February  2011
Issue: 57



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!
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CIVICUS - Civil Society: The Clampdown is Real - Global Trends 2009-2010
Click here to download

Freedom House - Freedom in the World 2011: The Authoritarian Challenge to Democracy
Click here to download

Human Rights Watch - World Report: Governments Soft Talking Abusers
Click here to download

Global Call to Action Against Poverty - Journal of Hope in Support of Dr Binayak Sen
Click here to download

International Center for Not for Profit Law Special Report  -  Wave of Constraint: Recent Developments in Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras, Iran, Bahrain and Cambodia
Click here to download

International Center for Not for Profit Law - Global Trends in NGO Law December 2010
Click here to download

International Journal of Civil Society Law Newsletter February 2011
Click here to download




CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international movement of civil society with members and partners in over a hundred countries. CIVICUS nurtures the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. The Civil Society Watch Programme of CIVICUS seeks to mobilise quick, principled and effective responses to events that threaten civil society fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly.


The Eurasia Network has participated in two key advocacy campaigns over the last two months.  Working with human rights activists in Belarus and Russia, Eurasia Network partners have petitioned the OSCE for the institution of the Moscow Mechanism for independent monitoring in Belarus to address the crackdown on civil society. Additionally, the network has helped petition the European Union to use Uzbek President Islam Karimov's visit to Brussels to address human rights violations, including unlawful detention and torture.   



UN reinstates sexual orientation clause to resolution on extrajudicial killings
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UN Secretary General dedicates Human Rights Day message to the courage of human rights defenders
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Azerbaijan donkey bloggers released
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Highlights

CIVICUS publishes a report on the clampdown on Civil Society Space in 2009 -2010
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CIVICUS to organise workshop highlighting shrinking civil society space at the World Social Forum
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CIVICUS urges the International Community to unequivocally pressure Egypt's President Mubarak to step down
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CIVICUS urges Ugandan government to thoroughly investigate murder of gay rights activist, David Gato
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CIVICUS deplores the conviction of well respected Indian human rights activist, Dr Binayak Sen
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CIVICUS sends open letter to Venezuelan President over International Cooperation Bill
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CIVICUS condemns crackdown on civil society in Bahrain
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CIVICUS condemns attacks on election monitoring personnel, opposition members and protestors in Belarus
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CIVICUS and partners criticise OSCE Summit for failing to deliver
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Belarus: A 'cleanup operation' against civil society - analysis piece by Eurasia IDEA Network correspondent, Olga Zakharova
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UK police undercover: a dangerous subplot - analysis piece by CIVICUS staff members Adele Poskitt and Rowena McNaughton
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ALBANIA: Thousands join protests to demand resignation of conservative government
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ALGERIA: Civil Society demands end to state of emergency
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BELARUS: EU imposes sanctions against President and cronies in response to violent crackdown on protestors after controversial elections
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CAMBODIA: Concerns expressed over restrictive aspects of draft NGO law
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CHINA: Human rights defender Zhang Zhua abducted ahead of Nobel Ceremony
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INDIA: UN Special Rapporteur expresses concerns about the targeting of human rights defenders
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RWANDA: Media and civil society urge amendments in restrictive media law
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SOUTH AFRICA: Civil society urges government to ratify International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
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SOUTH KOREA: Human rights defenders convicted for organising demonstration without police permission
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SUDAN: Protests erupt against President Bashir's regime
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YEMEN: Twenty thousand protestors gather as civil society and opposition groups organise day of rage against the regime
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UNITED NATIONS: Governments remove sexual orientation from UN resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
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Civil Society Watch (CSW) Online

The new CSW Online system is up and running for all users! Register here for a user account today and explore the possibilities to report, discuss and collaborate on responding to threats against civil society in your country and worldwide. To help you get started using CSW Online download the User Manual here. You can also see examples of how users are already using CSW Online to report and track Threats against civil society in Rwanda, promote advocacy Action for an activist in Uzbekistan as part of the Civil Society Behind Bars campaign, and post breaking news Articles on the widespread protests in Egypt here.

Visit the site at http://www.cswatch.org/.






Pascal Nyilibakwe is the Executive Director of Ligue des Droits de la personne dans law region des Grands Lacs (LDGL), which works in the Great Lakes region of Africa and has 25 members in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, with the secretariat based in Kigali, Rwanda. LDGL monitors compliance of countries in the region with human rights obligations. Its main activities are based on monitoring the respect for national, regional and international instruments of human rights, and on advocacy around challenges raised in human rights in this region. LDGL produces a monthly bulletin and a report on the human rights situation in Burundi, DRC and Rwanda with a view to highlighting human rights challenges in the region and catalysing advocacy by civil society. Pascal was based at the CIVICUS office from October 2010 through January 2011. He discusses the situation in Rwanda and how he had to leave the country because of his human rights work.

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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.

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