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January - February 2015
Issue: 94



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!
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CIVICUS and partners analyse the space for civil society in Mexico
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CIVICUS and partners examine the environment for civic participation and activism in Armenia
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Amnesty International: 2014/2015 annual report
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Freedom House: Freedom in the World 2015 Discarding Democracy: Return to the Iron Fist
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East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project: 2015: Burundi at a Turning Point
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Human Rights Watch World Report 2015
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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



EGYPT: Releases jailed Al Jazeera reporter Peter Greste
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KENYA: Civil society 'celebrates' victory against Security Law
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CIVICUS and ten international organisations call on the UN to address restrictions on civil society in Azerbaijan
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CIVICUS and the Arab NGO Network for Development condemn escalating suppression of critical voices in Sudan ahead of April 2015 general elections
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CIVICUS and the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism call on Sri Lanka’s newly elected President to put civic freedoms and civil society participation at the heart of his 100 day plan.
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CIVICUS and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) urge Kenya to address restrictions on civil society ahead of UN Human Rights Council review
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CIVICUS, Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network and the Tribal NGOs Consortium urge the Pakistani authorities to see civil society as partners not opponents
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AZERBAIJAN: EU Special Representative for Human Rights urged to engage Azerbaijani authorities
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BAHRAIN: Citizenship revoked of 72 people, including journalists and human rights defender
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BANGLADESH: Hundreds form human chain to protest worsening violence
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BURUNDI: Jailing journalist raises concerns ahead of elections says UN rights office
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CAMBODIA: Court upholds conviction of 11 land rights activists:
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CHINA: Counter-terror law will further restrict and criminalise human rights defenders
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ETHIOPIA: Case of Zone9 Bloggers presented to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
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GUINEA: Leading Activist Savagely Assaulted
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HUNGARY: EU accused of failing people of Hungary
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ISRAEL: Activist Lina Khattab sentenced to six months in Israeli prison
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IRAN: Ongoing harassment against prominent human rights defenders Nargess Mohammadi, Mahdieh Golrou and Mohammad Seifzadeh
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KAZAKHSTAN: UN Special Rapporteur warns on using ‘stability’ as excuse to curtail rights, voices concern at surveillance of sources
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MYANMAR:  Activist beaten, blacklisted and deported
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OMAN: Call to release human rights defender Saed Jadad
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PALESTINE: Threat of violence silences journalists
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MOROCCO: Raid at the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) and assault against a human rights activist
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LIBYA: Journalists under constant threat by militants
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RUSSIA: New draft law further undermines civil society in Russia
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SAUDIA ARABIA: Lashing of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi
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SPAIN: Basic Law for the Protection of Public Security, a threat to the rights of assembly and asylum
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SYRIA: Mazen Darwish and SCM colleagues held for three years
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SUDAN: Sharp increase in media restrictions 5 weeks before General Elections
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TUNISIA: Blogger jailed by military court should be released
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THAILAND: Thailand – Killing of land rights defender Mr Chai Bunthonglek
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UGANDA: Physical attack against human rights defenders Gerald Kankya and Simon Amanyire
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USA:  Reporter jailed for linking to stolen data
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Civil Society Behind Bars

Soliyana Gebremichael, founding member of the Zone9 bloggers collective, speaks to CIVICUS about increasing persecution of civil society actors in Ethiopia
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CIVICUS and 15 NGOs urge the international community to pressure Bahrain to drop charges against Nabeel Rajab
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Interview  with Civil Society Activists

CIVICUS speaks to Ms. Chak Sopheap, Executive Director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, about continued restrictions on civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Cambodia since general elections held in 2013
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Hussein Magdy of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom speaks to CIVICUS about the ongoing crackdown on fundamental freedoms in Egypt
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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.

CONTACT US

EDITORS
Mandeep Tiwana
Tor Hodenfield


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

DESIGN, LAYOUT and DISTRIBUTION
Lerato Pagiwa


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Fax:+27 11 833 7997

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