CIVICUS, a global civil alliance and the Asia Democracy Network (ADN) are extremely disturbed by reports that seven people have been arrested under a new security law for alleged seditious intent, including imprisoned human rights defender Chow Hang-tung, who has been detained since September 2021.

Agenda Item 3 – Human rights situation in Africa (with a special focus on shrinking of civic space) Delivered by Paul Mulindwa, Africa Advocacy Lead at CIVICUS The global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, welcomes this opportunity to address the African Commission under Agenda Item 3: Human Rights Situation in Africa.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights held a panel on 24 May 2024 at its 79th Ordinary Session to discuss the draft Declaration on the Promotion of the Role of Human Rights Defenders and their Protection in Africa.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance is disturbed by reports that a civil society forum on water rights in Bali has been disrupted with activists and organisers facing harassment and intimidation.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS), Focus on the Global South, Front Line Defenders, Asia Democracy Network are profoundly saddened and outraged by the tragic death of Netiporn ‘Bung’ Sanesangkhom, a young activist who peacefully and courageously fought for justice and monarchy reform in Thailand.

  We, the undersigned civil society organizations and human rights defenders, view with deep concern the creation of the Special Committee on Human Rights Coordination by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The second trial against the former head of the Office of the Special Prosecutor against Impunity (FECI) in Quetzaltenango, Lilian Virginia Laparra Rivas, will open on Monday May 6.

CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development and (FORUM-ASIA) and Asia Democracy Network (ADN), call on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately comply with recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on the case of human rights defender Chow Hang-Tung and to release her immediately and unconditionally.

The curtailing of freedoms essential for people’s participation and arrests and criminalisation of activists paints a bleak outlook for a free and fair presidential election in Venezuela, warns CIVICUS.

Amid a significant liquidity challenge at the United Nations arising from overdue membership dues, civil society emphasises the importance of Member States meeting their financial commitments to ensure the continuation of vital human rights endeavors.

Protests banned on grounds of protecting ‘public order’ and ‘security’ Authorities have resorted to excessive force in multiple countries, including the use of pepper spray, kettling and the deployment of police dogs Palestinian flags and scarves also widely banned European and international NGOs urge the Commission to act on restrictions The European Civic Forum, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, CIVICUS, European Network Against Racism and Solidar are calling on the European Commission to address at the highest political level the unlawful restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression imposed by member states since the dramatic escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine last year.

Arabic In November 2023, Majority World actors and community-based organisations published a letter to international partners outlining five principles to make convenings on locally-led development more inclusive.

  CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are concerned about the failure of the Bangladesh government in accepting key recommendations related to civic space as part of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council.

(20 March 2024) We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj.

Today, we pay tribute to Cao Shunli, and all human rights defenders targeted by the Chinese government for their commitment to uphold the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

View full report here.

United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on the conflict in Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York City on October 24, 2023.

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Hypocrisy by powerful countries undermined the rules-based international order and repressions against human rights and climate activists stalled or reversed progress around the world, says the State of Civil Society Report by CIVICUS.

On International Women’s Day, the undersigned organisations renew their call on Saudi Arabian authorities to release all women human rights defenders (WHRDs), women’s rights activists and their supporters who are detained in contravention of international human rights standards.

CIVICUS calls on the authorities in Equatorial Guinea to immediately release Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS are deeply concerned over the intensifying regression of Thailand’s civic space.

CIVICUS, Global civil society alliance, welcomes Burundi President’s decision to review restrictions on media freedoms and journalists’ rights.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS call on the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to dismiss the politically motivated defamation lawsuit against Soeng Senkaruna, deputy head of the Human Rights and Land Rights Section and Senior Human Rights Investigator of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), a member organisation of FORUM-ASIA.

CIVICUS speaks about the progress being made toward legalising same-sex marriage in Thailand with Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, an LGBTQI+ activist and Human Rights Associate at Fortify Rights.

CIVICUS speaks with Sarah Tak, General Coordinator of Klimaatzaak (‘Climate Case’), about a recent ruling by the Brussels court of appeal mandating drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium by 2030.

CIVICUS speaks with Nafissatou Maiga, coordinator of the Association of Young People for the Development of Sangarebougou/Women and Initiatives for Development (AJDS/FID-MALI), about the state of civic space in Mali since the 2021 military coup.

Also available in Danish COPENHAGEN/LONDON/JOHANNESBURG – The #FreeAl-Khawaja Campaign, SALAM DHR and the global civil society alliance CIVICUS call on Denmark to do more to secure the release of jailed Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja ahead of the anniversary of Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising.

Fås også på engelsk Danmark må styrke indsatsen for at befri Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja på årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain KØBENHAVN/LONDON/JOHANNESBURG - #FreeAl-Khawaja-kampagnen, SALAM DHR og den globale civilsamfundsalliance CIVICUS opfordrer Danmark til at gøre mere for at sikre løsladelsen af den fængslede dansk-bahrainske menneskerettighedsforkæmper Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja forud for årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain i 2011.

French | Kirundi  | Swahili JOHANNESBURG - Global civil society alliance CIVICUS announced on Thursday that it has added jailed Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye to its Stand As My Witness campaign, which advocates for the immediate release of wrongly imprisoned journalists, activists, dissidents and human rights defenders around the world.

  CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are extremely concerned about demonstrations this week aimed at intimidating two human rights organisations in Indonesia for their human rights work.

Restrictions on free expression and the use of violence against protesters following Senegal’s President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the February 25 elections are against the government’s human rights obligations, global civil society alliance CIVICUS said today.

Photo credit:  Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Asia Democracy Network (ADN) strongly condemn the conviction of Mongkorn ‘BusBas’ Thirakot, a 30-year-old activist and online clothing retailer from Chiang Rai.

ARABIC JOHANNESBURG / PRAGUE – The Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) and global civil society alliance CIVICUS call on Egypt to immediately free human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim from prison ahead of her 65th birthday on Sunday January 28.

Arabic The Egyptian authorities must immediately release Badr Mohamed, who was unjustly convicted in January 2023 in connection to protests and sentenced to five years in prison after a grossly unfair trial, said the undersigned civil society organizations.

CIVICUS, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and SUARAM call upon states to use the upcoming human rights review of Malaysia at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to call out its ongoing failure to fully implement previous recommendations related to civic freedoms.

  CIVICUS, a global human rights alliance and the Asia Democracy Network (ADN) call on states to use the upcoming human rights review of China at the UN Human Rights Council to call out its ongoing failure to fully implement previous recommendations related to civic freedoms.

  Azerbaijan’s ongoing brutal crackdown of journalists must immediately stop and those illegitimately arrested must be freed, said CIVICUS global civil society alliance today.

The acquittal of prominent human rights defenders Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar by the East Jakarta District Court for defamation is a positive development and triumph of justice over repression said CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance today.

15 December 2023: On the 11-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the Lao government’s continued failure to provide necessary information as to his fate and whereabouts and reiterate our calls to the authorities to deliver truth, justice and reparations to his family.

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  A year on from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim being sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister and forming a unity government, ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS believe there has been a  lack of progress in undertaking reforms to ensure better human rights protection.

We the undersigned are writing to you to raise concern regarding the decision by several European governments to suspend or review their funding to several Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations.

  The undersigned organisations, human rights groups, and defenders are calling for the Indonesian Government to end its judicial harassment against prominent human rights defenders, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar as well as to further protect all human rights defenders in the country.

We, the undersigned organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defenders Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj, who are currently being detained in Rohini jail in India.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately and unconditionally drop charges against youth activist and stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya.

  Arabic With the start of COP28 in Dubai in a month,  346 civil society organisations call on the Emirati authorities, UN and State Parties to guarantee an inclusive COP and release jailed human rights defenders in the UAE.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are gravely concerned about the use of disproportionate force during demonstrations led by the main opposition party in Dhaka on 28 October 2023.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on Hong Kong authorities to immediately end the repeated use of solitary confinement and free lawyer and activist Chow Hang-Tung.

CIVICUS statement at the 77th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights    Agenda Item 3 (Human rights situation in Africa) Statement on the situation of environmental human rights defenders in Africa Delivered by Paul Mulindwa  Global civil society alliance CIVICUS and partners under Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition congratulate the Chair, on your re-election for the 2nd mandate as the chair of the Commission, and we commit to a continued collaboration.