Header

September - October  2014
Issue: 92



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!
To subscribe or unsubscribe please
click here
or email cswcommunity@civicus.org


Arab NGO Network for Development releases Enabling Environment National Assessment on Lebanon
Read more

Amnesty International releases report on Sweeping repression in the Oromia region of Ethiopia
Click here to download

Forum Asia releases report on understanding the role of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in human rights
Click here to download

Human Rights Watch releases new report on politically motivated imprisonment in Uzbekistan
Click here to download

Increasing Reliance in Surveillance Society (IRISS) consortium releases handbook on increasing resilience in surveillance societies
Click here to download

UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai releases report to General Assembly on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral institutions
Click here to download

UPR Info releases report “Beyond Promises: The impact of the UPR on the ground”
Click here to download

Voluntary Action Network India releases Enabling Environment National Assessment on India
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 Project of CIVICUS seeks to mobilise quick, principled and effective responses to events that threaten civil society fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly



TURKEY:  Court lifts arrest warrant for Turkish activist Pınar Selek
Read more

ZAMBIA: Government and NGOs make peace on NGO Act
Read more

Highlights

CIVICUS is hosting its International Civil Society Week in Johannesburg from 19-25 November
Read more

CIVICUS interventions at the 27th UN Human Rights Council Session
Read more

CIVICUS and partners make submissions on Belarus, Honduras, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives, and the USA to the UN Human Rights Council
Read more



CIVICUS, EHAHRDP and EHRP condemn crackdown on dissent in Ethiopia as journalists convicted
Read more

CIVICUS and CNIS call for Azerbaijan to end persecution of civil society and uphold Council of Europe Commitments
Read more

CIVICUS urges Hong Kong authorities to respect the rights of peaceful demonstrators
Read more

CIVICUS calls on Egypt to release activists
Read more

CIVICUS statement on restrictions on civil society in Cambodia following joint mission to the country
Read more

CIVICUS and over 40 organizations oppose amendments to weaken UN resolution on civil society space
Read more

CIVICUS and CEPO express concern over South Sudan NGO Law amidst deepening crisis
Read more

CIVICUS and more than 165 organisations call on King to release Bahraini activist Maryam Al-Khawaja
Read more

CIVICUS condemns NGO crack-down in Hungary and calls on the European Commission to act
Read more

CIVICUS calls on government of Bangladesh to drop charges against activists Adilur Khan
Read more

Joint submission on Sri Lanka to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)
Read more

Analysis piece by CIVICUS’ Secretary General, 'Fighting for change: better from the boardroom or the street'
Read more

Analysis piece by CIVICUS’ Secretary General on the need to ’Put People Power Back at Centre of Citizen Action’
Read more

 





BAHRAIN: Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al-Khawaja trials postponed
Read more

BANGLADESH: Government must act to protect Women Human Rights Defenders in Chittagong Hill Tracts
Read more

BOTSWANA: End use of archaic sedition law to curb freedom of expression
Read more

ECUADOR: LGBTI defender at risk
Read more

EGYPT: Egyptian Human Rights Organizations decide not to participate in Egypt’s UPR before the UN
Read more

ETHIOPIA: UN experts urge Ethiopia to stop using anti-terrorism legislation to curb human rights
Read more

HONDURAS: Harassment of LGBTI activists
Read more

IRAN: Happy Video Youths Receive Suspended Flogging and Prison Sentences
Read more

KENYA: Allow Rights Groups to Register
Read more

KYRGYZSTAN: Supreme Court refuses to review the sentencing of Mr. Azimjan Askarov to life imprisonment
Read more

LAOS: NGOs Say proposed guidelines would hamstring Lao civil society
Read more

MALAYSIA: 112 NGOs band together to fight Sedition Act
Read more

NIGERIA: Crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs to silence LGBT, human rights groups
Read more

OMAN: Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai at the conclusion of his visit to the Sultanate of Oman
Read more

PHILIPPINES: Death threats against human rights defender Mr. Benito E. Molino
Read more

RUSSIA: Russian NGOs tagged as ‘foreign agents’
Read more

SAUDI ARABIA: Systematic targeting of members of ACPRA and other human rights defenders
Read more

SOMALIA: Government clampdown on independent media houses and freedom of expression
Read more

SUDAN: Darfur Bar condemns closure of civil society centre in Sudan’s capital
Read more

SYRIA: 78 organizations call on the Syrian government to release imprisoned members of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.
Read more

THAILAND: Intimidation against lawyers and human rights organizations
Read more

UAE: Trial of human rights defender Osama Al-Najjar continues
Read more

VENEZUELA: Dangerous Inertia: End of street protests does not mean the end of Venezuela’s crisis
Read more


Civil Society Behind Bars

Prominent Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab arrested and charged
Read more

Take action to free Indian activist Irom Sharmila

Read more

Support the release of Emirati activist Osama Al-Najjar

Read more

Interview  with Civil Society Activists

CIVICUS interviews Turgut Gambar about the persecution of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan
Read more

CIVICUS speaks to Qamar Naseem about recent legislative restrictions on CSOs in Pakistan
Read more

CIVICUS interviews Bangladeshi civil society activist and Secretary of Odhikar, Adilur Rahman Khan
Read more

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.

CONTACT US

EDITORS
Mandeep Tiwana
Tor Hodenfield


COPY EDITOR
Lerato Pagiwa
P.O. Box 933
Southdale, 2135
South Africa
355 Lexington Avenue
New York,
NY 10017
United States

LAYOUT and DISTRIBUTION
Lerato Pagiwa


Tel: +27 11 833 5959
Fax:+27 11 833 7997
Email: editor@civicus.org

www.civicus.org