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Issue No 34 |
March 2008 |
Welcome to Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin, an e-newsletter of updates and analyses concerning civil society's rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression around the world. The Bulletin is compiled by the staff at Civil Society Watch, a programme of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. Please feel free to forward the Bulletin to friends and colleagues. We welcome your comments and contributions!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
FRONT
PAGE
RUSSIA:
A changing landscape for civil society
ETHIOPIA: Anti-poverty campaigners free at last!
ZIMBABWE: CIVICUS urged election monitors to consider civil society restrictions
ANALYSIS
Civil Society Index:
Global survey finds growing threats to civil society
Away from prying eyes: Protecting your computer from unauthorised access
GOOD NEWS
IRELAND: Criminal libel abolished
RUSSIA: New President supports increased role for civil society
KYRGYZSTAN: Restrictive religious decree withdrawn
AFGHANISTAN: Women's rights defenders encounter barriers and attacks
ARMENIA: Restrictions on protest passed
BELARUS: Freedom Day protesters detained and charged
CANADA: Indigenous leader sentenced
CHINA: Tibet protests violently suppressed
ETHIOPIA: Forced dissolution of teacher's association
GUATEMALA: Members of trade union attacked and murdered
INDONESIA: Protesters arrested for displaying flag
IRAQ: New NGO law being drafted
MEXICO: Draft laws could restrict civil society funding
SPAIN: Trade unionist killed
SYRIA: Head of media organisation faces libel charges
TURKEY: Professor sentenced for criticising Ataturk
UZBEKISTAN: Religious groups charged for illegal meetings
YEMEN: Anti-terrorism bill could restrict charitable giving
CIVICUS: Call for participants from USA, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan
CIVICUS: Call to implement the CSI project
RUSSIA: A changing landscape for civil society
An interview with Maria Kanevskaya, Director of Human Rights Resource Centre, Russia
Since controversial amendments to the Russian NGO Law were signed into law in January 2006, many flaws have come to the fore. As highlighted by numerous reports by Russian NGOs, the law has been shown to be unclear, burdensome and accompanied by disproportionate penalties. Maria Kanevskaya, a member of the nonprofit partnership Lawyers for Civil Society, and Director of Human Rights Resource Centre in Russia spoke to Civil Society Watch about the law and the shrinking space for civil society in Russia.
Read the full interview, visit: http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/FRONTPAGE_RUSSIA_No34.htm
ETHIOPIA: Anti-poverty campaigners free at last!
28 March - After a long two years and five months in prison, the two Ethiopian anti-poverty campaigners Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie were released from prison on the afternoon of 28 March. Our tremendous thanks to all CSW Monthly Bulletin readers who have campaigned on their behalf.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw/CIVICUS.GCAP.Ethiopia.PR.28.03.08.htm
ZIMBABWE: CIVICUS urged election monitors to consider civil society restrictions
20 March - CIVICUS called on the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) election monitoring team to monitor the elections in a manner which considered the restrictions on public comment, as well as the ongoing intimidation of the media, civil society organisations and individual voters.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw/Open_Letter_Zimbabwe_March_2008.pdf
Civil Society Index: Global survey finds growing threats to civil society
Sue Le-Ba, Civil Society Index Research Fellow
In examining trends affecting civil society, the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society (Volume 2): Comparative Perspectives finds that threats to civil society are on the rise in a number of countries around the world due to restrictive and poorly implemented legal provisions. Research Fellow Sue Le-Ba discusses these growing restrictions.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/ANALYSIS_CSI_No34.htm
Away from prying eyes: Protecting your computer from unauthorised access
Wojtek Bogusz, Front Line & Dimitri Vitaliev, digital security consultant
Personal computers help us to store and quickly access information. Some of this information may be private or sensitive. Without sufficient consideration of how you protect this information, others can read or even delete it without your permission. Read the third article in a series highlighting practical ways you can increase your digital security and privacy.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw_files/DIGITAL_SECURITY-No34.htm
IRELAND: Criminal libel abolished
19 March - The Irish Justice Minister has proposed to fully abolish criminal libel in Ireland, reports the OSCE. The Seanad Bill, after approval by the Dáil (lower chamber), is likely to be voted into law before summer. After its passage, libel and defamation will only be handled in civil courts.
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=2&language_id=1&headline_id=6948
RUSSIA: New President supports increased role for civil society
19 March - President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Russian civil society groups should have a bigger role in forming policy and holding the government to account, reports Reuters. "The voice of such groups should be heard in our society," Medvedev said. "There should be a practical mechanism for defending their rights and interests. Only in this way can our society can become truly harmonious."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL1990327420080319
KYRGYZSTAN: Restrictive religious decree withdrawn
4 March - On 25 February, President Kurmanbek Bakiev rejected a repressive decree that would have made many of Kyrgyzstan's religious communities illegal, reports Forum 18. However, many fear that the planned new Religion Law is likely to contain many of the same restrictions.
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1096
AFGHANISTAN: Women's rights defenders encounter barriers and attacks
7 March - In promoting their rights, women frequently encounter discriminatory laws, policies and practices as well as attacks on them as women and as women who are defending human rights, reports Amnesty International.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGASA110032008
ARMENIA: Restrictions on protest passed
27 March - The National Assembly passed amendments on March 18 which allow for extensive restrictions on public gatherings following "disturbances leading to the loss of human life," reports Human Rights Watch. The wording is a clear reference to the events of 1 March, when violence erupted between security forces and protesters after police had earlier used force to disperse demonstrators protesting alleged fraud during the 19 February presidential elections.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/27/armeni18366.htm
BELARUS: Freedom Day protesters detained and charged
26 March - Approximately 100 participants in rallies on Freedom Day, 25 March were detained and tried in Minsk district courts. The first verdicts have resulted in fines and minor sentences, reports Charter 97.
http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2008/3/26/5163/
CANADA: Indigenous leader sentenced
5 March - On 15 February a provincial court sentenced Algonquin community leader Robert Lovelace to six months in jail for contempt of court and fined him 50,000 dollars for his involvement in a peaceful blockade in protest of uranium exploration on disputed indigenous land, reports IPS.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41469
CHINA: Tibet protests violently suppressed
18 March - The Chinese security forces have reportedly beaten protesters and used live ammunition to disperse peaceful demonstrations since 10 March, Tibetan National Uprising Day, the anniversary of the Tibetan rebellion against Bejing’s rule in Tibet in 1959, reports the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
ETHIOPIA: Forced dissolution of Teacher's Association
7 February - On 7th February 2008 the court upheld an earlier decision which had dissolved the Ethiopian Teachers' Association and ordered it to hand over its property, assets and its name to a rival union which was formed in 1993 by the government – a union also known by the same name, reports Network for Education and Academic Rights.
http://www.nearinternational.org/alerts/ethiopia222008218.php?type=email
GUATEMALA: Members of trade union attacked and murdered
10 March - A member of the banana workers' union Sindicato de Trabajadores Bananeros del Sur (SITRABANSUR), Miguel Ángel Ramírez was assasinated on 2 March, reports the International Trade Union Confederation. Other members of SITRABANSUR and their families have also been victims of threats and attacks.
INDONESIA: Protesters arrested for displaying flag
19 March - Police arrested nine people in Manokwari, West Papua, during a 13 March demonstration against a 2007 law banning the display of separatist symbols, including the Morning Star Flag, reports Human Rights Watch.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/19/indone18314_txt.htm
IRAQ: New NGO law being drafted
3 March - The UN facilitated a round table discussion on the drafting of an NGO law for Iraq from 1-3 March, including participants from civil society and legal experts, reports the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. Previous versions of the law have been criticised for their lack of consultation with civil society.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7CDTCJ?OpenDocument
MEXICO: Draft laws could restrict civil society funding
March 2008 - A number of draft bills currently pending in both the Lower and Upper House of Representatives could require civil society organisations to route all funding through a government body. In addition, any organisation that loses its 'tax exempt' status would be required to transfer its assets to another organisation.
SPAIN: Trade unionist killed
7 March - Trade unionist Isaias Carrasco was shot dead on 7 March in front of his home by ETA separatist terrorists, reports the International Trade Union Confederation.
http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article1062
SYRIA: Head of media organisation faces libel charges
20 March - Journalist and head of the Syrian Centre for Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, Mazen Darwish, faces a military tribunal on charges of "libelling and defaming the state's bodies" for his article on the January 2008 riots in Damascus, reports Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo).
http://www.ifex.org/fr/content/view/full/91863
TURKEY: Professor sentenced for criticising Ataturk
19 March - Turkish professor Atilla Yayla has been sentenced to a suspended 15-month prison sentence for saying that Kemalism was "more regressive than progressive." He was sentenced under Law No. 5816, which protects the memory of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, reports BIANET.
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/91790/
UZBEKISTAN: Religious groups charged for illegal meetings
12 March - February saw continued punishments and attempts across Uzbekistan to halt peaceful minority religious activities regarded by the authorities as illegal, reports Forum 18. Charges included holding religious meetings not approved by the state and violating laws on religious propaganda.
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1099
YEMEN: Anti-terrorism bill could restrict funding of NGOs
15 March - Critics of a new anti-terrorist finance bill fear that it could restrict the work of charities and non-governmental organisations, particularly groups supporting peaceful resistance by occupied Arab people, reports the Yemen Observer.
CIVICUS: Call for participants from USA, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan
CIVICUS is developing a Civic Space Barometer to monitor the perceived space for civil society around the world. As part of this project, CIVICUS is searching for civil society actors (including individuals involved in the media, NGOs, trade unions and faith based organisations, among others) in the USA, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia to participate in a survey on the space for civil society in their countries.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/csw/civic.space.barometer-call.doc,
In Russian http://www.civicus.org/csw/civic.space.barometer-call-russian.doc
CIVICUS: Call to implement the CSI project (deadline extended)
The CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI) project is calling for statements of interest to implement the CSI project around the world. The CSI is an action-research project that has already evaluated the state of civil society in over 45 countries. Organisations interested are encouraged to submit an application before 30 April.
For more information, visit http://www.civicus.org/new/media/CSI_Call_for_Statements_of_Interest_2008.doc
CONTACT US
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CIVICUS is an alliance of members and partners in over 100 countries, dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action around the world. Civil Society Watch is a programme of CIVICUS, which seeks to expose, address and prevent threats to civil society's rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. For more information, visit www.civicus.org and www.civilsocietywatch.org
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in this bulletin are a reflection of those contained in the original reports to which they are linked here, and are not necessarily those of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.