June 2011
Issue: 61

• Resources and Publications
• Civil Society Watch Alerts & Analysis
• Country Updates
• CSW Online
• Eurasian network updates
  
• Interview with a Civil Society Activist
• Good News

Welcome to Civil Society Watch 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!

Amnesty International World Report 2011
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African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies - Stemming the Tide: Arrests of Students and Youth Continue in Efforts to Curb Potential Organising Power (Sudan)
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Committee on International Control over the Situation in Belarus: Interim Human Rights Assessment
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FIDH: Bitter Winter in Belarus (film)
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UNESCO Publishing: Freedom of Connection, Freedom of Expression - Changing Legal and Regulatory Ecology Shaping the Internet
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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 Project of CIVICUS seeks to mobilise quick, principled and effective responses to events that threaten civil society fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

CIVICUS Eurasia recently brought Uzbek and Turkmen human rights defenders to the United Nations to present information on violations of freedom of expression to United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank La Rue.  Eurasia Coordinator Will Lasky is currently living and working with human rights defenders in the Russian Federation. Among other activities, he is discussing ways of connecting Russian human rights defenders with their counterparts in the United States and with universities.  He is currently blogging here: http://everyhumanhasrights.org/blog/?p=104 

 

UGANDA: Anti gay bill lapses as Parliament session closes
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Highlights

ORGANISATION OF AMERICAN STATES adopts resolutions on human rights defenders and the promotion of freedom of assembly and association in the Americas
Read more (pages 164 & 249)

Negative fallout of South African Secrecy Bill could affect entire continent: CIVICUS
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Civil society calls on Human Rights Council to act on crackdowns in Bahrain and Yemen
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CIVICUS urges international community to end "double standards" and act in Syria
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CIVICUS urges Belarusian authorities to end suppression of citizens
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CIVICUS writes an open letter on the Ugandan Anti-homosexuality bill
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Civil society coalition urges end to mounting crisis in Botswana
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Opinion piece by CIVICUS staff member Ciana Marie-Pegus on "corporate unaccountability and the sidelining of civil society" in the UN framework on business and human rights
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Opinion piece by CIVICUS Policy Officer Adele Poskitt highlighting threats to gay rights activists
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BAHRAIN: Activists convicted after "politically motivated" trials
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CAMBODIA: NGOs concerned about third draft of NGO bill
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GAUTEMALA: Concerns about repeated murders of trade union activists
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GEORGIA: Two killed in crackdown against anti-government protestors
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INDONESIA: Civil society activist deported from Jakarta airport for participating in an earlier demonstration
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IRAQ: Concerns expressed about "disturbing shortcomings and imprecisions" in proposed bill to protect journalists
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KENYA: Human rights defender investigating counter-terrorism measures deported
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RUSSIA: Member of human rights group 'Memorial' attacked
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SOMALILAND: Deep disquiet over NGO law
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SPAIN: 15 May Movement demands action on promised Access to Information Law
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ZIMBABWE: Human rights defender judicially harassed for "communicating false statements prejudicial to the state"
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Henri Valot has just rejoined CIVICUS as the new Outreach Director, although his relationship with the organization began in 2005 when he served as the CIVICUS Policy Advisor. In that role, he was involved with the origins of GCAP, the Better Aid Coalition, and the pivotal OECD High Level Forum 3 in Accra where CSOs were acknowledged as development actors in their own right. Henri brings more than 20 years of experience around international cooperation and development effectiveness, having worked on peacekeeping missions, with the UNDP, and most recently in Angola and Burundi with the National Democratic Institute. He is also a professor of political philosophy. We asked Henri for his thoughts on the recent citizen uprisings in Greece and Spain, and what movements like this and Arab Spring signal for how CSOs must adapt to the changing future of citizen action.
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