News

Myanmar: Hold the junta accountable

Human Rights Defenders call on ASEAN and the international community to hold the junta accountable for grave human rights violations and atrocity crimes in Myanmar.
Featured

Global Call to Join a Diplomatic Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Beijing Olympics Begin Amid Atrocity Crimes Global Groups Call for Action on Rights Concerns
Featured

Egypt: Quash Verdicts and Stop Unfair Trials by Emergency Courts

We, the undersigned organisations, call on Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi to immediately quash the verdicts against seven arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, activists and politicians.
Featured

India: Ongoing targeting of activists under anti-terror laws for their protests against citizenship law

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are deeply concerned about the ongoing harassment of 18 human rights defenders under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in reprisal for their advocacy work against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019.
Photo by Adam Jones via Wikimedia Commons.
Featured

Amendments on the Media Services Act of 2016 of Tanzania

Global civil society alliance CIVICUS welcomes the commitment by the Tanzanian authorities to review the restrictive Media Services Act of 2016 and create a more enabling environment for media outlets and journalists.
Featured

India: Release human rights defender Khurram Parvez & stop harassment of activists in Jammu & Kashmir

Ahead of his upcoming hearing on 21 January 2022, CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the government of India to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Khurram Parvez.
Featured

Rights Groups in Indonesia stand in solidarity with the People of Myanmar

We, the undersigned civil society organisations in Indonesia, and organisations with presence in Indonesia, express solidarity with the people of Myanmar and condemn the ongoing grave violations committed by the military junta.
Featured

India: Halt judicial harassment of rights groups over foreign funding

CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, condemns the recent case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the Centre for Promotion of Social Concern (CPSC) and its programme unit called People's Watch on allegations of 'conspiracy' and 'illegal foreign funding withdrawal' under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976.
Featured

ASEAN: Refrain from legitimising junta and enhance cooperation to address human rights situation in Myanmar

Civil society organisations urge the regional-bloc under Cambodia Chairship to halt further measures that will bring legitimacy to the junta military of Myanmar.
Featured

Hong Kong: Restrictions on civic space increase as independent media outlets are forced to close

🇭🇰#HongKong🚩Forced closure of independent media outlets🚩Judicial harassment of #journalists🚩Further deterioration of civic freedoms & democracyWe urge the international community to stand with the people of #HongKong & call out these violations: https://t.
Featured

Algeria: Marked regression in human rights underscored by proliferation of baseless terrorism prosecutions

Arabic The undersigned organisations are deeply concerned and alarmed by the sustained repression of fundamental freedoms and legitimate human rights work in Algeria, including the marked proliferation of prosecutions on baseless terrorism charges against human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful activists.
Featured

Egypt: Release human rights defenders Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohamed El-Baqer and Mohamed Oxygen

Ahead of the Emergency Court verdict on 20 December, we, the undersigned organisations, call upon the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohamed El-Baqer and Mohamed Ibrahim “Oxygen” and to drop all charges and cases against them.
Featured

Bangladesh: Drop charges against Odhikar Leadership & stop harassment of Human Rights Defenders

Bangladesh authorities must end the harassment of Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, respectively Secretary and Director of the human rights group Odhikar, who have been targeted through the misuse of the criminal justice system, eleven rights groups said today.
Featured

Laos: Nine years on, civil society worldwide still demands answers on Sombath's enforced disappearance

On the ninth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned organisations, reiterate our calls on the Lao government to determine his fate and whereabouts and deliver justice to him and his family.
Featured

Philippines: Human rights defender Teresita Naul released after courts dismiss trumped-up charges

CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, welcomes the release of human rights defender Teresita Naul.
Featured

ASEAN must step up its efforts to address deteriorating human rights and civic space situation in Southeast Asia

Under the Chairmanship of Cambodia in 2022, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must meaningfully address the regressive human rights crisis in the region, including the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar, said rights groups at a webinar today.
Featured

Poland debates prison terms for abortion in new blow to women’s rights

🇵🇱#Poland: Today the Polish Sejm will discuss a bill which proposes a total #AbortionBan, jail time for having an abortion & criminalises those who provide assistance.
Featured

Honduras: Trial of Guapinol defenders begins as state continues to ignore calls for their release

The trial of the Guapinol human rights defenders begins on 1 December, after 2 years of unlawful detention.
Featured

Winners of the 2021 Innovation Awards!

Winners of the 2021 Nelson Mandela-Graça Machel Innovation Awards reflect the power of collective action.
Featured

Over 100 Global foundations & donors pledge solidarity with blacklisted Palestinian civil society groups

Philanthropic leaders urge governments to uphold democracy and human rights by protecting civil society against repressive policies More than 100 global foundations and donors, most of them U.
Featured

Honduras: Int. Law Experts file an amicus curiae brief requesting the cessation of criminal proceedings against the defenders of the Guapinol River

🇭🇳#Honduras: Together with ten other human rights organisations we have filed an amicus curiae challenging the unjust and arbitrary detention of the #GuapinolWaterDefenders.
Featured

Sri Lanka: Two years on, escalating assault on freedoms by the Rajapaksa administration

Two years on from the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, the state of civic freedoms in the country continues to regress.
Featured

Sri Lanka: Release human rights defenders detained for advocating for education rights

🇱🇰#SriLanka: Ahead of their trial tomorrow, the courts must grant bail to 5 human rights defenders detained for participating in peaceful protests to protect education rights, pending their release.
Featured

ASEAN: Cambodia Chairmanship Should Thoroughly Address Crisis in Myanmar

We, the undersigned organisations, call on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) to increase its effort to address the ongoing human rights crisis in Myanmar, which was triggered by the attempted coup in February 2021.
Featured

Five reasons why the elections in Nicaragua do not guarantee human rights

On 7 November 2021, general elections will be held in Nicaragua in the context of a deterioration of the human rights crisis that began with the repression of protests in April 2018.
Featured

A decline in civic freedoms is anything but ‘silly’  

UK Member of Parliament, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s belittling of the CIVICUS Monitor's Watchlist is further evidence of the disregard for civil society and citizen activism in the country.
Featured

The International Community Must Support and Protect Palestinian Civil Society

بالعربية As a group of 242 regional and international organisations, we express our full solidarity with Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders as Israel continues to escalate its attacks to shut down critical human rights work and silence opposition to its occupation of Palestinian territory and apartheid over the Palestinian people as a whole.
Featured

Hongkong: Civic space deteriorates as another civil society group plans closure

#HongKong: The closure of @amnesty & other civil society groups highlights the devastating impact of the draconian #NationalSecurityLaw on #civicspace.
Featured

Malaysia: IPCC bill is a step backwards for police accountability

Today, we—Amnesty International Malaysia, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Human Rights Watch—call on Members of Parliament in Malaysia to reject the deeply flawed Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) bill and move quickly to table a bill to establish a police accountability mechanism that is truly independent and capable of ensuring adequate police oversight.
Featured

Vietnam: Immediately release journalist and human rights defender Pham Doan Trang

  Ahead of her upcoming trial on 4 November, the undersigned 28 human rights and freedom of expression organizations today condemn the ongoing arbitrary detention of independent journalist and woman human rights defender Pham Doan Trang.
Featured

Poland: A Year On, Abortion Ruling Harms Women

Anniversary Marks Ongoing Assault on Women’s Rights, Rule of Law Women, girls, and all pregnant people have faced extreme barriers to accessing legal abortions in the year since a Constitutional Tribunal ruling virtually banned legal abortion in Poland, 14 human rights organizations said today.
Featured

Sudan: Stop harassing journalists and human rights defenders

🇸🇩#Sudan: Over the last few weeks, the Sudanese authorities have used criminal provisions which carry lengthy penalties to harass and intimidate journalists and human rights defenders.
Featured

Afghanistan: Assault on peaceful protests highlight deteriorating space for civic freedoms

Global civil society alliance CIVICUS condemns the excessive use of force and arbitrary arrests by Taliban security forces as they crack down on protests in Afghanistan.
Featured

Honduras: After two years in pre-trial detention, release arbitrarily detained Guapinol human rights defenders

🇭🇳#Honduras: Today marks 2 years since the pre-trial detention of the #GuapinolWaterDefenders for defending their land, water & environment.
Featured

Uganda: Lift restrictions on NGOs and respect freedom of assembly and expression

🇺🇬#Uganda: The closure & suspension of over 50 #NGOs is a new low for human rights in a country with a history of severe restrictions on civil society groups.
Featured

Myanmar: Activists behind bars

Following the February 2021 military coup, thousands in Myanmar have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, and attacked including human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, political and student activists, poets, writers, and monks.
Featured

Zambia: New government must lift restrictions on civil liberties

🇿🇲#Zambia: We urge President @HHichilema to undertake commitments for a bold human rights agenda & revive civil liberties.
Featured

Pakistan: Three years on, Prime Minister Imran Khan has overseen an assault on civic freedoms

Three years after Imran Khan took office as Pakistan’s Prime Minister in August 2018, global civil society alliance CIVICUS has documented an ongoing assault on civic freedoms.
Featured

CIVICUS stands with indigenous peoples and calls for a new social contract

#IndigenousDay: Across the world, indigenous peoples continue to face marginalisation & exclusion.
Featured

Thailand: Immediately repeal emergency regulation that threatens online freedoms

🇹🇭#Thailand: Joint statement by 1⃣7⃣ international CSOs calling on the authorities to immediately repeal emergency regulation that threatens online freedoms.
Featured

Cambodia: A year on, the persecution of human rights defender Rong Chhun and other activists continue

CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, calls on the Cambodian authorities to drop the baseless charges against trade union activist and human rights defender Rong Chhun and to release him immediately and unconditionally.
Featured

Indonesia: Unilateral renewal of Special Autonomy and arbitrary arrest of protesters in West Papua

CIVICUS and TAPOL regret the revision and renewal of the Special Autonomy Law in West Papua (Papua and West Papua Provinces), which further strips critical aspects of decentralisation and autonomy for the region.
Featured

India: Death of priest highlights persecution of human rights defenders under Modi government

"Human rights activism should not amount to the equivalent of a death sentence,” says CIVICUS, after receiving the devastating news that #Indian activist, Fr.
Featured

Eswatini: Respect democratic rights and stop violence against peaceful protesters

🇸🇿#eSwatini: Africa’s last absolute monarchy has been rocked by the largest pro-democracy protests in years.

Cambodia: Government must end the persistent judicial harassment of environmental defenders

The Government of Cambodia must drop the charges against Mother Nature Cambodia (MNC) environmental defenders and immediately release them, said human rights groups Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asia Democracy Network (ADN), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Earth Rights International (ERI), and Front Line Defenders.
Featured

Bangladesh: Hold security forces accountable for torture

Rights Groups Call for Decisive Action on International Day for Victims The Bangladesh government has failed to address widespread allegations of torture and ill-treatment by its security forces, ten rights groups said on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Featured

Malaysia: Authorities reverting to repressive tactics of former governments to throttle expression online

🇲🇾#Malaysia: Authorities have launched a systematic campaign to silence critical voices online.
Featured

French Separatism Bill threatens fundamental freedoms, warn civil society organisations

The proposed French "separatism" bill («Projet de loi confortant le respect des principes de la République») could threaten rights and civil liberties, according to French and European civil society organisations including CIVICUS, the European Civic Forum (ECF), Le Mouvement Associatif (LMA) and la Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH).
Featured

Bangladesh: No accountability for killing of Mushtaq Ahmed 100 days on

🇧🇩#Bangladesh: Over 100 days since dissident writer, Mushtaq Ahmed, was killed in prison.

The French “separatism” bill raises concerns for rights and civil liberties

Dear Commissioner Didier Reynders, Dear Michael O’Flaherty, Cc: Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Vice President Vera Jourová The French “separatism” bill raises concerns for rights and civil liberties: the European Commission must question France We, civil society organisations that advocate for rights and values, for the defence of civil liberties and the rule of law, and against any form of discrimination, are writing to raise concerns about the French “separatism” bill («projet de loi confortant le respect des principes de la République») currently under discussion in Parliament.

Sign up for our newsletters

Our Newsletters

civicus logo white

CIVICUS is a global alliance that champions the power of civil society to create positive change.

brand x FacebookLogo YoutubeLogo InstagramLogo LinkedinLogo

 

Headquarters

25  Owl Street, 6th Floor

Johannesburg
South Africa
2092

Tel: +27 (0)11 833 5959


Fax: +27 (0)11 833 7997

UN Hub: New York

CIVICUS, c/o We Work

450 Lexington Ave

New York
NY
10017

United States

UN Hub: Geneva

11 Avenue de la Paix

Geneva

Switzerland
CH-1202

Tel: +41 (0)79 910 3428