPT: ‘Activists who work from abroad are being targeted through their families’

Interviews 15 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about the ongoing repression of dissent in Egypt with Ahmed Attalla, Executive Director of the Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR).

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ZIMBABWE: ‘This so-called election was a circus and a waste of resources’

Interviews 14 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about Zimbabwe’s August general election and its aftermath with Obert Masaraure, national president of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe and spokesperson of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, which brings together 84 Zimbabwean civil society organisations (CSOs).

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IRAN: ‘The severity of the crackdown only shows how scared the regime is of the protest movement’

Interviews 13 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks with Sohrab Razaghi, executive director of Volunteer Activists (VA), about the situation in Iran on the anniversary of the anti-regime protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police.

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GLOBAL: ‘With a wealth tax on the biggest fortunes, extreme poverty can be eradicated’

Interviews 13 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about climate change, global inequality and the need for redistribution with Adrien Fabre, a France-based climate economist and founder of Global Redistribution Advocates (GRA).

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NAMIBIA: ‘We have seen some progress on LGBTQI+ rights, but there is a lot of work still to be done’

Interviews 12 September 2023

CIVICUS speaks about recent moves to ban same-sex marriage in Namibia with Kevin Wessels, a young activist and a seasoned consultant and social entrepreneur working to advance human rights in Namibia.