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Civil society working on women’s rights in Pakistan restricted by Council of Islamic Ideology

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Civil society organisations (CSOs) working to improve women’s rights in Pakistan are facing difficulties after the Council of Islamic Ideology has made several attempts to limit their work as part of their clampdown on women’s rights in general.

Worrying spate of attacks on independent media in Zambia

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS and the Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) condemn attacks on independent media houses and journalists in Zambia.

Tanzania: Stop targeting human rights defenders

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS urges Tanzanian authorities to put an end to their campaign of judicial persecution, arbitrary arrests and intimidation of civil society members and local communities opposing land rights violations.

We are setting our 2017-2022 Strategic Priorities! We'd Love to hear from you!

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This year CIVICUS concludes the implementation of its 2013-2017 Strategic Priorities (French, Spanish).

International Community must condemn Turkey repression

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   The state of emergency imposed in Turkey following the failed coup attempt is deeply worrying, say CIVICUS, Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC) and Global Fund for Women (GWF).

How South African civil society scored a victory for freedom of expression

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South African civil society recently succeeded in making the state broadcaster reverse a policy decision it had made concerning the censorship of violent protest images in news reporting.

Alert on Israel: NGO ‘Transparency’ Law part of wider trend to silence dissent

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On July 11 Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, passed a law to restrict the activities of civil society organisations (CSOs) dependent on international sources of funding.

Murder of Kenyan human rights lawyer an act to intimidate human rights defenders

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 In the aftermath of the extra judicial killings of human rights defender Willie Kimani and two others, CIVICUS speaks to Kamau Ngungi, the coordinator of the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Kenya about the implications this has for the human rights community.

Launch of the Leave No-one Behind Partnership

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The Global Goals for Sustainable Development offer an historic opportunity to eradicate extreme poverty and ensure no one is left behind.

CIVICUS Alert: USA: Investigate incidents and protect the right to protest

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CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, calls on the Government of the United States of America to thoroughly investigate instances of heavy-handed action by police officers in dealing with protests against the killing of black individuals by law-enforcement agents.

The international community must keep watch on Mexico’s violations of human rights

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CIVICUS speaks to Yésica Sánchez Maya about the recent repression of the teachers’ protest in Oaxaca and the situation of human rights defenders in Mexico.

Twenty-Six NGOs Call for Immediate and Unconditional Release of Bahraini Human Rights De-fender Nabeel Rajab, Prior to His Trial

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Tomorrow, 12 July 2016, the trial of the prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab begins.

Closure of Zambia’s Post newspaper a worry for freedom of expression

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CIVICUS speaks to Zambian civil society activist Lewis Mwape of The Zambian Social Development network.

Catastrophic human rights situation in Bangladesh

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CIVICUS recently spoke to a civil society activist in Bangladesh, who asked to remain anonymous, on the recent events in the country, including the recent killing of academics and bloggers and the implications for civic space.

CIVICUS Alert: Guatemala: Life-threatening situation for civil society activists and journalists

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In a matter of a month, a trade union lawyer, an indigenous land rights activist, and two journalists were murdered in Guatemala.

Addressing exclusion an urgent political issue, says new report

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Français | Español The 2016 State of Civil Society Report, produced by CIVICUS, provides a comprehensive `year in review’ as well as 33 guest essays focusing on the topic of exclusion.

Egypt: Civil society faces existential threat

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In recent months, civil society in Egypt has faced unprecedented attacks by the authorities, who are attempting to crush them.

South Korea breaching the right to protest

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CIVICUS speaks to Lae-goon Park, director general of Human Rights Center (SARAM) and a steering committee member of Coalition 4.

Core Civil Society Rights Violated in 109 Countries - Civil Society Watch Report

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The latest CIVICUS monitoring shows that in 2015 one or more of the core civil society freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly were seriously violated in at least 109 countries.

Repression hinders growth of civic space in Nicaragua

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Spanish CIVICUS speaks to the executive team of Coordinadora Civil, a national articulation platform formed in Nicaragua in 1998 for emergency relief assistance as Hurricane Mitch hit the region.

After the media, Sudan’s intelligence body clamps down on civic space

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In light of the recent crackdown on students protesting peacefully in Sudan, attacks on civil society organisations and judicial persecution of human rights defenders, CIVICUS speaks to a Sudanese human rights defender, who asked to remain anonymous, to shed light on the challenging environment in which civil society operates.

Despite violent repression, we continue protesting for change - Camila Rojas (FECh)

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Spanish CIVICUS speaks to Camila Rojas, a public administration student and the president of the biggest student federation in Chile, that of the University of Chile (FECh), about the environment for activism and the reasons why protests usually turn violent and are repressed in the country 1.

LGBT activists in Tunisia under pressure

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In this anonymous interview with CIVICUS, a Tunisian activist who works for an LGBT organisation speaks about the conditions for LGBT activists and organisations in Tunisia.

Papua New Guinea: Investigate violence against peaceful protesters

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS urges the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to respect the right to protest peacefully and condemns the use of extreme violence by security forces in PNG to supress demonstrations by students.

Environmental matters a risky affair for Kenyan activists

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CIVICUS speaks to Phyllis Omido, a Kenyan grassroots environmental activist about the challenges faced by activists for environmental rights in the country.

Help us shed light on the situation in Venezuela: Diana Vegas(Sinergia)

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Spanish  CIVICUS speaks to Diana Vegas, the vice-president of Sinergia, a Venezuelan organisation that aims at expanding spaces for citizen participation, providing a space for civil society articulation and strengthening civil society.

Joint Statement: Venezuela Should Revoke Emergency Decree

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DECLARACION EN ESPANOL The international community should press Venezuela to revoke the recent “State of Exception and Emergency Decree” that granted the government powers to restrict rights, suspend international cooperation for civil society groups, including human rights organizations, and limit the constitutional powers of the National Assembly, 125 human rights and civil society organizations from around the world said today.

Ethiopia: End use of counter-terrorism law to persecute dissenters and opposition members

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MEDIA STATEMENT The Ethiopian Government must end its escalating crackdown on human rights defenders, independent media, peaceful protestors as well as members and leaders of the political opposition through the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP) says a group of civil society organisations (CSOs).

What Argentina’s government can do to improve civic space

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  Spanish Fernando Bracaccini a lawyer and coordinator of the Area for the Strengthening of Democratic Institutions at ACIJ (Civil Association for Equality and Justice), a non-profit organisation, speaks to CIVICUS on the environment for civil society organisations in Argentina.

Alert: State of emergency in Venezuela

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS is concerned about the negative impact of Venezuela’s “state of exception and economic emergency” on civil society freedoms.

Resilience of Kyrgyzstan CSOs pays off as parliament throws out ‘foreign agents’ Bill

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Dinara Oshurahunova, of the NGO Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, speaks with CIVICUS on recently failed attempts in Kyrgyzstan to pass a foreign agents law and the civil society environment in the country 1.

Justice for Land Rights Activist, Sikhosiphi Rhadebe: Civil Society writes open letter to South African President Zuma

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Nearly two hundred civil society organisations from 74 countries, including South Africa, have written an open letter to South African President Jacob Zuma to mark the second-month anniversary of the brutal assassination of South African community and land rights activist Sikhosiphi Rhadebe.

Still a small window open to reverse China’s new NGO law

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In this anonymous interview with CIVICUS, a human rights defender working for a civil society organisation in China details what China’s new NGO Law means and its likely impact on NGOs.

Free Emirati human rights defender Dr. Nasser Bin Ghaith, on trial for online posts in violation of his right to free expression

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قراءة بيان باللغة العربية We, the undersigned NGOs, call on the authorities to immediately release human rights defender and professor of economics Dr.

Swazi monarch a barrier to a vibrant civil society

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CIVICUS speaks to Thulani Rudolf Maseko, a human rights defender and founding member of the Lawyers for Human Rights, Swaziland about persistent civic space challenges in the Kingdom of Swaziland and his experiences as a victim of the actions of monarchy.

Global Day of Citizen Action: thousands gathering in over 35 countries to protect their fundamental freedoms

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Today, citizens will be gathering in streets and squares around the world to exercise their fundamental rights to speak out, organise and take action on issues affecting their everyday lives.

Battle for natural resources endangers Guatemala’s CSOs

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Carmen Aída Ibarra (pictured) is the Executive Director of the Pro Justicia Movement Coalition, a grouping of citizen participants that brings together three civil society organisations fighting impunity in Guatemala.

Justice for Sikhosiphi Rhadebe

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As you may be aware, 22 May 2016, will mark the second-month anniversary of South African community and land rights activist Sikhosiphi Rhadebe’s brutal murder in the Eastern Cape province.

Azerbaijan: Civic space in focus as country is listed as ‘inactive’ by OGP

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Publish What You Pay (PWYP), ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS welcome yesterday’s unprecedented decision by the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to list Azerbaijan as ‘inactive'.

Alert: CIVICUS urges respect for civil society freedoms in Mauritania

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on the authorities in Mauritania to release blogger and freelance journalist Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed and overturn a death sentence against him upheld by the Appeals Court in Nouadhibou on 21 April 2016.

Activists honoured for their innovation and impact

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Bogotá 28 April 2016; Three activists from India, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone were awarded the coveted Nelson Mandela-Graça Machel Innovation Award, honoring their ground-breaking work on social issues.

joint letter to King of Bahrain on the arrest of Zainab Al-Khawaja

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Dear King Hamad, We, the undersigned Bahraini and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), would like to unequivocally condemn your government’s arrest of human rights defender Zainab Al-Khawaja along with her infant son.

Effort of Colombia’s civil society in peace negotiations not acknowledged

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Spanish       CIVICUS speaks to Carlos A Guevara coordinates the information system for Somos Defensores (We Are Defenders), a non-governmental protection program for human rights defenders in Colombia.

Weak judicial system makes being a human rights defender in Honduras risky

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Spanish     CIVICUS speaks to Rolando Bú, the director of the Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations for the Development of Honduras (FOPRIDEH), a civil society umbrella organisation that brings together 86 Honduran NGOs.

Still a long road ahead for Cuban civil society

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Spanish      Armando Chaguaceda Noriega is a Cuban political scientist and historian who specialises in the study of civil society and the political regimes of Cuba and other ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our Americas) countries.

A Human Rights Agenda for the next United Nations Secretary-General

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The new Secretary-General of the United Nations will inherit a significant array of human rights challenges, and must urgently deal with the capability of United Nations institutions to protect and promote human rights globally.

Media statement on Chad: Release civil society activists ahead of April 10 elections

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Ahead of the Chadian presidential elections scheduled for 10 April 2016, global civil society alliance CIVICUS urges the release of five arbitrarily detained civil society activists.

CIVICUS ALERT: EU must not overlook rights violations in Turkey

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Even as the European Union (EU) finalised its refugee agreement with the Turkish government, freedom of expression and civil society space continue to shrink in the country.

Joint NGO Statement Urging a Halt of Pre-Election Civil Society Crackdown in Equatorial Guinea

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Downoad: English | Español The government of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea should immediately cease its suppression of independent voices ahead of presidential elections, a group of human rights and democracy organizations said today.

CIVICUS condemns sentencing of 17 Angolan activists, urges their release

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The Provincial Court of Luanda sentenced 17 Angolan youth activists to prison sentences ranging from between two to over eight years on Monday for engaging in “preparation of a rebellion and criminal association.

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