Statement at the 57th Sesssion of the UN Human Rights Council

Adoption of the UPR report of Cambodia

Delivered by Juli Lopez Arenas

Mr. President,

CIVICUS and FORUM-ASIA welcomes Cambodia’s engagement in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. During the previous cycle, Cambodia received 50 recommendations on civic space issues and accepted 35 of them. However, in reality the government did not implement any of the recommendations.

In this cycle, we note that Cambodia received 48 recommendations on civic space and has supported 41 including to protect fundamental freedoms, amend laws and regulations in line with the ICCPR and to cease harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and unjust prosecution of political opposition, human rights defenders and journalists.

However, Cambodia failed to accept recommendations to release imprisoned political prisoners, journalists and human rights defenders, repeal incitement (Article 494 and 495) and defamation laws and reverse the closure of media outlets.

In recent years, scores of human rights defenders, political activists, trade unionist and journalists have been harassed or criminalised. Highly politicised courts mean that those arbitrarily detained are often held for prolonged periods in pretrial detention and have no chance of getting a fair trial. Independent media outlets have been shut down and peaceful protests met with arbitrary arrests and excessive force.

Mr President, we urge the government of Cambodia to release all human rights defenders including those from the Mother Nature movement and cease its harassment of CSOs like CENTRAL. It must also review or repeal all restrictive laws include on incitement, defamation, the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO) and the Law on Peaceful Demonstrations and provide civil society members, HRDs and journalists with a safe and secure environment in which to carry out their work without reprisals.

We thank you.

 Statement at the 57th Session of the Human Rights Council

Adoption of the UPR report of Vietnam

Delivered by Juli Lopez Arenas

Thank you, Mr President.

CIVICUS, the Vietnam Advocates for Change and ADN welcome the government of Vietnam’s engagement with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

Since its last review, Vietnam did not implement 40 recommendations related to civic space. We note that Vietnam fully accepted 17 of the 34 recommendations on civic space it received during this cycle. The government has committed to creating an enabling environment for independent civil society organizations, free expression online and offline, as well as independence of the media.

Despite these commitments, there continues to be severe repression of civil society and human rights defenders. Freedom of association is drastically subverted by a highly restrictive regulatory regime. Human rights defenders including NGO leaders, environmental, land and minority rights activists and journalists had been subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention on trumped-up national security or tax evasion charges. Some are serving long prison sentences and face torture and ill-treatment in detention.

Activists are subjected to surveillance, intimidation, harassment and violent assaults. They also face restrictions on their movement and those in exile are at risk of transnational repression. Digital freedoms are severely restricted in law, censorship is rampant and peaceful assembly is tightly restricted.

Mr President, as a UN Human Rights Council member, we urge the government of Vietnam to take its role seriously by revising all restrictive laws and regulations, so they are consistent with the ICCPR, release all human rights defenders including Pham Doan Trang, Dang Dinh Bach and Nguyen Chi Tuyen. It must also ensure that HRDs are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of legal action or harassment.

We thank you.

Statement at the UN Human Rights Council – 57th session
General Debate Item 4
Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you, Mr President. 

CIVICUS is convinced that the Council should play a more assertive role in preventing rather than reacting to human rights crises, and the rapid deterioration of civic space is among the early warning signs on which the Council should promptly act.  

In Argentina, the country’s civic space has alarmingly deteriorated. Protests have been repressed with brutality, and journalists and activists are facing increasing attacks. We are concerned about the enforcement of the commonly known as the ‘anti-picket’ protocol for regulating public order during road blockages, which falls short of international law standards. Excessive force has been deployed by law enforcement against protesters and over 600 people were injured since December. In June, 35 protesters were arrested on fabricated charges such as public intimidation, incitement to violence, and disruption of legislative sessions. We are also concerned about a decree modifying the Law on Access to Public Information which reclassifies data on public officials as private, limiting access to information that should remain publicly accessible by international law standards.

Meanwhile, we remain concerned about the unrelenting restrictions on civil society participation and civic space in Azerbaijan as the host of this year’s Conference of Parties on UNFCC. Human rights groups estimate that around 300 political prisoners and 23 journalists are currently unlawfully detained, including Anar Mammadli, Head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center and co-founder of the Climate and Justice Initiative. In August, prominent researcher and peace activist Bahruz Samadov was also arrested by the Security Service and charged with treason. These detentions represent the latest crackdown on dissent in a country where civic space has already been severely constrained through restrictive laws, arbitrary prosecutions and repression of protests. 

In Thailand, civic space continues to be under severe attack. Leading opposition party, Move Forward, was dissolved in August and leaders have been banned by the Constitutional Court. The government has continued to use royal defamation (lèse-majesté) provisions to arrest or convict around 270 HRDs, activists, protesters, critics and politicians since 2020, and to stifle freedom of expression. Courts routinely deny bail to individuals charged or impose strict conditions in cases where bail is granted. Activists in the Deep South remain at risk while there are also concerns that the government is facilitating transnational repression. We call on the Council to address these worsening situations and ensure responsive action to prevent further deterioration and crisis escalation.

We thank you. 

Statement at the UN Human Rights Council – 57^th session

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Burundi

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

 Thank you Mr President.

CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the work of the Special Rapporteur. We also welcome the recent release of a journalist and human rights defender, Floriane Irangabiye, after being convicted from a flawed trial in 2022.  Floriane should not have been imprisoned in the first place just like other human rights defenders in Burundi.

Serious human rights violations and abuses continue to be committed in Burundi in a context of widespread impunity and dire situation for civil society, which continues to be suppressed. The 2017 law on foreign non-governmental organizations, inconsistent with the State’s human rights obligations, remains in place and represents a significant restriction the work of CSOs in Burundi. The work of HRDs and activists have been limited by numerous restrictions and attacks including harassment, intimidation, surveillance and reprisals.

Alongside undue restrictions to the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, serious human rights violations include extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, by both state and para-state actors. The past few months have been marked by increased pressure over civic space and severe threats against journalists and prominent media outlets, while members of the SNR and Imbonerakure continue to commit human rights violations in order to prevent the dissemination of information deemed sensitive by the authorities. We raise concern over the unlawful arrest of journalist Sandra Muhoza, who remains in arbitrary detention under fabricated charges and we call for her immediate and unconditional release.

We also urge the Government of Burundi to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, including by granting him access to the country and to constructively cooperate with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and its regional office. We furthermore call on States to support the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.

We thank you.

Statement at the UN Human Rights Council – 57^th session

General Debate item 3

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you Mr President.

CIVICUS welcomes the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that identifies challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civic space trends and recommendations to enhance information-gathering on civic space.

CIVICUS is committed to providing a comprehensive assessment of civic space conditions across the local, national, regional, and international levels. The CIVICUS Monitor focuses on evaluating the respect for freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, as well as the state’s duty to protect, in law, policy, and practice within countries and over time. The methodology employed by the tool is rooted in a rigorous approach that combines analyses from multiple independent sources including from regional civil society research partners, ensuring a holistic and nuanced understanding of civic space conditions.

To date, only a limited number of States make use of data provided by civil society, including national-level civil society initiatives. The systematic and consistent monitoring of civic space is key to ensuring rapid responses to human rights violations.

We call on States to:

• Accept and make use of information and recommendations from established civil society sources in policy formulation, particularly in regard to attacks against civil society which may also constitute serious human rights violations;
• Take cognisance of early warnings of civic space restrictions provided through civil society monitoring and ensure corrective action; and
• Take measures to ensure protection of civil society actors engaging in civic space monitoring and reporting from reprisals

We call also on the Council to provide a space for sharing best practices of civic space monitoring and response among Member States in partnership with diverse civil society organizations.  

We thank you.

Statement at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

Enhanced Interactive Debate on Afghanistan

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you Mr. President,

CIVICUS and SRMO welcomes this new report by the OHCHR on accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan. More than three years after the Taliban takeover, there has been a failure to stem the systematic assault on civic space in the country.

Human rights defenders, in particular women activists, have continued to be criminalised as well as tortured and ill-treated for their activism. Journalists have also been targeted while public protests have all but been stamped out, due to Taliban brutality. Women in Afghanistan have also lost agency in every aspect of their lives - in what has been repeatedly described as gender apartheid - and outrageous new laws issued by the de facto authorities in August 2024 aims to silence them further. The denial of access to the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan is another step backwards.

Despite these serious violations, there has not been a coherent and coordinated response to this crisis from the international community. Instead, women human rights defenders have been excluded from international meetings while some states appear to be normalising relations with the Taliban.

The UN must step up and establish a dedicated independent investigative mechanism to investigate crimes under international law in Afghanistan. The mechanism must also collect and preserve evidence for future accountability efforts as well cooperate with existing international judicial mechanisms. The failure to do so will further undermine the work of human rights defenders and others seeking truth, justice and reparation.

We thank you.

Statement at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

General Debate item 2

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS 

Thank you Mr President.

We would like to draw attention to the civic space situation in Bangladesh, which culminated in a brutal crackdown on protests and the fall of the government. Under the previous regime, the authorities systematically targeted human rights defenders (HRDs), protesters, journalists and other critics using intimidation, violence, arrest and torture. Critical media outlets were also targeted and shut down. This led the country’s civic space rating being downgraded to ‘closed’.

During the mass protests that erupted in universities across Bangladesh in July, security forces used excessive and unlawful force and firearms to suppress protests, which resulted in the unlawful killings of at least 600 people, including students and young protesters and the arbitrary detention of thousands of protesters,  amid reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention. Furthermore, the ability to access information and share reports of human rights abuses were hampered by a near-total internet shutdown.

We welcome recent steps taken by the interim government to address enforced disappearances. At the same time, all activists and protesters must be released and charges dropped, the political transition must be conducted in an inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable way, and civic space reforms need to be undertaken in consultation with civil society.

We also call on this Council to adopt a substantive Resolution to establish an independent mechanism with a comprehensive mandate to investigate, collect and analyse evidence of serious human rights violations, and cooperate with credible and independent national and international bodies towards justice and accountability, and to mandate a comprehensive monitoring and reporting process on the situation in Bangladesh by the newly-established mechanism or the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, throughout the interim government’s transition period, with regular updates to the Council.

We thank you.  

To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council 

Excellency, 

We, the undersigned organisations, urge your delegation to support the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). Since the last resolution at the 54th session, the human rights situation in Russia has continued to deteriorate rapidly and profoundly, marked by alarming new developments that further underscore the urgent and fundamental need for this mandate.

The death in custody of prominent opposition leader Alexey Navalny on 16 February 2024 is among the grave  developments in this period. Navalny died under suspicious circumstances – he had been subjected to inhumane treatment in prison, including denial of adequate healthcare and prolonged solitary confinement, which led to his deteriorating health. Russian authorities have refused to allow an independent investigation into his death. At a time when arbitrary arrests, unfounded prosecution and imprisonment of government critics have escalated, Navalny’s death is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by dissenters and highlights the urgent need for international oversight and accountability, particularly concerning the use of torture and other ill-treatment in detention.

Russian authorities increasingly use vague counter-extremism and counter-terrorism legislation arbitrarily to target dissenters and peaceful protesters, including those opposing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, under the guise of “national security”. This has also compounded the dire challenges facing marginalised minority groups in Russia.  In November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court designated the "international LGBT movement" as an extremist organisation. This ruling was followed by the inclusion of this “movement” on a government list of extremist groups in early 2024. This designation has led to the prosecution of individuals for acts as simple as displaying rainbow flags or wearing rainbow-coloured accessories, with some facing fines, detention, and even criminal charges. Additionally, numerous LGBT organisations, including legal and community centres, were forced to shut down, and LGBT-related gatherings have been subjected to police raids.

Similarly, Indigenous organisations have faced intensified repression. In July 2024, the Russian government labelled dozens of Indigenous rights organisations as "extremist," citing their alleged involvement in a so-called "Anti-Russian Separatist Movement." The targeted groups include the Aborigen-Forum and the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR), which have been crucial in advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the face of state and corporate exploitation. Many of the proceedings involving terrorism, extremism or high treason are closed to the public. 

Freedom of expression remains severely limited with hundreds of people being prosecuted, including under so-called “war censorship” laws. Independent media has been all but driven out of the country. Further repressive measures have targeted journalists, human rights defenders, civic activists,and independent lawyers in exile and those remaining in the country. This must be seen alongside the forced dissolution of many civil society organisations. Online censorship is becoming ever more severe, with restriction of access to YouTube and the secure instant messenger Signal amid a crackdown on VPN services. 

In recent months, the Russian government has escalated its campaign of repression by expanding the scope of so-called “foreign agent” legislation, leading to the addition of more individuals and organisations to the "foreign agent" registry, further restricting their rights and further criminalisation of dissent. The Russian authorities have also expanded the scope of the law on “undesirable organisations”, which can now target any foreign organisation and trigger criminal charges against anyone in Russian who cooperates with them. The register of “undesirable organisations” is constantly being expanded. In recent months, at least two people were convicted on criminal charges for involvement with “undesirable” organisations, and at least seven new cases were opened, including one against a human rights defender. 

Draft amendments to the law “On Advocacy and the Legal Profession”, currently pending before the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, would - de jure and de facto - further limit the capacity of lawyers to work independently in their profession, and seriously further undermine due process guarantees and the right to a fair trial, leaving little space for effective legal defence and access to justice in politically-motivated trials.

Given the severity of the repression, the closure of civic space, and the continued targeting of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, peaceful protesters - including children - and others, the role of the Special Rapporteur remains critical. Since her appointment, the current mandate holder has provided an essential lifeline for Russian civil society, offering an authoritative and independent appraisal of the human rights situation. The Special Rapporteur’s work has become even more vital as Russia moves to isolate itself further from international scrutiny.

We call on your delegation to support the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Russia for a further year at the 57th session, and to provide the mandate-holder with all the resources necessary to fulfil this challenging and increasingly urgent role. This extension is crucial to allow for continued rigorous monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in Russia, and to ensure that the voices of those who continue to struggle for their rights in hostile conditions are heard.

Respectfully,

• Amnesty International
• ARTICLE 19
• Board of the Civil Society Forum
• CIVICUS
• Freedom House
• Human Rights House Foundation
• Human Rights Watch
• International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)
• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
• Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
• Society for Threatened Peoples, Germany
• Stichting Justice Initiative
• World Organisation against Torture

International Accountability Urgently Needed Amid Intensifying Post-Election Repression

The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of its Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, 30 national and international organizations defending human rights in Venezuela said today.

The Mission can play a key role in pushing for accountability and maintaining international scrutiny amid widespread repression following the July 28, 2024, election, the groups said.

The Mission’s team of three experts are scheduled to present their fifth report on September 19 during the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, which will take place between September 9 and October 11. A resolution is needed to extend the mission’s mandate beyond October.

A group of Latin American governments, from across the political spectrum, as well as Canada, have in the past presented a text establishing the Mission’s mandate for adoption. If a vote is called by the Council’s member states, a simple majority is needed to adopt the text.

In the aftermath of the presidential election, Venezuelans are facing a violent crackdown on voters and protesters, political leaders, journalists, human rights defenders and other actual or perceived alleged opponents of the Maduro administration, making the need to renew the expert’s mandate especially urgent, the groups said.

The Human Rights Council established the Mission in 2019 to investigate “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment since 2014,” including sexual and gender-based violence, with a view to “ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.” Its mandate has been renewed twice, in October 2020 and 2022.

The Mission was one of the first international mechanisms to assert that Venezuelan authorities have committed serious human rights violations as part of a widespread or systematic attack against the civilian population that could constitute crimes against humanity. In its rigorous reports it has identified mid- and high-ranking authorities, including the head of state, as possibly responsible for human rights violations such as extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention and torture, sexual violence, as well as abuses against demonstrators. The Mission has also referred to the Venezuelan judiciary’s role in these violations and the state’s repressive tactics, including a plan to repress opposition members or those perceived as such, and the lack of genuine reform of law enforcement institutions.

Millions of Venezuelans participated in the election, despite the government’s irregularities and human rights violations that made the playing field uneven.  Government authorities arrested opposition members, made stigmatizing speeches, attacked civic space, disqualified candidate, and imposed voting restrictions.

The National Electoral Council asserts that Nicolas Maduro won the election, but a UN Electoral Technical Team and the Carter Center, the only technical observation missions accredited by the Council to observe the elections, concluded that the process lacked transparency and integrity. The opposition published online ballot receipts indicating that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, had won the election by a significant margin.

Since July 29, Venezuelan public authorities, have activated their repressive policy, violating human rights, including to life, judicial guarantees, and liberty.

Venezuelan security forces, as well as pro-government armed groups, known as ‘colectivos’, repressed demonstrations against the announced electoral result, leading to reports of over 20 deaths of protesters and bystanders. According to Nicolás Maduro, more than 2,400 people have been detained, including 120 children, considered as those under 18 years of age as per the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Many of those arrested have been charged with ‘terrorism’ and other discretionary crimes.

The Venezuelan justice system, including the Supreme Court of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office, lacks independence and impartiality, as the Mission has rigorously documented in its reports.

Other structural conditions that facilitated the commission of grave abuses and prompted the creation of the Mission remain unaddressed, including impunity for rights violations, and the lack of judicial independence and redress for victims, the groups said.

By renewing the Mission’s mandate, governments would send a clear message to perpetrators that the international community is committed to holding them accountable for their international crimes and ongoing human rights violations as well as to support the struggle of so many victims to achieve truth and justice, the groups said. Ongoing investigations and public reporting by the Mission are also essential to prevent further deterioration in a critical post-election period.

Renewing the mandate would allow experts to continue gathering evidence of serious human rights violations, report on current dynamics in the country, analyze their root causes, and recommend international action. It would also allow the Mission to support and complement the roles of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which is investigating crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

Discontinuing the Mission’s work in such a pivotal moment would have negative implications for the protection of victims, survivors and the general population, and would provide an incentive for Venezuelan government to continue its violent crackdown on dissent, the groups said.

Signatories:

1. Acceso a la Justicia
2. AlertaVenezuela
3. Amnesty International
4. Caleidoscopio Humano
5. Centro de Justicia y Paz (Cepaz)
6. Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia
7. Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)
8. CIVICUS
9. Comité de familiares de víctimas de los sucesos de febrero y marzo de 1989 (COFAVIC)
10. Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF)
11. Espacio Público
12. Foro Penal
13. Freedom House
14. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)
15. Human Rights Watch
16. Ideas por la Democracia
17. International Commission of Jurists
18. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
19. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
20. Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón
21. Laboratorio de Paz
22. Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia (OGCD)
23. Observatorio venezolano de conflictividad social (OVCS)
24. ONG Red Reto
25. Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea)
26. Red Electoral Ciudadana (REC)
27. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
28. Voto Joven
29. Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
30. World Organization Against Torture

As serious human rights violations persist in Burundi amid widespread impunity, and with the country preparing for legislative and presidential elections in a tense national and regional climate, it is crucial for the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its scrutiny. At its upcoming 57th session (9 September-11 October 2024), the Council should extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi. Any future change in the Council's approach should be contingent on structural reforms and measurable improvements in Burundi’s human rights record, rather than political developments alone. We, alongside over 30 organisations, urge the Human Rights Council to renew the Special Rapporteur’s mandate.

Read the Joint Letter

In the upcoming 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (9 September to 11 October) CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance with a mandate to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, will prioritise protecting civic space and core civic freedoms, supporting civil society where they face grave, new and emerging risks. CIVICUS will also continue to enable the participation and engagement of civic groups with the Council.  

According to the CIVICUS Monitor findings, civic space conditions that enable the participation of civil society in decision making continue to be increasingly challenging. Currently, almost a third of the world’s population now lives in countries with closed civic space. This is the highest percentage since 2018, when CIVICUS began systematically tracking civic space conditions around the world. This startling decline – from 26 per cent living in closed countries in 2018 to 30.6 per cent today – points to a major civic space crisis that requires immediate, global efforts to reverse.  

Against this background, more attention should be paid to violations of freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association as first early warning signs of escalating human rights crises. In light of the global regression of civic space conditions and unfolding crises, the Human Rights Council (HRC) should also address human rights violations and abuses promptly, effectively, and without double standards. Council action should continue to address the root causes of global challenges and protracted crises and address emerging trends, particularly as they relate to freedom of peaceful assembly which is increasingly under attack.  

Deepening crises worldwide create the potential for an increase in protests, including spontaneous protests. Over the last couple of months these have been met with brutality and escalating violence across diverse geographical contexts. We call on States to fully comply with international norms and standards related to freedom of peaceful assembly, a fundamental human right articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), particularly as they relate to policing, restrictions, emergency measures and accountability for violations. 

The 57th session offers a number of opportunities for the negotiation of higher standards and for the protection and promotion of human rights and core civic freedoms.  

^{*More data on the state of civic freedoms for all UN Member States available at monitor.civicus.org}

 Click on the links below to read more on our priorities at the upcoming Council session:

-Thematic Advocacy priorities 

• Arbitrary detention
• Transnational repression
• Civic space monitoring
• Reprisals

-Country-Specific prioritIes

--CIVICUS' country specific-priorities

• Afghanistan
• Burundi
• Sudan
• Venezuela

--Country situations that should be on the Council's agenda

• Bangladesh 
• Georgia
• Kenya

-Additional priorities

• Institutional challenges 
• A UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy 

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CIVICUS' thematic advocacy priorities 

At this 57^th session, the Council will discuss a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights through dedicated debates with the mandate holders and the High Commissioner. CIVICUS will mainly make interventions related to the following thematic areas:

Arbitrary detention 

Arbitrary detention of protestors, journalists and HRDs continue to feature among the top 10 violations of civic freedoms documented by the CIVICUS Monitor. HRDs, journalists and activists continue to be arbitrarily detained across the globe. Those unlawfully or arbitrarily detained must be immediately and unconditionally released. CIVICUS’s Stand As My Witness Campaign highlights particular cases of arbitrary detention, underscoring the urgent need for a concrete action plan to prevent and put an end to arbitrary arrest and detention on the international level. CIVICUS continues to draw attention to specific cases in its thematic and country-specific statements. 

We encourage States to: 

• Use the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other Interactive Dialogues to highlight specific cases of arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of HRDs and call for the release of persons detained or imprisoned, especially those whose detention has been found to be arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in violation of the obligations and commitments of States under international human rights law, for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association; 
• Adopt a substantive Resolution highlighting the current widespread use of arbitrary detentions as prominent tactics used to disperse and punish peaceful protesters, new and emerging patterns of arbitrary detention during protests, and the use of arbitrary detentions as non-legal restrictions to freedom of peaceful assembly before mass protests;     
• Call for attention on those situations of arbitrary detention that result from previous cooperation with the United Nations or other international mechanisms in the area of human rights; 
• Call for investigations of any alleged cases of arbitrary detention, to ensure access to justice and accountability and to end impunity where such violations and abuses have occurred; 
• Urge States in which arrest and detention of HRDs have been found to be arbitrary by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to release them without any conditions before the end of 2024, recalling that arbitrary detention is prohibited both under international humanitarian law and international human rights law; 
• Foster discussions on the need for additional norm setting on arbitrary detention at the international level and involve civil society in consultations.   

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Transnational repression 

Transnational repression is an alarming and growing phenomenon where state actors extend their repressive tactics beyond their national borders to target human rights defenders (HRDs), activists, and journalists. This repression undermines fundamental freedoms and creates a chilling effect on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. Examples include the Bangladesh government’s harassment of overseas critics, the misuse of international law enforcement tools, and the restriction of NGO activities through bureaucratic and financial barriers. Patterns of transnational repression have been recently highlighted by Special Procedures in their recent thematic and country reports. 

Transnational repression manifests in various forms, including but not limited to, killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and digital harassment. States such as China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Egypt, Russia, followed by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus and Rwanda. More recently, Venezuela and Nicaragua have been identified as primary perpetrators, highlighting the global nature of this issue. In Venezuela, the closure of the UN Human Rights Office and the detention of prominent HRDs like Rocio San Miguel exemplify this trend. Similarly, Nicaragua has seen a rise in intimidation, harassment, and even exile of dissidents and HRDs. As civic spaces shrink and civic freedoms are increasingly under attack, it is crucial to address these threats comprehensively and advocate for effective protection and promotion of human rights across borders.

We call on States to:   

• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to condemn all cases of transnational repression and bring those to the attention of the Council and of relevant thematic and country-specific mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful and association, and the Special Rapporteur on HRDs;
• Use relevant Debates to highlight patterns, trends and new or emerging forms and perpetrators of transnational repression;
• Call for international investigation and accountability for acts of transnational repression;
• Report on cases of transnational repression particularly as they relate to cases of intimidation or reprisals against HRDs and arbitrary detention of activists;
• Protect the human rights of exiled activists and foster discussions on the establishment of international norms to counter this global trend. 

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Civic space monitoring  

CIVICUS is committed to providing a comprehensive assessment of civic space conditions across the local, national, regional, and international levels. The CIVICUS Monitor focuses on evaluating the respect for freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression in law, policy, and practice within countries and over time. The methodology employed by the CIVICUS Monitor is rooted in a rigorous approach that combines analyses from multiple independent and reliable sources. These sources encompass indicators from organizations monitoring civic space freedoms, as well as reports from national, regional, and international civil society organizations. This multi-faceted approach ensures a holistic and nuanced understanding of civic space conditions. By relying on various reports from multiple sources, CIVICUS reduces the potential impact that any individual biased source may have on the final ratings. For each of the countries CIVICUS attempts to balance the inclusion of international, regional and national sources, while holding that local civil society groups have the most nuanced understanding of the local context and are the best sources of information. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as requested by Resolution 53/13, prepared a report that identifies challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civic space trends and recommendations to enhance information-gathering on civic space, which also references the CIVICUS Monitor among other tools. The report highlights key challenges faced in civil society space monitoring work including challenges accessing information from official sources at the national and sub-national levels, specific barriers in requesting and obtaining information, challenges related to data collection, data verification, data analysis, reporting on and communication of data, as well as challenges related to developing and using innovative, digital tools and technology and to forming partnerships with different stakeholders on data and monitoring. The report also seeks to outline some good practices to overcome some of these challenges. Nevertheless, only a limited number of States have put in place mechanisms to document civil society-related trends or make use of data provided by national-level civil society initiatives that report based on incidents or more broadly.

We call on States to:

• Use relevant Debates to urge States to establish or enhance information-gathering and monitoring mechanisms, such as databases, including by benefiting from data collected by civil society, in order to permit the collection, analysis and reporting of concrete quantitative and qualitative disaggregated data on threats against, attacks on or violence against civil society;
• Use relevant Debates to encourage States as well as other stakeholders to document best practices that foster a safe and enabling environment for civil society and submit relevant information to information to the UN;
• Use relevant Debates to highlight, as a follow-up to the High Commissioner’s report, the need for the development of a collective methodology including indicators and benchmarks that will permit the effective, consistent and systematic monitoring of civic space developments on the international level;
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to urge relevant Independent Mechanisms to collect data on grave human rights violations, particularly those associated with the  right to freedom of association and assembly, and take stock of how civic space assessment and monitoring can enhance accountability options including by gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and obtaining information from local sources;
• Take measures to ensure direct and participatory engagement with a diverse range of civil society organisations to understand, document, monitor, and advocate for national, regional, and global progress in civic spaces; 
• Foster the development of early warning systems to prevent further deterioration in civic space conditions and encourage the establishment of CSO-led early warning data collection.  
• Gather systematic data on violations perpetrated by other non-state actors, including the private sector and financial institutions. 

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Reprisals 

In a context of closing space for civil society organizations in many parts of the world, addressing the serious reality of reprisals and the situation facing individuals and civil society who engage or seek to engage with the UN is key. A vibrant civic space requires an open, secure and safe environment that is free from all acts of intimidation, harassment or reprisals. Reprisals may concern not only HRDs and civil society, but affect any individual cooperating with mandate holders, including during their country visits, who submitted information to special procedures or provided assistance. Acts of intimidation and reprisals for cooperating or seeking to cooperate with United Nations bodies, United Nations human rights mechanisms or other international and regional organisations can be framed as violations and as incidents targeting civil society actors more broadly.

We call on States to:  

• Use relevant the Interactive Dialogue on the annual report of the Secretary-General on reprisals to unconditionally condemn all acts of intimidation and reprisals by both State and non-State actors against individuals, groups and organs of society, including against HRDs who seek to cooperate, are cooperating or have cooperated with subregional, regional and international bodies;
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to highlight how laws, policies and regulations restricting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, particularly those criminalising civil society under the guise of national security, public order, money laundering and counter-terrorism, can also serve to deter or hinder cooperation with the United Nations;
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to underscore the need to record different forms of reprisals faced by CSOs in their engagement with UN agencies, bodies, and mechanisms through direct engagement with organisations;
• Acknowledge the positive role of cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the area of human rights by HRDs, activists, and other stakeholders and stress the States’ primary responsibility to protect and promote an open and enabling civic space, where activists and HRDs are able to work without risk and fear of reprisals;
• Highlight reprisals as severe signs of civic space deterioration, on which the Council should take action in order to avert further deterioration of civic space conditions

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Country-specific priorities 

CIVICUS' country-specific priorities

CIVICUS will make interventions on the following countries at the upcoming session:

Afghanistan  (Civic space is rated as ‘CLOSED’ by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, civil society has faced severe restrictions. Activists have been arbitrarily arrested and detained, others have faced harassment, intimidation and violence and some have been killed. The Taliban have also raided media offices and detained journalists.  Earlier this year, the de facto authorities refused to attend a meeting of Special Envoys and Special Representatives on Afghanistan convened by UN Secretary General. Afghan civil society’s call to hold the de-facto authorities accountable for their crimes, particularly via the International Criminal Court investigation by establishing a UN Independent Investigative Mechanism remains unheeded, whilst in March the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan was extended for one year. 

Dozens of members of civil society, including women activists, continue to be held in detention, convicted and sentenced, amid reports of torture and ill-treatment and severe punishment of protesters. For instance, woman HRDs of the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women and the Afghan Women’s Justice Movement were detained and one of them reportedly sentenced to two years in prison in February 2024 for her alleged involvement in protests. A university professor was sentenced to one year in prison by a Taliban military court as a form of punishment for his support for women’s rights, whilst education activists remain in detention. Only civil society organisations providing humanitarian assistance are allowed to operated in Afghanistan, amid continued obstruction from the authorities.

We call on States to: 

• Support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on situation of human rights in Afghanistan; 
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to highlight accountability options and processes for human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan;
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to urge the release of unlawfully detained HRDs including women activists imprisoned in Taliban detention centers and ensure that  women HRDs are not excluded from international talks on the future of Afghanistan; 
• Halt the normalising of any relationship with the Taliban without a reduction in restrictions on civic space as called for by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan;
• Urge the de facto-authorities to refrain from acts of hostility and intimidation against NGOs working in the humanitarian space. 

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Burundi (Civic space is rated as 'REPRESSED’ by the CIVICUS Monitor)    

Serious human rights violations and abuses continue to be committed in Burundi in a context of widespread impunity, as the country prepares for general and presidential elections in the context of a tense national environment, volatile regional security situation, and dire situation for civil society. The human rights situation in Burundi has continued on a downward spiral despite President Ndayishimiye’s initial lifting of some restrictions on media and civil society. Suppression of civil society, based on a 2017 law on foreign non-governmental organizations inconsistent with the State’s human rights obligations continues to restrict the work of CSOs in Burundi. The activities of anti-corruption activists and HRDs have been limited by numerous restrictions which include impediments to their independence, harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, surveillance and reprisals against civil society actors.

Violations include extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, sexual and gender-based violence, undue restrictions to the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, and unwarranted restrictions on HRDs. Perpetrators of violations and abuses include state and para-state actors, namely government officials, members of law enforcement and security forces, including the police and National Intelligence Service (SNR), and members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party’s youth league, known as the Imbonerakure. The past few months have been marked by an increase in hate speech, increased pressure over civic space, and renewed threats against journalists and prominent media outlets, while members of the SNR and Imbonerakure continue to commit human rights violations in order to prevent the dissemination of information deemed ‘sensitive’ by the authorities. While Floriane Irangabiye was recently released following a presidential decree, another journalist, Sandra Muhoza, remains in arbitrary detention under fabricated charges.

We call on States to: 

• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to highlight the cases of arbitrarily detained journalists in Burundi;
• Support the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi; 
• Use the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Burundi to highlight ongoing civic space restrictions that can be framed as risk factors that may be conducive to atrocity crimes, based on the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes;
• Urge the Government of Burundi to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, including by granting him access to the country;  
• Call on the Government of Burundi to constructively cooperate with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and its regional office for Central Africa.

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Sudan (Civic space is rated as ‘REPRESSED’ by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

The human rights and humanitarian situation in Sudan remains dire. The human rights situation and civil society space continues to deteriorate, 17 months after the outbreak of the conflict. The civil war initiated an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with chilling effects in neighbouring countries. Amid lack of support for a “democratic civilian rule”, attacks on civilians remain a common strategy by the militias. 

Killings, forced displacements, enforced disappearances, and gender-based violences are common tactics employed by Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, whilst HRDs, including women HRDs, activists and journalists continue to be targeted. Since the outbreak of the conflict, about 120 journalists fled their homes and sought refuge in other places in Sudan or in neighbouring countries, and about 20 media houses have been indefinitely closed.

We call on States to: 

• Support the extension of the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission for one year to allow it to continue collecting information and verifying allegations of grave human rights violations including those associated with the widespread conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV); 
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to call for an end to violence against civilians and  targeted measures for the protection of women and girls, including from CRSV, and present options for the protection of civilians from atrocity crimes; 
• Support the expansion of the arms embargo across the country and call for an end to the flow of arms, which is exposing women and girls to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, and call for accountability for perpetrators of violence; 
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to urge consistent and regular monitoring of any commitments by the warring parties not to target civilians; 
• Request additional reporting by the High Commissioner with the assistance of its Designated Expert. 

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Venezuela (Civic space is rated as ‘CLOSED’ by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

In the aftermath of the disputed presidential elections of 28 July, the government has intensified repressive measures to suppress massive peaceful protests demanding transparency in the electoral results. At least 23 people have been killed in clashes across the country and over 1,260 people have been arbitrarily detained with no chance of receiving adequate legal representation for alleged crimes, including 100 teenagers and 16 disabled people.  Human rights organisations have identified the use of lethal weapons by alleged security forces and armed civilians linked to those forces in the context of protests.   Overall, more than 1,000 victims of human rights violations including arbitrary detentions as well as forced disappearances and killings have been reported. The government has also blocked access to the social media platform X and threatened to suspend WhatsApp. The recent events are marking the definitive closing of the civic space in Venezuela, amid persecution, reprisals, and impunity for grave human rights violations. More than 2,000 prisoners are held in arbitrary detention in Tocorón and Tocuyito as a result of the post-electoral demonstrations. 

The draft law against Fascism, Neo-Fascism and Similar Expressions presented in April 2024 before the National Assembly, seeking to deal with those who “resort to violence as a form of political action”. A newly approved law, the Law for the Control, Regularization, Performance and Financing of Non-Profit Social Organizations, gives the government new powers to arbitrarily restrict and close NGOs represents a blatant attempt to stifle civil society and silence dissent under the guise of regulation, especially following the highly disputed presidential elections. The law could be used further to restrict, criminalise and shut down CSOs working in Venezuela, further exacerbating the human rights situation. Furthermore, as part of the crackdown on civil society, government officials reissued “Operation Knock-Knock”, a method of persecution and arbitrary searches by state security agencies of dissidents of the Venezuelan government. This is in violation of human rights norms and standards, as highlighted by the Independent Fact-Finding Mission of the Human Rights Council in 2020. 

We call on States to: 

• Support the renewal of the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela; 
• Bring to the attention of the Council cases of arbitrary detention and incommunicado detention of HRD, activists and peaceful protesters; 
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to condemn methods of persecution and arbitrary searches; 
• Use relevant Interactive Dialogues to condemn the draft law on Fascism and the newly approved NGO law, which further hinder core civic freedoms.

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Country situations that should be on the Council’s agenda

While these country situations are not in the Council's agenda, it is critical that the Council consider resolutions to address them. These include:

Bangladesh (Civic space is rated as ‘CLOSED’ by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

Over the year, as a result of a massive government crackdown on opposition politicians and independent critics in the run-up to national elections, the authorities targeted HRDs, protesters, journalists and other critics using intimidation, violence, arrest and torture. Critical media outlets were also shut down.

In response to the reinstatement by the courts in June 2024 of a 30 percent quota in government jobs reserved for the children of those who fought to win Bangladeshi independence, mass protests erupted in universities across Bangladesh in early July 2024. In recent weeks, there has been a brutal crackdown on the protests, with attacks against them by the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party. Police used excessive and unlawful force and firearms to suppress protests, with more than a hundred deaths and many more injured. At least 150 people, including students, have been killed since the outbreak of protests, although the number could be much higher.

The authorities have arrested around 2,500 protesters, with currently more than 1,200 people arbitrarily detained in Dhaka including members and the top leadership of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and students, with reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention. The ability to access information and share reports of human rights abuses has been hampered by a near-total internet shutdown. An interim government was formed on 8 August 2024, following the resignation of the Prime Minister.

We call on States to: 

• Use relevant Debates to call for accountability for the dozens of deaths and for impartial, prompt and exhaustive investigations into human rights violations and abuses;
• Use relevant Debates to highlight legal and non-legal restrictions to freedom of peaceful assembly in Bangladesh; 
• Adopt a substantive Resolution to establish an independent mechanism with a comprehensive mandate to investigate, collect, store and analyse evidence and cooperate with credible and independent national and international bodies towards accountability in relation to the violent incidents of July and August 2024 and its root causes;
• Support the adoption of a Resolution mandating a comprehensive monitoring and reporting process on the situation in Bangladesh by the newly-established independent mechanism and/or the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, throughout the interim government’s transition period, with regular updates to the Council;
• Call on the release all people detained for taking part in protests and urge the interim government to drop all charges against them and to ensure the political transition is conducted in an inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable way;
• Urge the interim government of Bangladesh to ensure that the people in Bangladesh have unfettered access to the internet, social media platforms and other communication channels.

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Georgia (Civic space is rated as 'NARROWED' by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

As parliamentary elections scheduled approach in Georgia, civic space has been rapidly deteriorating. In May, Georgia passed a Russian-style 'foreign agents' law that targets the country's civil society. Under the law, NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funds from donors outside the country must register as “agents of foreign influence". 

Since Parliament passed the law, thousands of people have taken part in peaceful protests. Protests have been met with excessive use of force and violence, including illegal use of force by police, ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests. Since the introduction of the draft law, the ruling party started mass terror and a large-scale hate campaign against civil society, with members of civil society being brutally attacked by unidentified groups.

The new law also raises concerns about the impact it could have on the independent media in the country. Last year, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders released a report on systematic efforts by authorities to underline HRDs following a country visit. 

We call on States to: 

• Use relevant Debates to highlight attacks to the right to freedom of expression, peaceful and assembly in Georgia and urge Georgian authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations and commitments;
• Use relevant Debates to urge the government of Georgia to bring protests rights in line with international norms and standards including General Comment 37 on the right of peaceful assembly (Article 21) of the Human Rights Committee, as well as with the Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests and Resolution 56/10 on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protest on peaceful protests; 
• Urging the Georgian government to revoke the draft law, which poses a serious threat to civil society, human rights, and the rule of law in Georgia, to end the campaign of intimidation against those objecting to the law and protect freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to fully cease and transparently investigate all acts of use of force against protesters.

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Kenya (Civic space is rated as ‘OBSTRUCTED‘ by the CIVICUS Monitor) 

In Kenya, the youth-led protests against a tax bill increasing the cost of basic goods have been met with a brutal response. The nationwide protests, which started on 19 June, escalated in Nairobi and other parts of the country. The police used teargas, water cannons, live ammunition, and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters, resulting in injuries, arrests and arbitrary detentions. The deaths include a medic helping the wounded and thus far, over 100 have been reported injured including journalists. 

Over a dozen supporters of the protests were abducted and tortured by law enforcement officers and media outlets covering the protests reportedly received threats from authorities to shut down. The grave acts violate human rights and fundamental freedoms of assembly, association, and expression, and seriously undermine civic space.

We call on States to:  

• Use relevant Debates to bring to the attention of the Council unwarranted violence and disproportionate response against protesters by law enforcement;
• Use relevant Debates to call for accountability for grave violations including killing, harassment, abductions, arrests, and detentions of peaceful protesters and to independent investigations into human rights abuses by security forces and hold to account those responsible;  
• Call on the government of Kenya to uphold citizens’ constitutional right to peacefully protest and to urgently and immediately release those abducted and all detained peaceful protesters unconditionally; 
• Call on the government of Kenya to restrain from using excessive force against all peaceful protesters including youth. 

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Additional priorities

Institutional challenges 

Meaningful civil society participation at the Council remains crucial in the context of efforts undertaken towards the negotiation of higher human rights standards. 

We continue to be concerned about continuing restrictions to online modalities of participation in Human Rights Council meetings, which heavily affect the ability of civil society organizations to meaningfully and effectively contribute to the work of the Council. Following discontinuation of good practices, the curtailment of civil society space within the processes of the HRC has included a large reduction of speaking slots and side events provided to civil society.   

Since the last Council session, the vast majority of informal consultations on Resolutions are held exclusively in person, thus undermining the capacities of civil society to contribute to norms and standards related to the protection of fundamental rights. The requirement for civil society organisations (CSOs) to pay for the use of digital platforms for civil society-led hybrid events, and for States to pay for the use of digital platforms for hybrid informal negotiations on draft resolutions, further limits the shrinking space for civil society engagement. The gains of online and hybrid modalities for participation are meaningful, especially considering factors such as costs of travel, visa restrictions, environmental impact, and accessibility for persons with disabilities, amid increased incidents and risks of reprisals and transnational repression. 

Civil society continued to face a number of obstacles to engaging in discussions and to accessing the Palais des Nations. In particular, we are concerned about the severe lack of clarity, transparency, and predictability of temporary, exceptional security restrictions and the ways these restrictions have been communicated and applied to civil society since they were put in place at the end of 2023. These decisions have, among other things, restricted the ability of CSOs representatives with annual grounds passes to enter the premises of all United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) buildings.  

The financial liquidity crisis continues to have a major impact on civil society as Resolutions and mandates of the Human Rights Council cannot be fully implemented and, consequently, the ability of civil society to engage with mandate holders is also limited. The liquidity crisis the UN system is facing due to the record number of States that have failed to pay their membership dues in full in the last five years is having a severe impact on the UN Secretariat, affecting the work and operations of human rights mechanisms as well as independent mechanisms. We call on States to pay their contributions to the UN in full and on time to resolve the liquidity crisis and allow human rights bodies and mechanisms and key independent investigations to fulfil their mandates, many of which are crucial for civil society. 

We welcome the roll-out of a new digital system designed to streamline and consolidate the various applications utilised throughout various mechanisms and their sessions. The system is designed to make it easier for CSOs to apply for events and register statements across session and to track co-sponsorship of statements. 

A UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy 

This year, 74 countries and territories are having national elections. Among those, at least 20 were categorised as “electoral autocracies” by the Varieties of Democracy project. Autocratic elections, alongside new and emerging trends related to the exercise of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, are a real and unprecedented threat to democracy. 

Acknowledging the crucial role of civil society in strengthening and protecting democracy in the context of global regression of civic space conditions. CIVICUS continues to advocate for the establishment of a new Special Procedure, a UN Special Rapporteur on the right to democracy to examine structural challenges and opportunities related to the realization of democracy including overall civic space conditions. Over 100 civil society groups and think tanks from across the world have already signed a joint statement calling on all governments that are committed to the protection and promotion of democracy to support the establishment of this new mandate. 

We urge States to: 

• Endorse the statement calling for the establishing of a UN Special Rapporteur on the right to democracy;
• Support the conceptualisation of the terms of reference for the mandate, drawing on the joint statement and existing literature; 
• Support the establishment of the mandate in the context of the Human Rights Council by championing the initiative at the regional level.

The 56^th  regular session of the UN Human Rights Council began on 18 June in the context of ongoing and unfolding human rights crises and grave human rights violations and abuses. The session, consisting of four weeks of thematic and country-specific interactive debates, negotiations and events, discussed key human rights issues in the international arena. The 56^th session closed on 12 July with 22 resolutions, 3 Decisions and 14 outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review adopted by the Human Rights Council membership.   

CIVICUS makes UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on civil society space in Angola, El Salvador, Fiji and Iran.

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States once every 4.5 years.

CIVICUS and its partners have submitted UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on four countries in advance of the 48^th UPR session in January - February 2025, in the context of the 4^th UPR cycle. The submissions examine the state of civil society in each country, including the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression (including media freedom), and the environment for human rights defenders as well as related unwarranted restrictions. We further provide an assessment of the States’ domestic implementation of civic space recommendations received during the 3^rd UPR cycle over 4 years ago and provide a number of targeted follow-up recommendations in relation to core civil society space issues.

Angola - CIVICUS and Plataforma Lusófona dos Direitos Humanos highlight concerns on the introduction of additional legal restrictions in the draft law on the Statute of Non-Governmental Organisations and the draft National Security Law in Angola. The laws, if adopted, would seriously erode freedoms of association and expression. They further highlight the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of HRDs, journalists and protesters, the use of excessive force during peaceful protests and the arrest of protesters.

El Salvador -  In this submission CIVICUS, the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy and The Salvadoran Network of Women Human Rights Defenders express concerns over the enacting of  restrictive legal reforms that can hinder freedom of association, which could be used against CSOs critical of the government. They also highlight that the draft Foreign Agents Bill could negatively affect funding for civil society work and are further alarmed by the ongoing violence and stigmatisation faced by human rights defenders (HRDs), particularly environmental defenders and people advocating for LGBTQI+ and women’s rights, and the widespread use of intimidation, smear campaigns and denial of access to information by state agents against journalists.

Fiji - CIVICUS, the Pacific Island Association of Non-Government Organisations, the Fiji Council of Social Services and Amnesty International highlight several positive steps undertaken by the current Government of Fiji. However, while HRDs are able operate in a relatively free environment, rights particularly related to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly had been limited. Laws such the 2012 Public Order (Amendment) Act and sedition provisions in the Crimes Act have created a chilling effect for HRD, including WHRDs, who continue to be subjected to stigmatisation and ostracism. While freedom of peaceful assembly has improved under the current government, some groups continue to face challenges from the police.

Iran - In this submission on the Islamic Republic of Iran CIVICUS and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights highlight the ways in which some spheres of civil society, such as those that work on labour rights, students’ and women’s rights, are kept under strict surveillance and face disproportionate difficulties. Activists, HRDs, and journalists face systematic targeting through arbitrary detentions, judicial harassment, torture, and lengthy sentences, among other forms of reprisals, amid the continued abuse of the criminal and judicial system, with the courts used as a weapon to systematically silence dissent through vexatious lawsuits and the abuse of broad and vague provisions of the Islamic Penal Code and national security offences.

States have an obligation to pay UN membership dues in full and in time. The failure of many States to do so, often for politically motivated reasons, is causing a financial liquidity crisis, meaning that resolutions and mandates of the Human Rights Council cannot be implemented. This is a breach of legal obligations, a betrayal of victims and survivors of violations and abuses, and a waste of the time and resources we have collectively invested over the last 4 weeks. The cuts to Special Procedures' activities, including fewer country visits and the cancellation of the annual meeting, greatly limit rights holders' ability to engage with mandate holders and it hinders their access to situations on the ground, and their engagement with domestic authorities for human rights change. Pay your dues!

We deplore the double standards in applying international law and the failure of certain States to push for accountability and ending impunity for all atrocity crimes, when these involve geopolitical interests, despite the clear relevance to thematic principles they endorse. We also deplore initiatives and threats by some States to undermine or sanction the vital work of international justice and accountability bodies, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. This undermines the integrity of the framework, the legitimacy of this institution, and the credibility of those States. From Afghanistan to China, to Eritrea to Myanmar, to Palestine to Sri Lanka, to Sudan to Ukraine, resolving grave violations requires States to address root causes, applying human rights norms in a principled and consistent way. States promoting or supporting thematic resolutions must apply these same principles universally, including in their approach to country-specific issues. The Council has a prevention mandate and States have a legal and moral duty to prevent and ensure accountability and non-recurrence for atrocity crimes, wherever they occur.  We urge all States to implement resolutions consistently, both nationally and internationally, and to align their actions with the universal human rights standards they claim to uphold, especially in responding to atrocity crimes. We urge States to enhance objective criteria for action, with predictable parameters, consistent actions and a demonstrable way forward to addressing human rights crises.

We welcome the renewal of the mandate of the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement (EMLER) by consensus. We welcome the resolution’s request to strengthen the administrative and substantive support to the Mechanism, and to provide the resources necessary for it to effectively fulfill its mandate. This renewal is a recognition of the value of its unique work over the past three years, as well as the need for experts to continue investigating States’ law enforcement practices and their impact on Africans and Afrodescendant people and communities, including the legacies of colonialism and transatlantic slave trade in enslaved Africans. As recognised by the resolution, systemic racism particularly, against Africans and people of African descent needs a systemic response. In this regard, EMLER’s reports offer a powerful tool for much-needed transformation that governments everywhere should implement. We urge States to ensure full cooperation with EMLER towards the effective fulfillment of its mandate, including by implementing its recommendations and responding promptly to its requests for information and country visits.

This session was again marked by increasing attempts at retrogression on well-established human rights standards pertaining to sexual and reproductive rights and other thematic issues related to gender and sexuality. Nevertheless, civil society organisations continue to work together across movements to ensure the resilience of the multilateral system and the upholding of human rights standards. Out of the 26 draft resolutions presented this session, 5 had a stronger focus on gender and sexuality issues and took important steps in developing human rights standards in these areas. Specifically, we welcome the adoption of the resolution on HIV, the resumption of the tradition of adopting this resolution by consensus and the inclusion of a reference to sexual and reproductive health and rights. We welcome the adoption of the resolution on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls requesting human rights-based, gender-responsive and intersectional approaches to poverty reduction; while also expressing concern at the multiple attempts to weaken the resolution which the strongest human rights standards on women and girls are reflected, including through amendments. We also welcome the new resolution on Technology-facilitated gender-based violence, the procedural resolution on Accelerating progress towards preventing adolescent girls’ pregnancy and the resolution on menstrual hygiene management, human rights and gender equality.

We welcome the adoption of the resolution on Eritrea, renewing the Special Rapporteur’s mandate.

The resolution on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities is essential to keep the situation of Rohingya high on the agenda of the Council. However, the resolution's calls for repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar in the current context where remaining Rohingya in Myanmar are once again confronting the dire prospects of recurrence of grave atrocities they faced in 2016 and 2017 contradict and undermine the fundamental objectives of the resolution to ensure protection of Rohingya and to create conditions for their safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return.

We welcome that the Council decided to devote its annual resolution on climate change and human rights to address just transition. However, we regret that some fundamental points are missing in the resolution. The recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by the Human Rights Council (res 48/13) and the General Assembly (res 76/300) has been a landmark achievement. Yet, we regret to see that once again, the resolution on human rights and climate change has failed to include this right more explicitly. Parties to the UNFCCC have already acknowledged that when taking action on climate change, States should respect, promote and consider the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, among other rights (decision 1/CP.27). This resolution also failed to call upon States to transition away from fossil fuels. As has been repeatedly stated by the UN Secretary General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several Special Rapporteurs, fossil fuels are the root cause of the triple planetary crisis, and the main driver of climate change. Despite the support expressed by numerous delegations, this resolution is deliberately silent in recognizing the positive, important, legitimate and vital role that environmental human rights defenders play in the promotion and protection of human rights and the environment. As recognized by the HRC resolution 40/11, EHRDs are one of the most exposed and at risk around the world. Many of these attacks include Indigenous Peoples and defenders raising concerns about climate related projects, transition minerals mining and renewal projects. We will not have a just transition in the context of climate change without listening and consulting EHRDs. It is time that the annual resolutions on human rights and climate change align itself to the recent developments and strongly reaffirm a commitment to effective, rights- and science-based climate action.

We welcome the Council’s continued efforts to address the human rights impacts of arms, including by highlighting human rights obligations of States and responsibilities of the arms industry and other businesses contributing to its operations. The adoption of the resolution on human rights and the civilian acquisition, possession and use of firearms is another significant contribution to these efforts. The OHCHR report requested by the resolution, —which will explore the root causes and risk factors of firearms-related violence and its impact on the enjoyment of the right to participation, particularly of individuals in vulnerable or marginalised situations, — presents a key opportunity to highlight critical concerns surrounding civilian firearms and their broader human rights impacts and to promote an effective response to these concerns.

We welcome a new resolution on freedom of opinion and expression, which rightly highlights how this right is an enabler for all other human rights and sustainable development. Among other key issues, the resolution has been updated to express concern at the growing trend of strategic lawsuits against public participation and calls on governments to adopt and implement measures to discourage such legal harassment. In this vein, it mandates a report and expert workshop to explore the impact of strategic lawsuits against public participation. We urge all States committed to freedom of opinion and expression to co-sponsor and fully implement the commitments of the resolution.

We welcome the adoption of the resolution on Independence and Impartiality of Judges and Independence of Lawyers, focusing on the use of Digital Technologies, including Artificial Intelligence. We welcome the inclusion of language addressing serious concerns relating to the potential negative impact on international fair trial standards, including equality of arms, confidentiality and the protection of legal professions, as well as risks connected to judicial independence and impartiality, the perpetration of existing stereotypes, discrimination or harmful biases. We also welcome the emphasis on the need to always ensure human oversight, scrutiny and accountability with respect to the use of artificial intelligence in the administration of justice.

We continue to deplore this Council’s exceptionalism towards serious human rights violations committed by the Chinese government. Despite China’s efforts to instrumentalise allied countries and GONGOs to portray itself as a constructive actor during its UPR adoption, NGO statements pointed to evidence of Beijing’s lack of willingness to engage in good faith with the UN system, including: a 30% rejection rate higher than its last UPR, acts of reprisals against civil society committed during the UPR cycle, disregard for calls from Western and Global South States to implement Treaty Body recommendations and to provide unfettered access to UN experts. We urge China to genuinely engage with the UN human rights system to enact meaningful reform, and ensure all individuals and peoples enjoy internationally protected human rights. Recommendations from the OHCHR Xinjiang report, UN Treaty Bodies, and UN Special Procedures chart the way for this desperately needed change. In the absence of genuine efforts, it is equally imperative that this Council establishes a monitoring and reporting mechanism on China as repeatedly urged by over 40 UN experts since 2020.

We regret that the Council failed to uphold its obligations to the Libyan people. We are concerned that the resolution on Libya falls short in addressing the urgent need to end impunity for widespread and serious human rights abuses across the country. It ignores the findings of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, which documented likely war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by State security forces and armed militia groups, and recommended the creation of an independent international investigation mechanism. Moreover, the resolution overlooks the inability of OHCHR and UNSMIL to conduct capacity-building activities in much of Libya due to threats of violence and governmental non-cooperation. Additionally, it neglects the severe suppression of civil society through arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, abductions, social media monitoring, harassment, and other forms of intimidation.

We regret that the Council failed to adequately respond to the situation in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is not fit to sit at the Human Rights Council, as it is responsible for the commission of atrocity crimes, a pattern of reprisals against those who cooperate with the UN, and the repression of civil society. The human rights situation in the country is dire, with the criminalisation of women human rights defenders, arbitrary detention and the application of the death penalty, among other abuses. We call on all UN States at the General Assembly not to vote for Saudi Arabia in the upcoming HRC elections.

We regret that once more, civil society representatives faced numerous obstacles to accessing the Palais and engaging in discussions during this session, as well as continuing and worsening incidents of reprisals and transnational repression here in Geneva against those seeking to cooperate with the Council. We are concerned by the barriers imposed to access room XX and that the majority of informal consultations on resolutions were held exclusively in person. We remind UN member States, as well as UNOG, that the Council’s mandate, as set out in HRC Res 5/1, requires that arrangements be made, and practices observed to ensure ‘the most effective contribution’ of NGOs. We reiterate that an inclusive approach to participation requires that the UN addresses the limited space for civil society engagement. Undermining civil society access and participation not only undermines the capacities and effectiveness of civil society but also of the Council itself.

Signatories:

1. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
2. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
3. CIVICUS
4. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Right (EIPR)
5. FIDH
6. GIN SSOGIE - The Global Interfaith Network For People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions
7. Gulf Centre for Human Rights
8. IFEX
9. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
10. Washington Brazil Office

Statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Adoption of the Universal Periodic Report report of Malaysia

Delivered by Azura Nasron, SUARAM

Thank you, Mr /Madam President.

CIVICUS, SUARAM, FORUM-ASIA, ARTICLE 19 and CIJ welcome the government of Malaysia's engagement with the UPR process.

Since its last review, Malaysia has only partially implemented three out of eleven recommendations relating to civic space. While in the previous cycle, the government accepted recommendations to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it appears to have backtracked on this commitment in this cycle.

Our organisations are concerned that the government - despite pledging human rights reforms - did not accept any recommendations to repeal laws that curtail freedom of expression, such as the Sedition Act, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, and the Printing Presses and Publications Act. Instead, the state has continued using these laws to criminalise human rights defenders, the opposition and critics, block websites, raid bookstores, harass journalists, and ban films.

The government also did not accept recommendations to revise the Peaceful Assembly Act, which has been used to restrict and criminalise protests. Additionally, the state failed to accept recommendations to protect human rights defenders - who continue to face arrests, harassment, threats and online violence.

As a UN Human Rights Council member, we urge the government to take its role seriously by ratifying core treaties, abolishing restrictive laws that silence dissent, and creating an enabling environment for civil society and human rights defenders to exercise their right to defend. At the same time, the passage of right to information legislation and establishment of the media council must occur without delay.

We thank you.

 Civic space in Malaysia is rated as Obstructed by the CIVICUS Monitor

See our joint submission on Malaysia for the UN Universal Periodic Review  

On 4 July, at a UN dialogue in Geneva to discuss the adoption of the official report following its UPR review last January, Chinese diplomats reiterated their intention to ignore concrete recommendations to cease some of the most blatant human rights violations in their country. 

The UPR – a Human Rights Council review in which States examine each other’s rights every five years and make recommendations for improvements – relies upon a government’s good faith engagement. Beijing’s dismissal of recommendations echoing UN findings, seeking access to the whole territory for UN experts, and its acts of intimidation against civil society trying to join the review, removed any doubt on its lack of goodwill.

In a joint statement delivered at the Human Rights Council after China’s remarks,  , 29 NGOs urged China to ‘genuinely engage with the UN to enact meaningful reforms’ in line with the recommendations from the UN’s Xinjiang report, UN Treaty Bodies and UN Special Rapporteurs.

Statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

ITEM 4: Interactive Dialogue on oral update of Special Rapporteur on Burundi

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS

Mr President.

CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi.

The human rights situation in Burundi has continued to deteriorate.  Despite some positive signs, the environment remains very hostile for journalists. Many Burundian journalists continue to go into exile, and a culture of fear has developed, leading to self-censorship and reprisals against political dissidents, media professionals and civil society organisations. Those who tried to return were silenced or harassed, including Floriane Irangabiye, who is still serving a 10-year prison sentence for "undermining the internal security of the national territory".

The suppression of civil society, based on a 2017 law on foreign non-governmental organisations that is incompatible with the state's human rights obligations, continues to restrict the work of CSOs in Burundi. The activities of anti-corruption activists and human rights defenders have been limited by numerous restrictions that include impediments to their independence, harassment, intimidation and reprisals against civil society actors, while members of the CNDD-FDD, the Imbonerakure or the National Intelligence Service continue with impunity to commit human rights violations in order to prevent the dissemination of information deemed "sensitive" by the authorities.

On the eve of the elections, we urge the Burundian authorities to fully respect human rights standards relating to freedom of expression and association, to release human rights defenders in detention, and to create a safe and conducive environment for journalists to work, free from intimidation and reprisals. We call on the government of Burundi to review and amend the laws on the media and non-profit organisations to bring them into line with international standards.

We thank you.

Statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

Interactive Dialogue on High Commissioner's report on Venezuela

Delivered by  Carlos Correa, Espacio Público

Thank you, Mr. President.

We are deeply concerned about the escalating repression in Venezuela as the presidential elections approach.

The arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders such as Rocio San Miguel, Javier Tarazona and journalist Carlos Julio Rojas reiterate a pattern of persecution to silence critical voices and prevent mobilization.

Last May, nine articles of a bill were approved that threatens the existence of civil society organizations (CSOs), and together with the so-called bill " against fascism", increases the risk of arbitrary detentions and criminalisation targeting human rights defenders (HRDs). 

Freedom of expression continues to be under attack. At least 14 radio stations were shut down so far in 2024, the last one located in the state of Guárico, which operated for 16 years. Power outages and digital media blockades persist. At least 30 people were arrested this year for disseminating public interest content. 

We request the urgent support of this Council so that the Venezuelan government:

• Release all persons arbitrarily detained and cease the persecution of those who criticize its administration. 
• Withdraw all bills that restrict the rights to freedom of expression and association.
• Guarantee that all people can freely express their opinion without fear of reprisal.  

The Venezuelan State has the responsibility to promote a peaceful resolution to the institutional crisis, in accordance with its obligations before this System. 

Thank you. 

Statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Belarus

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS

Thank you Mr President.

CIVICUS welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur and the renewal of the mandate. The human rights situation in Belarus remains dire, with authorities continuing their systematic destruction of civic space and civil society. Since 2020, 1,033 civil society organisations have been forcibly liquidated and 632 decided on self-liquidation.

Repression against Belarusian civic groups continues, including arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of activists, protesters, journalists, human rights defenders and lawyers. In May, 161 people were reportedly arbitrarily convicted. Those convicted are often held incommunicado and have their terms extended for alleged prison regulation violations, as seen in the case of Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.

In 2023, several Special Rapporteurs called on Belarusian authorities to immediately release all prisoners detained on spurious charges for exercising their fundamental rights. Despite this, in April, three activists were arrested and charged with participating in an extremist organization due to their alleged affiliation with the Human Rights Center Viasna.

We are also concerned about exiled activists facing deportation or extradition to Belarus, where they risk prosecution for "extremism" or other politically motivated charge, such as Andrey Gnyot and activists from the Nobel prize-nominated Belarusian NGO, Our House.

We urge the government of Belarus to release and rehabilitate all those arbitrarily or unlawfully detained for exercising their core civic freedoms, including all members of Viasna in pre-trial detention. We also urge other states to honour their international obligations, such as the non-refoulement principle, when considering the status of Belarusian nationals. 

We thank you.

Civic space in Belarus is rated closed by the CIVICUS Monitor

CIVICUS joins civil society organisations (CSOs) from around the world in urging High Commissioner Volker Türk and his office to take immediate action to halt and reverse the unprecedented restrictions imposed on civil society by the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG). Despite repeated attempts by CSOs to constructively engage with UNOG on these matters, these restrictions have only increased in number and severity, with diminishing predictability. This is happening at a time when civil society space is already shrinking globally.

Read the Joint Letter

Statement at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS

Thank you Mr President.

CIVICUS and its members welcome the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur and reaffirm our full support to the mandate.                                                                                                           

According to our latest reports, global civic space conditions are increasingly challenging, with a discernible rise in the closure of civic space over the last 5 years and only 2% of world’s population living in countries where the rights to peaceful assembly and association are not significantly constrained. We remain particularly concerned about the increase in restrictive laws and policies that criminalise civil society under the guise of national security, public order, and counter-terrorism, and often also serve to deter or hinder cooperation with the United Nations.

Likewise, restrictive laws on associations that regulate civil society activity and restrictions to access to foreign funding and cooperation, including in crisis and conflict-affected situations, are worrying trends. Deepening crises worldwide create the potential for an increase in spontaneous protests. Global documented trends include the increasing and combined use by both state and non-state actors of arbitrary arrest and detention of peaceful protesters and excessive use of force as prominent tactics to disperse and punish protesters.

These global trends, compounded by endemic impunity for grave violations associated with the exercise of the rights to FoAA, growing prosecution of human rights defenders, and the severe impact on the enjoyment of FoAA rights  by excluded groups and grassroots movements, seriously impede the protection of human rights.  

Through advocacy and campaigning, monitoring, litigation and support provided by the Special Rapporteur CSOs have played a significant a role in the mitigation of risks associated with these restrictions and we invite the Special Rapporteur to continue working closely with civil society to address those across silos. We urge Member States to fully cooperate with the mandate to address key global trends and enhance the facilitation and protection of the rights to FoAA. We also call on this Council to draw attention to the increasing restrictions to these rights as first warning signs on which the Council should act to avert further human rights violations and crisis escalation.

We thank you.

Intense Lobbying Campaign Produces Many Weak Recommendations

The Chinese government’s rejection of recommendations to end its deepening human rights crisis reflects its disdain for international human rights reviews at the United Nations, the undersigned human rights nongovernmental organizations said in a joint statement released on June 25, 2024. On June 11, 2024, the UN made available the Chinese government’s announcement to accept or reject recommendations from the latest Universal Periodical Review (UPR) in January 2024, a process through which all UN member states’ human rights records are examined. In a disingenuous effort to paper over its refusal to engage to improve its appalling record, the Chinese government said it would accept 290 of the 428 recommendations, partially accept 8, note 32, and reject 98 of the recommendations made. The 290 accepted ones include those the government said it “accepted and being implemented” and those “accepted and already implemented.”

None of the “accepted” recommendations address concerns raised by UN member states about crimes against humanity, torture, forced disappearance, persecution of human rights defenders and journalists, or other grave and well-documented violations.

The Chinese government, in the preparatory process leading up to the January 2024 review, as it did in and around three previous UPRs in 2009, 2013, and 2018, submitted false information, and blocked any domestic civil society groups from participating in the preparation of the state report or from making contributions to the review. Through an intense lobbying campaign ahead of the review, it acted to whitewash its record, and succeeded in having a number of states ask bland questions, make vague recommendations, and use their platform to praise the Chinese government’s rights record. This provided ample weak recommendations that the Chinese government could deem acceptable. Despite the heavy pressure, some countries took a principled approach, raising concerns, and making recommendations, on the basis of the growing body of evidence of abuses compiled by NGOs, UN special procedures, treaty bodies and the UN Human Rights Office.

However, Beijing categorically rejected all recommendations calling on it to stop these egregious human rights violations and to end impunity for the perpetrators. The rejection rate is 30%, much higher than in 2018 - 18%. It also rejected all recommendations calling on the government to end reprisals against individuals engaging with the international human rights system, a message of disdain on the ten-year anniversary of the death of Cao Shunli in detention, a courageous Chinese human rights defender taken into custody on her way to Geneva for China’s 2014 UPR.

In this context, the numerous acceptances by the Chinese government does not mean actual intention to improve its rights record. No one should confuse a high number of accepted recommendations with any real commitment by Beijing on human rights.

At the January 2024 review, Chinese officials claimed as the government’s achievement its “acceptance” of many recommendations from the 2018 review, yet NGO research shows that the overwhelming majority of those accepted recommendations were so weak, vague, or based on flawed assumptions, that progress towards them cannot be meaningfully verified. Worse still, dozens of the accepted recommendations also clearly or implicitly endorse human rights violations. For example, Belarus recommended that China "[c]ombat separatism and promote modernization of the social governance system and capacity in Xizang” [using the Chinese government’s official name for Tibet].

Since the 2018 UPR, civil society groups have documented a range of acts of intimidation and reprisals, including Chinese diplomats photographing civil society representatives and journalists inside UN premises. And intimidation was intense around and during the January 2024 review, as the Chinese government, in clear violation of its legal obligation to uphold the right to unhindered access to the UN, tried to silence critics who may offer an honest assessment.

Beijing’s responses to UPR recommendations also include hostility towards the process and towards UN human rights mechanisms. The government has challenged the authority of the UPR to address topics Beijing insists are a matter of “sovereignty,” and disparaged the professionalism of UN human rights experts. The Chinese government also falsely proclaimed the August 2022 OHCHR report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang, which that office alleged may constitute crimes against humanity, as “completely illegal and void.”

The adoption of China’s UPR at this session of the Human Rights Council should be an important inflection point. The Chinese government’s posture towards the UPR should prompt the HRC member states and other actors to press Beijing to follow up on recommendations made by independent UN human rights monitors and officials, including Special Procedures, treaty bodies, and the OHCHR.

Specifically, the UN High Commissioner and member states should follow up on on the landmark 2022 OHCHR report on abuses in the Uyghur region. The Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect should take concrete action in response to the referral of the situation of Xinjiang to their Office by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in November 2022. Member states from all regional and political groups should take overdue action to heed the call by more than fifty UN human rights experts in June 2020 for them “to act collectively and decisively to ensure China respects human rights and abides by its international obligations,” including by holding an HRC special session on China and establishing an impartial and independent United Nations mechanism “to closely monitor, analyze and report annually on the human rights situation in China.” Such a mechanism is needed more than ever, in the face of Beijing’s intransigence and deepening repression. The experts repeated the call in June 2022 and September 2022.

Member states should also press Beijing to end intimidation and seriously cooperate with other forthcoming treaty body reviews, including under the Convention against Torture, for which its state report is five years overdue, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Undersigned, in alphabetical order:

Campaign for Uyghurs

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)

Hong Kong Watch (HKW)

Human Rights in China (HRIC)

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

International Tibet Network

Reporters without Borders (RSF)

Safeguard Defenders

The Rights Practice (TRP)

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

World Uyghur Congress

UN Human Rights Council – 56^th session

Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you Mr President.

CIVICUS appreciates the work of the Special Rapporteur and his latest report. Civic space in Eritrea continues to remain closed, as the CIVICUS Monitor has documented. In the past year, Eritrean authorities have persistently suppressed fundamental rights and escalated their use of unlawful detentions.

Eritrea continues to suppress basic rights, including to freedom of opinion, religion, and expression, with heightened restrictions in the context of forced mass conscription. Eritrean security forces continued to commit serious human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

We particularly express concerns around the widespread use of illegal arrests and detention as a systematic tool of intimidation to suppress dissent, as well as about incommunicado detention of Eritrean citizens including journalists, and lack of information on conditions of detention.

Peaceful protesters continue to be subject to the threat of prolonged or indefinite periods of detention and the gravity of violations of the right to a fair trial de facto result in arbitrary detention. The excessive use of force by law enforcement authorities to disperse protests is also of great concern. Furthermore, freedom of association is severely restricted and independent CSOs are not able to operate in the country due to censorship and onerous reporting guidelines.

We urge government of Eritrea to comply with decisions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, to release all those arbitrarily detained and to constructively engage with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.

Furthermore, we call on this Council to adopt a meaningful resolution renewing the crucial mandate of the Special Rapporteur and highlighting grave human rights violations and cross-border attacks committed against civic groups.

We thank you.

 UN Human Rights Council – 56th Session

Interactive Dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS

Thank you Mr. President,

CIVICUS and the Burma Human Rights Network thank the High Commissioner for his report and remains concern about the states of civic space and the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.

The report reflects our ongoing concerns about the closure of civic space by the junta and the thousands of political prisoners including human rights defenders that remain in detention on fabricated charges. Many face torture and degrading treatment and as the report notes, at least 1,703 have died in custody, in a climate of complete impunity. We are also concerned about the indiscriminate attacks against civilians with weapons supplied by countries like China, Russia and India and the impact of the conscription law.

Your report also notes that in addition to persistent discrimination, members of the Rohingya community experienced new violence and violations since the resumption of hostilities in Rakhine in November. Access constraints have further reduced humanitarian support. Those who ultimately decide to attempt to leave face immense challenges. All these violations and abuses make clear that no safe return of refugees to Myanmar is presently possible.

ASEAN has continued to fail to address the crisis in Myanmar and it’s time for the international community to do more. We welcome your recommendations calling for the release of all political prisoners. There must also be an end to all violence and attacks directed against civilians, including the Rohingya. UN member states must ensure all existing obstacles to humanitarian access is removed, including in Rakhine State. It must also support all accountability efforts.

We ask the High Commissioner, what should the Council do to adequately and promptly halt the assault on civic space and serious human rights violations committed by the junta and other armed groups and to push ASEAN to end its inaction on Myanmar?

We thank you.

Civic space in Myanmar is rated as 'Closed' by the CIVICUS Monitor.

In the upcoming 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council (18 June to 12 July) CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance with a mandate to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, will prioritise protecting civic space and core freedoms, supporting civil society where they face grave risk, and enabling the participation and engagement of civic groups with the Council.

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States once every 4.5 years.

CIVICUS and its partners have submitted UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on five countries in advance of the 47th UPR session in January - February 2025. The submissions examine the state of civil society in each country, including the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression and the environment for human rights defenders. We further provide an assessment of the States’ domestic implementation of civic space recommendations received during the 3^rd UPR cycle over 4 years ago and provide a number of targeted follow-up recommendations. 

Côte d'Ivoire – The submission by CIVICUS, Coalition Ivorienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH) and West African Human Rights Defenders Network (ROADDH) documents restrictions of civic space in Côte d'Ivoire. The submission highlights ongoing restrictions of human rights defenders’ (HRDs) rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including judicial persecution, intimidation and threats. The restrictive impact of legislation on fundamental freedoms are also documented.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo – The submission submitted by CIVICUS and Ligue des Droits de la Personne dans la Région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) highlights the targeting of civil society members with threats, attacks and judicial harassment as well as legislation which undermines fundamental freedoms. This submission also documents the alarming civic space violations committed under the state of siege in eastern DRC.

Ethiopia – In this submission made by CIVICUS, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (DefendDefenders) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) examines the situation of civic space in Ethiopia, in particular civic space-related violations committed under the state of emergency. In addition, the submission documents the use of arbitrary and pretrial detention as a means of intimidation of human rights defenders, journalists and media workers and restrictions to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Nicaragua – CIVICUS, Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe para la Democracia, Asociación Centroamericana para el Desarrollo y la Democracia and Fundación del Río, in this submission, examine the increasing deterioration in fundamental freedoms as well as the situation of human rights defenders and journalists. The submission also highlights the situation of political prisoners in Nicaragua as well as the impact of legislation that unduly restricts non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations to operate.

Qatar – This report by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Access Now, Article 19 and CIVICUS highlights Qatar's implementation gaps with regard to the right to freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and issues relating to the right to a fair trial and due legal procedures, stressing the high levels of risks for activists, at home and abroad, and onerous conditions and repressive measures which limit the space for human rights advocacy by civil society. The submission emphasises convictions and sentencing of HRDs in absentia and in trials that do not meet minimum international standards and touches upon ongoing issues related to gender equality, migrants’ rights, and women’s rights.

The CIVICUS Monitor rates civic space in Nicaragua as Closed, while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Qatar civic space is rated as Repressed. In Côte d'Ivoire is rated as Obstructed.

The 55^th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) began on 26 February in the context of ongoing and unfolding human rights crises and grave human rights violations and abuses. The session, consisting of six weeks of interactives debates, negotiations and events, as well as a high-level segment, discussed key human rights issues in the international arena. The 55^th session closed on 5 April with 32 resolutions, 2 Decisions and 14 outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review adopted by the Human Rights Council membership.   

Civil society has been instrumental in facilitating dialogue, promoting ideas and negotiating Resolutions for the advancement of fundamental freedoms, and ensuring that voices of civil society and excluded groups are heard. CIVICUS called on the Council to address severe crises and situations of concern across the globe. The Council’s response varied on situations, with Resolutions in line with key civil society asks on certain situations and weak Resolutions or lack thereof on other situations, calling into question States’ willingness to address human rights violations and abuses promptly and effectively.

We particularly welcome the adoption of the Decision on remote participation modalities for hybrid meetings, which formally qualifies civil society participation. In the Decision, the Council requested the General Assembly to consider authorising the Council to continue its practice of using the modalities for remote participation for all its future formal and informal meetings during its sessions. Nevertheless, we regret that civil society representatives faced obstacles to  engaging in discussions, both in person and remotely, during this session. The Council’s mandate, as set out in HRC Resolution 5/1, requires that arrangements be made, and practices observed to ensure ‘the most effective contribution’ of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We encourage United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and UN Member States to address access issues that may undermine the effectiveness of civil society participation.

KEY OUTCOMES

Thematic Resolutions

The Council adopted several key Resolutions on thematic and country-specific issues. CIVICUS worked towards enhanced protection and promotion civic space in some of the Resolutions below, and towards mainstreaming of civic space related issues.

The Council adopted a Resolution on prevention of genocide with focus on impunity as a major risk factor, as well as on early warnings. We welcome that the Resolution encourages the engagement of civil society in the prevention of genocide, including through advocacy and monitoring, and emphasis on prohibition of starvation of civilians as a method to combat. We also welcome the inclusion of references to the International Court of Justice in regard to the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, alongside the International Criminal Court. Nonetheless, we regret that the resolution does not adequately respond to many of the current concerns related to risks of genocide. During the session, the Special Rapporteur on the OPT concluded that the actions of Israel in Gaza meet the legal qualifications of genocide.

We welcome the resolution on countering disinformation, which addresses new issues whilst  rejecting censorship and reaffirming the “essential role” that the right to freedom of expression plays in countering disinformation. We welcome the ‘roadmap’ for the approach to be followed by States which includes combating disinformation through positive measures, including by ensuring a diverse, free and independent media environment, protecting journalists and media workers, and implementing comprehensive right to information laws. The Resolution also mandates the Advisory Committee to produce a new report on disinformation, which could reinforce existing standards on the topic and incorporate key elements and findings of various reports of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.

A Resolution was adopted on the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, following recognition of this right by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 48/13 of 2021 and the General Assembly Resolution 76/300 of 2022. In line with other civil society organisations (CSOs) and several States, CIVICUS calls on the Special Rapporteur to pay further attention to the protection of environmental defenders. For the first time ever, the Council appointed a woman from the Global South to fulfill this mandate.

Similarly, we welcome the nomination of a new Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. We encourage further linkages and complementarities to be created with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention, whose meeting of the Parties adopted by consensus Decision VII/9 establishing a rapid response mechanism in the form of a Special Rapporteur to deal with cases related to article 3 (8) of the Convention. We also urge the realisation of joint consultations involving the three Special Rapporteurs with a focus on the development, implementation and possible strategies for the protection of environmental human rights defenders, who are individuals, activists, journalists, communities, citizens' associations, NGOs, CSOs and others seeking to protect the right to live in an environment adequate to their health and well-being. Across geographies, many of them are experiencing persecution, intimidation, harassment and reprisals for their work

We warmly welcome the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Ms. Gina Romero. We also welcome the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy as well as the appointment of other mandate holders, including members of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, and Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

Country-specific Resolutions

Country situations that were not addressed

While the Council’s adoption of these Resolutions will be crucial in fulfilling the HRC’s mandate and credibility, we regretfully have witnessed failure to act on number of concerning situations during this session. 

CIVICUS regrets that the Council has remained silent on India despite the clear early warning signs of further deterioration that necessitate preventive action by the Council. Similarly, we regret that the Council did not take any action on the Philippines, which is long overdue in light of the deteriorating civic space conditions. A joint statement urged the adoption of a Resolution mandating the High Commissioner to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the UN Joint Program on Human Rights (UNJP).

We also regret that other situations of concern throughout the Middle East and North Africa where civil society is subjected to wide-spread human rights violations intended to clamp down on fundamental freedom and eradicate independent civil society were not addressed. Similarly, we regret that no Resolution on Georgia was adopted at this Council session. 

Other concerns

Human rights defenders, journalists and activists continue to be arbitrarily detained across the globe. Those arbitrarily detained must be immediately and unconditionally released. CIVICUS’s Stand As My Witness Campaign highlights particular cases of arbitrary detention, underscoring the urgent need for a concrete action plan to prevent and put an end to arbitrary arrest and detention on the international level. CIVICUS continues to draw attention to specific cases in its thematic and country-focussed statements at the Human Rights Council. In this Council session, we highlighted specific cases of arbitrary detention in DRC and Venezuela, and highlighted widespread use of arbitrary detention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).

Events

CIVICUS facilitated and joined a number of events organised by partners and fellow civil society organisations throughout the session.

Shaping the Future - Youth activists breaking barriers

In the context of the Council session CIVICUS contributed to a pre-session event organised with Right Livelihood and other civil society organisations focussing on young human rights defenders: ‘Shaping the future - Young activists breaking down barriers'. The discussion focused on the challenges faced by young human rights defenders, including online attacks, age restrictions, and limited funding, and featured panelists such as UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Ms. Mary Lawlor, and Right Livelihood Laureates. CIVICUS emphasises the need for better protection and support for youth activists globally and advocates for a Resolution on youth participation in decision-making and elections to address these challenges.

The role of defenders in fostering accountability for atrocity crimes

In times of escalating conflicts driven by repression and human rights abuses, upholding human rights and ensuring accountability for violations is crucial for resolving crises. Moreover, resolving conflicts necessitates prioritising human rights and consistently applying international laws and standards, as selective enforcement undermines the global human rights system. CIVICUS co-sponsored an event on accountability for atrocity crimes at the Human Rights Council, highlighting cases studies, including Myanmar and OPTs, and the vital role of defenders in mobilising stakeholders to take effective measures against impunity and ensure accountability.

Shaping Asia's human rights future with youth human rights defenders

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) are pivotal in advancing and protecting human rights across Asia. They face, however, considerable risks and attacks by both state and non-state actors ranging from arbitrary arrest and detention to judicial harassment, intimidation, threats, and physical violence. In response to these dynamics, the side event ‘Shaping Asia’s Human Rights Future with Youth Human Rights Defenders’ served as an opportunity to reflect on the situation of HRDs in Asia, highlighting key trends, emblematic cases of attacks against them, and the unique challenges they face in light of the latest development in the region, with a specific focus on youth HRDs and those working in crisis-affected areas.

Human Rights In Azerbaijan ahead of UNFCCC COP29

In light of the upcoming 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) to be held in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, and its focus on environmental sustainability, it is imperative to shed light on the human rights violations occurring in Azerbaijan, particularly in relation to the exploitation of oil and gas resources. This side event organised by the Institute for Human Rights, the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety and CIVICUS discussed the suppression of environmental activism in Azerbaijan and aimed to foster a nuanced understanding of the interplay between governance, economic factors, and human rights in Azerbaijan. 

Human rights situation in the MENA region: efforts during the current humanitarian and security crises

During the Council session CIVICUS contributed to an event organised by Jssor Youth Organization on the ‘Human Rights situation in the MENA Region: Efforts during the current humanitarian and security crises’. The event discussed various examples of national peacebuilding programs in the area and provided an important opportunity for national and international organisations, civil society activists and government representatives to identify gaps and challenges and propose recommendations and suggestions that would contribute to strengthening the human rights and peacebuilding process in the area.

Human rights in the Philippines: Accountability for continuing and past extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and abductions

The UN Human Rights Council responded to the deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines with various Resolutions in 2019 and 2020. Resolution 51/58 acknowledged the UNJP addressing drug control and accountability. Despite disappointing results, including few convictions in extrajudicial killings cases, the UNJP continues as a vital platform for civil society engagement. While violations persist a side event was organised in the margins of the Council session by partners of Franciscans International, including CIVICUS. This event aimed to provide updates and amplify the voices of civil society and UN Human Rights Experts on accountability for human rights abuses in the Philippines.

The failure of States to pay their membership dues to the United Nations in full and in time, and the practice of conditioning funding on unilateral political goals is causing a financial liquidity crisis for the organisation, the impacts of which are felt by victims and survivors of human rights violations and abuses. The UN as a whole, and the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights specifically, have deliberated various measures and proposals to conserve cash, including through freezing the recruitment of staff to mechanisms created by States, and delays and postponements of key agendas, as well as partial fulfillment of activities. We remind decision-makers that what is being traded off are priorities brought to the UN by human rights defenders and affected populations and agreed to by governments themselves. Without the resources needed, the outcomes of this session can’t be implemented. The credibility of HRC is at stake. 

Delivered by Gyan Kothari

Mr. President,

We draw the attention of the Council to the impending conclusion this year of the UN Joint Program on Human Rights (UNJP) for the Philippines amid continuing threats to human rights in the country.^[1] As of November 2023, only two convictions were made in relation to extrajudicial killings out of 6252 persons killed by state agents between 1 July 2016 and 31 May 2022, according to official statistics, while unofficial estimates report thousands more.

Statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council's 55^th session

Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on the Democratic Republic of Congo

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

While we laud the promulgation of the law on the protection and responsibility of HRDs, concerns persist on ongoing violations against HRDs, notably intimidation and arbitrary arrests of defenders. On the 3rd February, security officers arrested four activists during a protest in Kinshasa.

While the newly adopted Press Law presents many advancements in terms of guaranteeing press freedom, it also continues to provide opportunities to criminally prosecute journalists, including for sharing “false news”. Authorities have also continued to subject journalists to arbitrary arrests and judicial harassment. In March, renowned journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala was sentenced to six months in prison, despite civil society and media investigations clearly demonstrate that claims by the prosecution lacks evidence and consistency.

Meanwhile, in eastern DRC civic freedoms have been curtailed and regularly violated. Local authorities have used the State of Siege to crack down on dissent, including through arbitrary arrest and prosecution, before military courts, of civil society activists.

We call on authorities to review all restrictive laws and provisions, to decriminalise all press offences, and as a matter of urgency ensure the protection of human rights defenders and journalists.

We call on the Council to maintain critical ongoing efforts towards accountability. We further ask the High Commissioner how members and observers of this Council can best support those on the ground to prevent further civic space violations.

Statement at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

General Debate Item 7

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Mr President,

The already challenging and brutal civic context in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) continues to be exacerbated by the escalating conflict.

We firmly condemn summary killings, hostage-taking of civilians, and the launching of indiscriminate attacks or targeting of civilians, which constitutes a grave violation of international law.

Violations of fundamental freedoms encompass the excessive use of force in violation of international standards against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip, mass prevention of coverage particularly within the West Bank, and direct attacks against media across the OPTs.

Independent Palestinian civil society organisations (CSOs) have been working under increasingly restricted civic space with attacks to freedom of association including massive targeting of staff through intimidation measures, as well as arbitrary arrests and banning of peaceful gatherings.

Decisions that were made to suspend, review or terminate funding to Palestinian as well as Israeli CSOs, which remain key actors in monitoring human rights violations, further contribute to eroding human rights protection.

CIVICUS calls on this Council to address these situations objectively, impartially, and without double standards, with a view to fostering accountability and ensuring justice for victims of human rights violations.

We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilian lives, particularly those of women and children.

We also encourage the Council to play an assertive role in preventing atrocity crimes and increase action to address attacks on civilians and the root causes of the conflict, and to work towards a sustainable peace process based on international law and human rights principles.

We thank you.

CIVICUS joins national and international non-governmental and civil society organisations in urging the Council's attention to the ongoing UN Joint Programme on Human Rights (UNJP) in the Philippines, concluding in 2024. We advocate for the renewal and reconfiguration of its mandate to enhance human rights accountability mechanisms. The UNJP aims to develop the Philippine government's capacities to improve the human rights situation, especially by engaging with civil society.

Statement at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

General Debate Item 4

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you Mr President,

CIVICUS encourages the Council to play a more assertive role in preventing rather than reacting to human rights crises and serious crimes. The rapid and continued deterioration of civic space is one of the first early warning signs on which the Council should promptly act.

Civic space conditions in Mali are dire, with an escalation of violations of freedom of expression amid censorship. In recent months, journalists, human rights defenders and religious leaders have been facing  intimidation, judicial harassment and prosecution for their criticism of the transitional military authorities, with many arbitrarily detained. CSOs and political opposition parties have been dissolved or threatened with dissolution. There are also concerns around prospects of accountability and justice for victims of grave human rights violations following the announcement of Mali’s withdrawal from ECOWAS and termination of MINUSMA mandate.

The civic space in Myanmar has continued to regress due to sustained repression by the junta.  Nearly 20,000 political prisoners are currently in arbitrary detention on fabricated charges, including human rights defenders, while torture and ill-treatment is rampant. In recent months, political prisoners faced increased sentences for holding protests. The crackdown on the media by the junta has persisted, with over 60 journalists still being detained in the country, amid severe internet repression. Despite this, ASEAN has failed to address the crisis in Myanmar and more must be done to push for the release of activists, stop the flow of weapons and funds to the junta and to end impunity for serious crimes.  

In Venezuela, in a context of a complex humanitarian emergency, several censorship mechanisms have been deployed as part of a strategy to persecute human rights defenders and limit the right to freedom of expression. We express concerns around incommunicado detention of Rocio San Miguel following the decision of the Second Court Against Terrorism and suspension of activities of the OHCHR in the country as well as the draft NGO law which, if enacted, would seriously hinder the freedom of association.

We call on the Council to address these urgent situations and prevent further crisis. 

We thank you.

Statement at the 55th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council

Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on Venezuela

Delivered by Marysabel Rodríguez

Thank you Mr. President,

Government persecution is more brutal, this time before elections, moments in which state violence increases.

The abuse of power as punishment continues against human rights defenders, activists, journalists, social leaders, union leaders, politicians and citizens.

Carlos Salazar, a retired worker of the state company PDVSA, is detained and was subjected to forced disappearance for more than 20 days, after disseminating a video showing Alex Saab, an official prosecuted for money laundering, walking through a shopping mall.

Censorship increases with the approaching elections. The government prohibited the coverage of the opposition primaries, under the excuse that it was an illegal act, denying also free association.

At least 12 radio stations were closed in 2023, under arbitrary processes that do not guarantee the right to defense. Between January and February 2024, eight radio stations were closed. Electricity blackouts and digital media blockades continue.

There were at least 10 arrests in 2023 for "incitement to hatred", most of them against union and social leaders, for disseminating information of public interest or questioning the government.

We urgently call on this Council to strengthen the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner and that of the Fact-Finding Mission. To deny follow-up mechanisms leaves the population even more defenseless, especially in the face of an electoral process without guarantees for basic civil liberties.

We thank you.

At the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council, Article 19 delivered a joint intervention on behalf of CIVICUS and a group of organisations, expressing our concerns about the increasing hatred against individuals based on their religion or belief worldwide.

Thank you, Mr. President. ARTICLE 19 makes this joint statement on behalf of a group of organisations.

We are dismayed over the rise of hatred against persons on the basis of their religion or belief worldwide. This intimidates religious and belief minorities into silence and can create environments conducive to violence. While we recognise that the desecration of holy books may be considered as deeply disrespectful and offensive by many, we are also concerned about how such incidents are instrumentalised globally to restrict the right to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of religion or belief. It is clearer than ever that more must be done to tackle the root causes of religious hatred, in line with international human rights law.

We believe that the international human rights framework already provides a clear pathway to addressing religious hatred. Resolution 16/18 is commendable not only as a testament to our ability to find consensual solutions to universal problems, but for ultimately striking the right response. At its heart, Resolution 16/18 recognises that open space for dialogue, debate, and dissent, including on topics that are controversial, is fundamental to challenging the deep-seated prejudices that drive hate in societies. The Rabat Plan of Action is an important companion to Resolution 16/18, setting out clear guidance on the exceptional circumstances in which States should prohibit advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence.

The desecration of holy books must not be used to justify the introduction of prohibitions on blasphemy or so-called “defamation of religions”. These prohibitions, on their face and in their application, violate the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as freedom of religion or belief. They fuel division and religious intolerance by shutting down interfaith dialogue, and can also facilitate and legitimise appalling human rights violations against religious and belief minorities.

The restriction of the right to freedom of expression, in isolation, is ineffective in combating religious hatred, and the effective protection and social inclusion of groups at-risk of discrimination and violence requires broader and positive policy measures. This includes the enactment of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and other policies that tackle systemic discrimination against religious and belief minorities, while also ensuring authorities firmly condemn episodes of religious intolerance and help de-escalate tensions.

Instead, what is needed is for all States and other stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to the implementation of Resolution 16/18 and the Rabat Plan of Action, including through the reinvigoration of the Istanbul Process. Any change to the international human rights framework and the opening up of old divisive debates will only prevent us from uniting against religious hate.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Signed by:

• ARTICLE 19
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
• CIVICUS
• CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
• DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
• Humanists International
• International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)

Statement at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

General Debate Item 2

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

Thank you Mr President,

CIVICUS is convinced that the Council should play a more assertive role in preventing rather than reacting to human rights crises, and the rapid deterioration of civic space is the first early warning sign on which the Council should act.

Civic freedoms in Kyrgyzstan are deteriorating rapidly, with two concerning laws being debated in Parliament: a so-called ‘foreign agent’ law targeting foreign-funded civil society organisations and a restrictive new media law. They threaten to further undermine free expression in the country, where independent media has recently come under attack. Following police raids on two prominent outlets, eleven journalists have been held in custody on spurious charges.

In Pakistan, in the aftermath of the general elections, authorities warned of crackdown on any protest. In recent months, there have been severe restrictions and arrests of the opposition ahead of the elections, in particular of the PTI party, amid a total blackout of PTI on national media and internet disruption around their online activities. Crackdown on protesters including on Baloch and Pashtun activists seeking justice and accountability is an alarming trend, while activists and journalists have continued to face judicial harassment.

In Sri Lanka, civic space continues to be under severe attack. In recent months there have been continued reports of excessive force, intimidation and restrictions against protesters. In violation of international guidelines, Sri Lankan security forces continue to use tear gas to suppress peaceful protests. The new version of the Anti-Terrorism Bill falls short of international law standards as it continues to use an overbroad definition of terrorism. There are also concerns around new Online Safety law that could be used to stifle freedom of expression.

We call on the Council to address these worsening situations and prevent further deterioration and crisis. 

We thank you.

UN Human Rights Council – 55^th session

Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott

 Thank you, Mr. President.

CIVICUS and its South Sudanese partners welcome the report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. The Commission’s mandate remains crucial as the human rights situation and the civil and political space continue to deteriorate.

The status of civic space in the country is dire and core civic freedoms remain under attack. On­going human rights violations and abuses include arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of, threats against, and harass­ment of ci­vil so­ciety actors.

Media outlets continue to face blockades when reporting on conflict-related issues, subjecting journalists to ongoing challenges and risks for exposing cases of grave human rights violations and corruption. This results in de facto restrictions on the practice of journalism and, ultimately, in self-censorship.

Repression of civic groups and peaceful protesters by authorities continue with impunity. Many have been subjected to unlawful detentions, extrajudicial executions, as well as reprisals and abductions in the country and abroad under charges of allegedly abusing government officials. Freedom of association remains severely restricted as civil society organisations are subjected to raids by the National Security Service. The high levels of localised violence and conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, as well as violence against women including in the context of reprisals are of great concern.

In light of the appalling human rights violations, ongoing restrictions on civic space and absence of an enabling and inclusive environment for citizen participation, the Commission on Human Rights is more important than ever as it remains the only mechanism able to gather evidence of and report on human rights violations and provide recommendations for necessary action with a view to ensuring accountability.

We urge this Council to extend the mandate of the Commission to ensure continued scrutiny on the human rights situation in the country and to enable it to comprehensively report on the election and transition process.                                                         

We thank you.

UN Human Rights Council- 55th regular session of the Human Rights Council

Interactive dialogue on the report of the Group of Experts on Human Rights on Nicaragua

Delivered by Amaru Ruiz Aleman

Thank you, Mr. President.

CIVICUS and the Fundación del Río, congratulate the work of the Group of Experts in the elaboration of the report, we consider these research efforts to be extremely valuable for the international community to continue to be updated on the various human rights violations that exist in Nicaragua.

We recognize the efforts of the Holy See for the release of 19 Nicaraguan priests and welcome their release, however, there are still 121 political prisoners, including 10 Mayangna and 2 Miskitu indigenous people. We want to highlight that the persecution of defenders in Nicaragua continues, more than 27 indigenous people have arrest warrants for their work as community forest rangers.

The situation of civic space in the country remains critical and is deteriorating further due to the concerted effort of the government to stop all forms of dissident opinion. The Ministry of Interior has been revived as an organ of control and persecution of the Nicaraguan citizenry. Since the end of 2018, the Ministry of Interior has cancelled the legal personality of more than 3,549 non-governmental organizations, 55 of these have been cancelled this year.

The situation is further worsened by the government's refusal to cooperate and engage with international human rights bodies. The report of the Expert Group continues to show how human rights violations continue to affect the Nicaraguan people.

We thank you.

CIVICUS and other organistions including ForumAsia, DefendDefenders and Artcicle 19 have submitted a joint statement expressing their support for and appeal for a regular technical rollover of the upcoming resolution on "combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, and stigmatisation of, and discrimination, incitement to violence, and violence against, persons based on religion or belief." This resolution, viewed as a renewal of Resolution 16/18, is scheduled for discussion at the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council. The session is considered an opportunity to encourage all States to reaffirm their commitment to implementing Resolution 16/18 and the Rabat Plan of Action, including through the reinvigoration of the Istanbul Process.

In the upcoming 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (26 February to 05 April 2024) CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance with a mandate to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, will prioritise protecting civic space and fundamental freedoms, supporting civil society where they face grave risk, as well as bringing the voices of civil society and enabling the participation of civic groups and grassroots organisations to the Council.

Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s 55th session (HRC55, 26 February-5 April 2024), over 90 NGOs call on the Council to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS). The CHRSS remains the only mechanism tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of viola­tions of international law with a view to ensuring accountability.

In a letter released today, the signatories highlight that significant concerns exist about the human rights situation and the absence of key conditions for the holding of free, fair, secure, and credible elections and of an enabling environment for civil so­ciety. Violence and impunity remain pervasive in the country, including localised conflicts and inter­communal violence. Violations include extrajudicial killings, serious violations of international humanitarian law, politically instigated and supported localised violence, sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of, threats against, and harassment of civil society actors, in a cli­mate of widespread impunity.

The humanitarian crisis remains severe, and the cross-border impact of the conflict in Sudan is exacerbating existing triggers and drivers of conflict across South Sudan. Ten months before South Sudan’s first national elections, set for December 2024, uncertainty over the constitution-ma­king and electoral process is high and critical questions remain unanswered.

In this context, risk factors of further violations are clear. “This is not the time to relax the Council’s scrutiny,” the signatories write.

Read the full letter in English 

The year-long Human Rights 75 Initiative campaign culminates this week with the Human Rights 75 High-level event held on 11-12 December. More than 100 States will present their pledges, along with pledges from a wide variety of stakeholders, and more than 80 High-level dignitaries will attend the Leaders’ segment on 12 December, including 9 Heads of State, 4 Vice-Presidents and 8 Prime-Ministers. The Pledging Session took place at the Palais des Nations (UN Geneva) and it is aimed at generating pledges that bring about concrete change towards greater enjoyment of human rights for all as well as a vision on the future of human rights. CIVICUS has also delivered a pledge in the ‘Voices’ segment, focussed on arbitrary detention and civic space. Our pledge re-imphasises our commitment towards the recognition and protection of human rights defenders. 

^{Human Rights Council in Geneva. Credit: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED}

A statement calling on the United Nations to appoint a special rapporteur on democracy has been signed by more than 80 civil society organizations, networks, think tanks and institutions, as well as numerous individuals from across the world united by their commitment to human rights and democracy.

According to the document, which was released on 20 November 2023 and is endorsed by CIVICUS, “democracy is threatened and authoritarianism is on the rise”. In this situation, the UN “needs to do more to strengthen human rights and democracy”, the statement says. The new rapporteur position would be created by the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva and “mandated to investigate the state of democracy around the world.”

“A robust and healthy civic space forms the cornerstone of accountable and responsive democratic governance. Democracy cannot exist without the protection and promotion of civic space, and a democratic society offers the best conditions for guaranteeing an enabling environment. The mandate of a UN rapporteur on democracy is key to ensuring that civil society and civic space remain at the heart of democracy”, said Sigrid Lipott, UN Advisor in Geneva of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

The statement points out that the new mandate can be based on UN resolutions that identify and support democratic principles. This includes the “central democratic principle” that “public authority must derive from the will of the people” which is expressed in Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

According to the document, the proposed UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy, assisted by an independent advisory board, would “examine challenges and opportunities related to the realization of democracy”. This would include, among other things, looking into “constitutional and institutional arrangements such as checks and balances; effectiveness of parliaments; free, fair and competitive elections and election environments; political participation including of minorities and women; direct and deliberative mechanisms; as well as civic space and freedoms.”

The new mandate would “go beyond and complement” existing ones operating under the Human Rights Council. The statement asks “all governments that are committed to democracy” to support its establishment.

The joint appeal is made ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that is coming up on 10 December 2023. Like-minded organizations, policy-makers and individuals are invited to sign on.

Groups that endorsed the appeal include: ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, Asia Democracy Network, Citizens for Global Solutions, Counterpart International, Democracy International, Democracy Without Borders, European Partnership for Democracy, Forum 2000, Integrity Initiatives International, Open Society Foundations, Parliamentarians for Global Action, PEN America, Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe por la Democracia, Society for Threatened Peoples, The Carter Center, The May 18 Foundation and Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)].

In addition to representatives of the endorsing organizations, the list of initial supporters includes over 100 individuals, among them numerous human rights and democracy defenders and scholars as well as more than 25 parliamentarians from across the world.

In an individual capacity Thomas Garrett, Secretary-General of the Community of Democracies and Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), declared their support of the statement. Their organizations are intergovernmental with 30 and 34 member states respectively, some of which are current members of the Human Rights Council. Both organizations work closely with civil society.

“Democracy is a human right and human rights depend on democracy. The UN can no longer look the other way while this right is being denied, undermined and weakened in many countries around the world. A UN rapporteur on democracy is urgently needed”, said Andreas Bummel, Executive Director, Democracy Without Borders.

For more information contact:

CIVICUS, a global human rights alliance and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) call upon states to use the upcoming human rights review of Bangladesh at the UN Human Rights Council to call out its ongoing failure to fully implement previous recommendations related to civic freedoms. This lack of action raises questions on how serious the government is about upholding its international human rights obligations.

CIVICUS and its partners have made UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on civil society space in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Eritrea and Viet Nam.

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States once every 4.5 years.

CIVICUS and its partners have submitted UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on 4 countries in advance of the 46th UPR session in April - May 2024. The submissions examine the state of civil society in each country, including the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression and the environment for human rights defenders. We further provide an assessment of the States’ domestic implementation of civic space recommendations received during the 3^rd UPR cycle over 4 years ago and provide a number of targeted follow-up recommendations. 

Afghanistan - The submission by CIVICUS and Safety and Risk Mitigation Organization (SRMO) examines the deterioration of civic space after the takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Specific instances of harassment of human rights defenders, journalists and protesters as well as physical attacks, killings, abduction, arrests, and intimidations are documented. In particular, attacks against women activists and protesters are highly alarming. Repercussion on media freedom has worsened as new sets of rules for the media outlining prohibitions and requirements silence dissent.  

Cambodia - In this submission, CIVICUS and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) document restrictions of civic space in Cambodia, including excessive restrictions on association under the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, suppression of protests, and restrictions and surveillance online. Human rights defenders, activists and journalists are consistently convicted and detained under vaguely worded charges. The submission also documents alarming restrictive laws, policies and practices. that undermines the freedom of media and target journalists and critics of the government.  

Eritrea - The submission by CIVICUS and Surbana Vision Media and Community Services highlights Eritrea’s restriction on fundamental freedoms and persistent and violent suppression of civil society. The submission documents severe damage to media freedom, as the government places severe controls on media organizations effectively shutting down all independent media. Even private discussions are severely inhibited by fear of government informants and the likelihood of arrest and arbitrary detention. The submission also sheds light on the lack of independent Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as they are not able to operate safely in Eritrea as well as  threats, intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders both in Eritrea and in exile.

Viet Nam - In this submission, CIVICUS, Asia Democracy Network (ADN) and Vietnam Advocates for Change (VAC) express their concerns about the highly restrictive regulatory regime deteriorating civic space both in law and in practice. Numerous cases of arrest and detention of human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, and protesters for charges under vaguely defined national security offences are documented. Those in detention are subjected to torture and other inhumane treatment with the purpose of coercing confessions or punishment for their opinion. The report also sheds light on the restriction, both online and offline, of freedom of expression by repressive laws and decrees as well as state censorship.

Civic space in Afghanistan, Eritrea and Viet Nam is rated as Closed by the CIVICUS Monitor.  In Cambodia it is rated as Repressed.

The 54^th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council began on 11 September in the context of ongoing and unfolding human rights crises. A longer than usual session, consisting of five weeks of debates, negotiations and events, discussed key human rights issues in the international arena The 54^th session closed on 13 October with 36 resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council membership.

Statement at the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

Item 10 General Debate

Delivered by Róisín Dunbar 

CIVICUS regrets that despite the technical assistance provided, lack of commitment to civic space by States continues to hinder full enjoyment of human rights. 

In Cambodia, laws are routinely misused to criminalise activists, suppress civil society and restrict protests. The restrictive environment in which the July 2023 elections took place is emblematic of the rapidly shrinking civic space in Cambodia. We urge the government to release all detained activists and respect and protect fundamental freedoms. 

In Georgia, we have continued to record concerning developments regarding civic space. Recent accusations from the country’s security services and political leadership against Serbian NGO CANVAS of inciting a violent overthrow of the government, and the surveillance and questioning of CANVAS activists represent an unacceptable interference on the freedom of association. We are further concerned by the convictions of peaceful protesters for displaying critical slogans, or even blank banners. We call on Georgia to ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders free of intimidation and the full enjoyment of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.

We are encouraged by the Somali government’s commitment to implement a one-person, one vote system from next year, a change which would positively impact civic participation. However, we remain concerned by the continued targeting of journalists and human rights defenders using the outdated Penal Code, and through physical attacks by state and non-state actors. We call on Somalia to immediately and unconditionally release journalists, media workers and human rights defenders currently detained, and ensure their protection as they undertake their peaceful work.

In Yemen, civil society organisations have reported being subjected to a host of restrictive measures including, arbitrary surveillance, limitations on freedom of expression, physical attacks and financial constraints. Human rights defenders, activists and journalists have been subjected to threats, kidnappings, physical assaults, defamation campaigns and arbitrary detention. We urge the conflicting parties to provide civil society, human rights defenders and journalists with a safe and secure environment in which to carry out their work.

We underscore the responsibility to protect human rights primarily lies with States and in this regard, we urge States to take tangible and consistent measures to protect and promote civic space.

We, thank you

Statement at the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 

Interactive Dialogue with UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia

Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS

Thank you, Mrs. Vice President,

CIVICUS welcomes this new report by the UN Special Rapporteur and express our grave concern that there has been no tangible progress in meeting the benchmarks on civic space presented to the Council in October 2022 by the Special Rapporteur. Instead, the assault on civic and political space in the country escalated ahead of the July elections.

The benchmark to halt the use of draconian laws and criminalisation of human rights defenders was completely ignored as land, environmental and trade union activists were targeted. In May, union leader Chhim Sithar was convicted for ‘incitement’ with eight other union members for a strike action. Critical civil society groups have faced recurring threats of dissolution under the restrictive Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) while independent media outlets were forced to shut down or have had their licences revoked.

Despite the benchmark to end mass trials of political opposition and ensure a free and fair elections, scores of opposition politicians were convicted on trumped up charges while others were harassed and vilified ahead of the elections. The sole viable opposition party, the Candlelight Party, was barred from participating in the elections. In addition, the election law was amended, prohibiting those who refused to vote from running as candidates in future ballots.

In light of these violations, the silence from many governments, especially in ASEAN has been deafening. We urge the international community to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and ensure enhanced monitoring and reporting on the progress of the benchmarks presented by the Special Rapporteur. States should also call for the release of all detained activists and do more to support civil society.

We thank you.

 Civic space in Cambodia is rated as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor 

On 10 October 2023, UN Member States will gather in New York to elect 15 new Members to the Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 term.

UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, which created the Human Rights Council, urges countries voting for candidates to “take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights.” Council members are required to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” and to “fully cooperate with the Council”.

CIVICUS calls on UN Member States to duly consider the situation of civic space and for civil society in each of the candidate countries when casting their ballots. A number of candidates have disenabling civic space conditions, according to the CIVICUS Monitor. Attention should be drawn to countries rated as ‘repressed’, as civic space is heavily constrained and the work of CSOs in these countries is regularly impeded. We are deeply concerned about the candidacy of three countries rated as ‘closed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor: China, Russia, and Cuba. The CIVICUS Monitor ‘closed’ rating is the worst of the Monitor, indicating a complete closure of civic space, in law and in practice, where an atmosphere of fear and violence prevails.

We urge each of the candidates, as prospective members of the Human Rights Council, to protect and promote civic space, abide by their duty to uphold the highest standards in the protection and promotion of human rights, at home and abroad, and redouble efforts to ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society.

CIVICUS underscores the importance of free, safe, and inclusive civic space for the promotion and protection of human rights. On the eve of the elections, we highlight the key developments in civic space of each candidate country as reported by the CIVICUS Monitor.

African States

Closed slate: 4 candidates for 4 seats

Côte d’Ivoire – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Obstructed

Civic space in Côte d’Ivoire is rated as ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. In 2022, the CIVICUS Monitor documented fewer civic space violations compared to 2020, a year which was marked by a highly contested and controversial electoral period. However, challenges remain for civic space and fundamental freedoms. This has included the arrest and sentencing of 45 protestors involved in a peaceful sit-in for disturbance of public order in December 2022. In addition, journalists have been arrested and pressured to reveal their sources.

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Burundi – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Repressed

CIVICUS Monitor rates the situation in Burundi as ‘repressed’. While we witnessed positive signals, including the pardoning of 5,000 prisoners, including journalists and civil society actors in 2020, CIVICUS remains concerned by the situation of civic space in Burundi, the repression of dissident voices has had a chilling effect on civil society, human rights defenders, and journalists. The 2017 legislation on foreign non-governmental organizations continues to be used to restrict work of civil society. The lack of accountability for human rights violations, including those committed during protests in 2015, is particularly troubling.

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Malawi – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Obstructed

The CIVICUS Monitor has continuously rated Malawi’s civic space as ‘obstructed’. In 2022, despite significant opposition from civil society in Malawi and a court injunction, the controversial Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Amendment Bill was signed into law. This legislation risks undue restrictions of freedom of association, including by prohibiting NGOs from engaging in ‘partisan politics’, which undermines NGOs legitimate role in protecting civic space, including around elections. Protestors in Malawi have also been subjected to tear gas by security forces in recent years and those exercising their right to freely express themselves, including journalists, have been subjected to arrests under a variety of laws.

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Ghana – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Obstructed

In the recent report, the rating of civic space in Ghana was downgraded from ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’. Ghana was long lauded as a regional champion for its respect of civic space, in recent years we have witnessed the misuse of ‘false news’ regulations to detain journalists, increasing physical attacks against journalists and excessive use of force against protesters. The safety of journalists in Ghana must be upheld and ensuring accountability for perpetrators of these attacks remains crucial. Increasing violations against LGBTQI+ people and progression of a draconian anti-LGBTQI+ bill is also gravely concerning, in addition to criminalising persons identifying as LGBTQI+, it would also criminalise advocacy for LGBTQI+ rights. 

Asia and the Pacific States

Closed slate: 4 candidates for 4 seats

Kuwait – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Repressed

Since 2018, Kuwait has been consistently rated as ‘repressed’ by CIVICUS Monitor. Systematic prosecution of online activists on the grounds of “intentionally spreading false rumours abroad on internal affairs” and the misuse of telecommunication continue relentlessly. Kuwait also continues to keep human rights defenders in long cycles of criminal litigation to harass and intimidate them. Bedoon rights defenders  continuously bearing the brunt of arbitrary detention and prosecution for gathering and using social media to advocate for the rights of the Bedoon stateless community. 

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China – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Closed

Civic space in China has continuously been rated as ‘closed’ by the CIVICUS monitor. Vaguely worded national security and public order laws have enabled China to crackdown on civil society organizations and detain journalists and human rights defenders including in Hong Kong. Human rights defenders also face travel bans, surveillance and social media restrictions. There is pervasive censorship, online and offline, and severe restrictions on media freedom. Protests are tightly controlled and if they occur the authorities quickly mobilise to disrupt them and crackdown on protesters.  Systematic repression against minorities, in particular Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans, through the misuse of counterterrorism legislation continues unabated.

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 Japan - CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Narrowed

Japan is consistently rated as “narrowed” by the CIVICUS Monitor. However, there are concerns about restrictions on media freedom. The Broadcast Act provides the government power to regulate the content of public broadcasts while the broad definition of ‘information’ in the Designated Secrets Protection Act has created a chilling effect for journalists and led to self-censorship.  There have also been unjustifiable and disproportionate restrictions on protests, including excessive use of force and surveillance of protesters, especially in Okinawa.

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Indonesia - CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Obstructed

The CIVICUS Monitor rating of Indonesia as “obstructed” has not changed since 2018. There have been reports of arrest, harassment and criminalisation of human rights defenders and journalists as well as physical and digital attacks while defamation laws have been increasingly used to silence online dissent. Protests have been met with arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force by the police. There is a higher level of repression in the Papua region especially against pro-independence activists with many facing harassment, intimidation and prosecution and protests in Papua often forcibly dispersed and subjected to unnecessary use of force. A new Indonesian Criminal Code, adopted in 2022, contains numerous problematic provisions including the criminalisation of insults against the government and public authorities as well as peaceful protests without notification.

Central and Eastern European States

Competitive slate: 3 candidates for 2 seats

Russia – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Closed

In 2022, restrictions on civic space in Russia further intensified since its full-scale war on Ukraine, which led to the country’s rating being downgraded from ‘repressed’ to ‘closed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor in March 2023. Nationwide anti-war protests have been violently repressed and thousands of protestors detained.  Freedom of the media continues to be repressed, including through blocking of news sites and human rights organisations continue to be shut down. Last month, the UN Special Rapporteur on Russia highlighted how the often-violent enforcement of laws has resulted in a systematic crackdown on civil society organizations that has closed civic space and independent media.

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 Albania – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Narrowed

Civic space in Albania has continuously been rated as ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. We are concerned about the state of press freedom in the country, with journalists facing threats from both police and organised crime. Impunity for attacks, combined with political attempts to discredit journalists, has created a deteriorating climate for freedom of expression. Restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly have also been recorded. According to data from local civil society, in March 2022, hundreds of participants in widespread cost of living protests were arrested, in violation of Albanian law and international practices, with reports of violence and improper conduct by police.

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 Bulgaria – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Narrowed

The situation for civic space in Bulgaria has consistently been rated as ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. We are encouraged by efforts in draft amendments seeking to remove the harmful provisions related to defamation of public officials, and underscore the need for legislation to fully respect freedom of expression. This is especially relevant given the prevalence of SLAPPs in Bulgaria, a trend numerous press freedom watchdogs have drawn attention to. Regional civic space monitors have highlighted concerns with the Foreign Registration Bill, filed in 2022, which would severely impact the work of civil society, and which has drawn comparisons to Russia’s so-called “foreign agent law”.

Latin American and Caribbean States

Competitive slate: 4 candidates for 3 seats

Brazil – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Obstructed

Brazil’s civic space has consistently been rated as ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Human rights defenders and journalists in Brazil face severe violence, including harassment, targeting, and killings. Indigenous, environmental and land rights defenders are frequently and systematically targeted, as highlighted by a UN Special Rapporteur. Journalists and media workers faced attacks, persecution and judicial censorship. In addition, there have been documented cases of sexual violence directed towards women and LGBTQI+ journalists. We note the adoption of administrative procedures to address press freedom in 2023 as a positive step.

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 Peru – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Obstructed

From 2018, rating of civic space in Peru as ‘obstructed’ in the CIVICUS Monitor has been consistent. There has been a rapid decline in civic freedoms since December 2022. Despite assurances by the President, concerns remain regarding the disproportionate, indiscriminate, and brutal force used against protestors. Political polarisation has contributed to a climate of hostility against the press, with journalists facing physical attacks by supporters of public officials across the political spectrum. Efforts to increase penalties for defamation seriously threaten freedom of expression and freedom of the media. Human rights organisations and defenders have also faced an escalation in harassment and attacks by extremist groups linked with the far-right.

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Dominican Republic – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Narrowed

Since 2019, the situation for civic space has been rated as ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Reports of illegal surveillance of a journalist investigating alleged corruption are particularly concerning, both the IACHR and UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression have called for an investigation. Such actions may lead to information sources being deterred from reporting internal human rights concerns, ultimately stifling freedom of expression. There are concerns about the abuses against Haitian migrants and the deprivation of the national identity of Dominicans of Haitian descent, which has undermined the access to economic, political, and social rights in the country.

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Cuba – CIVICUS Monitor Rating: Closed

The CIVICUS Monitor has continuously rated Cuba’s civic space situation as ‘closed’. Restrictive laws, censorship and intimidation, unfair trials and surveillance are used to restrict civic space. Protesters are often detained and face harassment and surveillance due to their opposition to the Cuban government. The situation of press freedom is also worrisome, as the government banned the independent media and journalist from having spaces on radio and television. In 2023, the Law on Social Communication was approved by the national assembly, which gives power to the government to control and close media outlets. The new law has been described as effectively legalising official censorship to restrict freedom of expression.

Western European and other States

Closed slate: 2 candidates for 2 seats

The Netherlands – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Open

Civic space in the Netherlands is rated as ‘open’, the highest rating under the CIVICUS Monitor. However, issues remain for fundamental freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly, where force has been deployed against protestors. CIVICUS has also highlighted stricter treatment of climate activists when protesting, this has included arrests of activists. In addition, journalists and media workers continue to be attacked online and offline. The authorities must ensure prompt, independent and impartial investigations into such incidents and ensure accountability for perpetrators.

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France – CIVICUS Monitor rating: Narrowed

The CIVICUS Monitor has consistently rated France’s civic space as ‘narrowed’. Recent worrying developments include the so-called “Separatism law”, which came into effect in January 2022, which continues to place financial and administrative obstacles on civil associations. The increased administrative powers of this law to dissolve an association which acts contrary to the principles of the Republic has had a greater impact on the functioning of environmental and feminist organisations. In addition, the Council of Europe and UN Special Procedures, this year, expressed their concern at the excessive use of force by police during protests over pension reform.

Call to the Candidates

CIVICUS urges each of the candidates, as prospective members of the Human Rights Council, to:

• Uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.
• Cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as country and regional offices, where present.
• Engage with and cooperate fully with other UN human rights mechanisms, including Special Procedures, as well as Investigative Mechanisms as appropriate.
• Regularly engage with UN Treaty Bodies, including the UN Human rights Committee’s review of State compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
• Ensure meaningful cooperation with regional human rights bodies and mechanisms as appropriate.
• Fulfil their obligations under international human rights law to protect civic space, including by respecting the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, upholding the rights of human rights defenders and women human rights defenders, and creating a safe environment for civil society organisations.
• Implement laws, policies, and regulations to become champions in the protection and promotion of civic space and engage in the exchange of good practices and lessons learned with regional neighbours on how to create and maintain an environment that enables civil society organizations and individuals to operate freely.
• Refrain from and condemn all acts of intimidation and reprisals actors against individuals, groups and organs of society, including against human rights defenders who seek to cooperate, are cooperating or have cooperated with subregional, regional and international bodies.
• Urge other candidates, including regional neighbours with civic space rated as ‘closed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor, to fulfil their obligations under international human rights law and to protect civic space, including by respecting the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, upholding the rights of human rights defenders and women human rights defenders, and creating a safe environment for civil society organisations.
• Prioritise the revision and reform of laws, regulations, and practices that excessively limit civil society actors' access to funding and take proactive measures to prevent the expansion of restrictive legislation targeting non-governmental organisations (NGOs), safeguarding their ability to operate freely and advocate for and promote human rights.

For more information on global civic space conditions, please visit CIVICUS Monitor at https://monitor.civicus.org/. The CIVICUS Monitor rates countries according to five categories: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed and closed.

Statement at the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council 

Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

Delivered by Róisín Dunbar  

Thank you, Mr President, 

CIVICUS welcomes the High Commissioner’s report, and we share your concerns on ongoing restrictions on civic freedoms in the DRC.

We are encouraged by the adoption of a law on the protection and responsibility of HRDs by both legislative chambers, although concerns persist on ongoing restrictions on civic space. While the Press Law, Ordinance Law 23/009 of 13th March 2023 presents significant advancements in guaranteeing press freedom, it also provides opportunity to criminally prosecute journalists, including for sharing false news.

Journalists continue to be imprisoned. On 8th September 2023, renowned journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, was detained on accusations of ‘spreading false rumours’ and ‘disseminating false information in relation to an article revealing an alleged national intelligence report, which did not carry his name. Regrettably, Bujakera remains imprisoned, and his provisional release has been denied.

Furthermore, authorities regularly ban protests while security forces continued to use excessive force, including lethal force, against protesters.  On 30th August 2023, a protest in Goma, North Kivu, was banned by local authorities and led to civilian casualties of over 50 people. Four military officers were sentenced on 3 October for crimes committed during this protest. On 20th May 2023, in an opposition protest, ahead of the general elections scheduled for December 2023, police officers used excessive force, including tear gas and beating, and arrested dozens of protesters. 

We call on the government to ensure that fundamental freedoms are respected, including by reviewing all restrictive legislation, decriminalising press offences, and urgently safeguarding the rights of human rights defenders and journalists. 

Ending impunity for rights violations, including those against civil society, must be a priority to ensure sustained improvements for human rights. 

To this end, we call on the Council to maintain critical ongoing efforts towards accountability. 

Deputy High Commissioner, how can members and observers of this Council best support those on the ground to prevent further civic space violations?

Thank you