Interviews

ACCESS TO INFORMATION: 'Restrictions are turning librarians into activists in a way they may not be prepared for'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Claire McGuire, Manager of Policy and Advocacy at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), about the role of libraries in defending access to information, cultural rights and democracy at a time of growing civic space restrictions.

BANGLADESH: 'The deeper change is that people are no longer silent'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the Gen Z-led protests that ousted an autocratic government in Bangladesh with Tasfia Tarannum Ridita, a student activist with Transcend, an organisation that works on LGBTQI+ rights.

SENEGAL: 'The new law criminalises not only LGBTQI+ people but also anyone offering support'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Senegal's anti-LGBTQI+ law with an anonymous member of a gender diverse and trans community network established in June 2020 to support LGBTQI+ people facing arbitrary arrest, discrimination and harassment.

GLOBAL TAX TREATY: 'Without sustained pressure from organised movements, the political space to win simply doesn't open'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses a proposed United Nations (UN) tax treaty with Jenny Ricks, General Secretary of Fight Inequality Alliance, a global movement that organises to counter the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a small elite.

DATA GOVERNANCE: 'Data belongs to the public; the state simply generates and manages it'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses open data governance and AI with Natalia Carfi, executive director of the Open Data Charter, a global civil society organisation that promotes open data policies.

PERU: 'For 20 years, voters have had to choose the lesser of two evils'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the outlook ahead of Peru's runoff presidential election with David Hidalgo, journalist and executive director of OjoPúblico, a Peruvian digital investigative journalism outlet.

NORTH MACEDONIA: 'A new generation of activists now exists where none existed before'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses North Macedonia's 2025 series of protests with Viktor Buchkovski, a lawyer and coordinator at the Health Education and Research Association and co-founder of the Who's Next protest movement.

GAZA: 'If civilians can get this close to establishing a humanitarian corridor, then governments can do it'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla on its mission to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza with Musa Roshdy, a humanitarian activist who took part in the flotilla.

MEXICO: 'The protests meant the public emergence of Gen Z as a force with a voice of its own'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Mexico's Gen Z-led November 2025 protests with Rafael Amézquita Castellanos, a lawyer and young activist from Guadalajara.

TOGO: 'A generation that had largely stayed away from public engagement has crossed a threshold'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Togo with Ahouefa Sossou, a human rights defender, lawyer and member of the Centre for Documentation and Training on Human Rights (CDFDH).

MALTA: 'Young people see the value in protecting women's health over enforcing religious doctrine' %

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the Women on Waves campaign to expand access to abortion with Dr Natalie Psaila Stabile, a reproductive rights advocate and member of Doctors for Choice Malta, an organisation that campaigns for the decriminalisation of abortion and access to reproductive healthcare.

JAPAN: 'Popular sovereignty means little if Japan is bound by US military decisions'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses anti-war protests in Japan with Koichi Nakano, professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo and a leading analyst of Japan's post-Second World War pacifism.

NIGER: 'Every external critical voice is exploited as evidence of imperialism'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses civic space repression under military rule in Niger with a political analyst with decades of experience in human rights advocacy, who has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.

LEBANON: 'The postponement of the election can't be treated as a break from democratic responsibility'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Lebanon's postponed parliamentary election with Dayana El Baba, Executive Director of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), a secular civil society organisation that monitors elections and advocates for electoral reform.

PERU: 'If authorities once again ignore the popular will, accumulated discontent could trigger a new outbreak'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Peru with an activist with a decade of experience in public mobilisation who has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.

TOGO: 'The connection between economic hardship and politics drove people to the streets'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Togo's Gen Z-led protests with Esso-Dong Kongah, a young Togolese lawyer and human rights defender who took part in the protests.

ESWATINI: 'US deportees remain locked up in a maximum-security prison without due process'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses US deportations to Eswatini with Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, a human rights lawyer involved in defending deportees.

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: 'A strong Secretary-General could revive the UN, but a weak one could oversee its destruction'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the candidates for the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General position with Aditi Gorur, coordinator of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign, a global movement that's pushing for a fair, open and inclusive process to appoint the first woman UN Secretary-General.

TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION: 'China feels emboldened to globalise its political red lines'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 with Barbora Bukovská, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19, a human rights organisation that works on freedom of expression and information around the world.

HUNGARY: 'Civil society's role is to ensure democratic restoration is genuine and inclusive'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses a change of government in Hungary with Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation that monitors democratic backsliding and defends the rule of law in Hungary.

BAHRAIN: 'The death penalty is being used as a tool of political suppression'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Bahrain's crackdown on dissent with Sayed Yusuf Almuhafdha, a human rights advocate and researcher affiliated with Salam for Democracy and Human Rights and the Human Rights Movement for MENA.

ISRAEL: 'The new death penalty law sorts people into separate legal universes'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Israel's new death penalty law with Carol Daniel-Kasbari, Senior Associate Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, a non-partisan organisation focused on conflict prevention and human rights.

BANGLADESH: 'Our biggest achievement was showing young people's voices matter'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the protests that ousted an autocratic government in Bangladesh with Lutfa Pathan, a young community activist involved in community organising, democracy work and volunteering.

PERU: 'The adult public and the mainstream press ridiculed our protests'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Peru with Jackelinne Ponce Paredes, an activist and lawyer specialising in human rights.

WELLBEING ECONOMY: 'The question is no longer how much we grow but how well we live'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the building of wellbeing economies with Simon Ticehurst, Head of Advocacy and Movement Engagement at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), a global alliance founded in 2018 to drive the transformation of economies towards wellbeing.

USA: 'The challenges have never been greater, but civil society's capacity to respond has never been higher'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Lauren Prather about declining trust in US elections and the role civil society can play in defending democratic integrity ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.

DJIBOUTI: 'The election was a ritual confirmation of permanent power'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Djibouti's presidential election with Adam Daud Ahmed, a political and security analyst specialising in governance, security and political dynamics in the Horn of Africa.

PHILIPPINES: 'A protest is one day, but organising is the thousands of conversations that make that day possible'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in the Philippines with Charles Zander, a 17-year-old climate justice activist from Bohol and youth campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines.

TANZANIA: 'People took to social media instead of the public square, where they might get shot'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Tanzania's 2025 post-election protests with Gabriel Karsan, a digital rights activist and internet governance advocate with over 13 years of experience in civic media and youth empowerment.

VENEZUELA: 'The credit goes to detainees' families, human rights organisations and the international community'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the status of political prisoners in Venezuela with Manuel Virgüez, director of Movimiento Vinotinto, a Venezuelan human rights organisation that works for citizen empowerment, democracy and justice.

KENYA: 'The energy seems to have moved from the streets to the ballot box'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the aftermath of Kenya's 2024 Gen Z-led protests with Ahmednoor Haji, a young activist from Garissa, northeastern Kenya, organiser of the Occupy Garissa protests against the Finance Bill and founder of the KESHO Alliance, a youth-led peacebuilding and human rights organisation.

UN: 'The NGO Committee must be reformed to facilitate rather than obstruct civil society access'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the workings of the United Nations (UN) Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with Maithili Pai, UN advocate at the International Service for Human Rights, an organisation that supports civil society and human rights defenders at the UN.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: 'The countries that need it most are the ones with the least influence over it'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the challenges facing the United Nations (UN) development system with Philipp Schönrock, director of the Centre for International Strategic Thought (Cepei), a Colombian think tank that specialises in global governance and sustainable development.

BULGARIA: 'We protested against a whole system of corrupt governance and state capture'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Bulgaria's Gen Z-led protests with Aleksandar Tanev, founder of Students Against the Mafia, an informal student organisation that took part in mass protests against corruption and state capture.

NEPAL: 'People used to believe nothing would ever change, and now they believe change is possible'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Nepal with Nishchhal Kharal, founder of Freedom Studio, a Kathmandu-based civic media organisation that provides creative and strategic support to social movements.

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: 'The current order could collapse, or it could be reshaped to work for everyone'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the state of multilateralism with Professor Waheguru Pal Sidhu, Director of the United Nations (UN) Initiative at the Centre for Global Affairs at New York University's School of Professional Studies.

USA: 'Civil society organisations are holding the line, they are not hiding'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Donald Trump's attacks on US civil society with Christopher Einolf, professor of sociology at Northern Illinois University and a researcher on civil society.

NEPAL: 'Voting on Discord was a very Gen Z way of doing politics'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Nepal with Abhijeet Adhikari (Abhi), a lawyer and political activist who took part in the protests.

ARGENTINA: 'Under the new law, workers have no real scope to defend their rights'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses recent regressive changes to Argentina's labour laws with Facundo Merlán Rey, an activist with the Coordination Against Police and Institutional Repression (CORREPI), an organisation that defends workers' rights and resists state repression.

AFGHANISTAN: 'The Criminal Procedure Code consolidates ideological and legal control over society'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Afghanistan's new Criminal Procedure Code with Wahida Omari, a human rights and legal professional specialising in human rights law, international criminal law and justice sector reform, with experience at institutions including the European Union, the International Criminal Court and the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights.

INDONESIA: 'We are building the country we want, brick by brick, even if we won't see the final result'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about protests in Indonesia with Thalitha Yuristiana, a campaigner and movement builder committed to civic awareness and environmental justice, and one of the people behind Bijak Memantau, a community-driven learning space that encourages people to learn, actively participate, organise and take collective action.

AI: 'African governments are using 'smart city' systems to monitor dissent and consolidate state control'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the spread of AI-powered surveillance in Africa with Wairagala Wakabi, executive director of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and co-editor of Smart City Surveillance in Africa: Mapping Chinese AI Surveillance Across 11 Countries, the latest report by the African Digital Rights Network (ADRN) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS).

FRANCE: 'Individual acts of violence will continue to be weaponised to normalise far-right politics'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses political polarisation and far-right mobilisations in France with Aldo Rubert Echevarria, a researcher at the Research Centre on Political Action at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

TUNISIA: 'Human rights deserve to be defended, even when that involves taking risks'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Khabir Moncef, executive director of the Association for the Defence of Human Rights, about the conviction of Tunisian anti-racist activist Saadia Mosbah and the government's growing repression of civil society.

HONG KONG: 'Independent civil society is being replaced with state-aligned structures'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the erosion of civic space and the implications of the 20-year sentence handed to democracy campaigner and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with Alric Lee, co-founder of Lady Liberty Hong Kong, a civil society organisation that documents human rights violations and advocates for democratic freedoms in Hong Kong.

ZIMBABWE: 'The government is changing the rules to keep itself in power'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Zimbabwe's proposed constitutional amendment with Narshon T Kohlo, a youth leader of the Constitution Defenders Forum, a civil society coalition that's mobilising resistance to the changes.

VENEZUELA: 'People once again believe they can influence what happens in their country'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the prospects for a democratic transition in Venezuela with Pedro González Caro, a university lecturer and member of the national coordination committee of Creemos Alianza Ciudadana (Citizen Alliance We Believe), a citizen platform that works for democracy in Venezuela.

CONGO: 'The result was already decided before polling stations opened'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the presidential election in the Republic of the Congo with Ivan Kibangou Ngoy, executive director of Global Participe, a civil society action-research organisation focused on democratic governance based in Pointe-Noire.

'The EU cannot position itself as a defender of human rights while being one of Israel's primary arms markets'

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with a member of 7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, about how European Union (EU) funding and technology exports enable surveillance and human rights violations in Palestine and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

AFRICA: 'The African Union must live up to its principles in practice, not just on paper'

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the African Union's (AU) democratic accountability gap with Olorunyomi Pauline Adedigba, a lawyer and Global Shaper at the Abuja Hub of the Global Shapers Community, working to strengthen civic space in Africa.

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