Interviews

Featured

KYRGYZSTAN: ‘True freedom cannot be granted by external forces; it needs to be claimed by people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the restrictive conditions for civil society in Kyrgyzstan with Tolekan Ismailova, founding president of the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society and director of the human rights movement One World-Kyrgyzstan (Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan, BDK).
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COP28: ‘Having a climate summit in an oil-and-gas country can jeopardise the outcomes’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Harlee Richards, strategist at Follow This.
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UK: ‘We engage in disruptive protest to keep the climate catastrophe in people’s minds’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mitch Rose, a volunteer activist with Just Stop Oil, about climate activism and its criminalisation in the UK.
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POLAND: ‘In reaction to conservative backlash, public support for LGBTQI+ rights is on the rise’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about 2023 Pride and Polish LGBTQI+ rights organisations’ response to the conservative backlash against LGBTQI+ rights with Annamaria Linczowska, advocacy and litigation officer at Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH).
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DRC: ‘Defending the environment means becoming the target of politicians and businesspeople’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Guillaume Kalonji, a youth climate activist and founder of Rise Up Movement DRC.
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NEPAL: ‘This landmark decision represents significant progress for all LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Sanjay Sharma, Programme Director of Nepal’s Blue Diamond Society, about the recent Supreme Court’s order to register same-sex marriages and civil society’s role in advancing LGBTQI+ rights in the country.
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AI REGULATION: ‘There must be a balance between promoting innovation and protecting rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Nadia Benaissa, legal policy advisor at Bits of Freedom, about the risks artificial intelligence (AI) poses to human rights and the role civil society is playing in developing a legal framework for AI governance.
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SPAIN: ‘The LGBTQI+ community fears both legal and social backlash’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ people in the context of Spain’s election with Emilio de Benito, spokesperson for Health and Seniors of the LGTB+ Collective of Madrid (COGAM).
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HONG KONG: ‘Any activism that the government dislikes can be deemed a national security violation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the persecution faced by Hong Kong activists in exile with Anouk Wear, research and policy adviser at Hong Kong Watch.
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TURKEY: ‘For the embattled LGBTQI+ movement, simply persisting in taking to the streets is an achievement’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about 2023 Pride and the civil society response to the Turkish government’s anti-LGBTQI+ campaign with Damla Umut Uzun, international relations and fundraising officer at Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL).
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ANGOLA: ‘The untrue government narrative reveals an aversion to civil society denouncing malpractice’

Interviews
 PORTUGUESE CIVICUS discusses the state of civic space and the new restrictions being imposed on civil society in Angola with Emilio José Manuel, focal point for Angola of the Lusophone Platform for Human Rights and founding member of the Working Group for Human Rights Monitoring in Angola (GTMDH).
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ESTONIA: ‘Legal changes deepen the cultural shift favourable to LGBTQI+ rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civil society’s role in the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in Estonia with Kelly Grossthal, head of strategic litigation at the Estonian Human Rights Centre (EHRC).
Featured

FINLAND: ‘We’ll have the most right-wing government since the 1930s’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Finland’s new government with Silla Ristimäki, development policy specialist at Fingo.
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GUATEMALA: ‘Our democracy is at risk in the hands of political-criminal networks’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Evelyn Recinos Contreras about Guatemala’s general elections – where a candidate promising reform has surprisingly made the second round of the presidential race – and the prospects for democratic change and opening up civic space.
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GERMANY: ‘Our street blockades hurt society the least and put no one’s life in danger’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Zoe Ruge of Last Generation about climate activism and its criminalisation in Germany.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘People deeply understand that rights and liberties are won through protest’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with David Mejia-Canales, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), about anti-protest legislation being introduced in states across Australia and its impact on civil society activism.
Featured

ANGOLA: ‘The new NGO Law is just a way of legalising the government’s arrogance and excesses’

Interviews
PORTUGUESE CIVICUS discusses the state of civic space and the new restrictions being imposed on the work of Angolan civil society with Godinho Cristóvão, a jurist, human rights defender and executive director of the association Movimento de Defensores de Direitos Humanos de Angola (Movement of Human Rights Defenders of Angola, KUTAKESA).
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GUATEMALA: ‘These elections are key because they give us a chance to take a different path’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Jordán Rodas Andrade about Guatemala’s general elections – where a candidate promising reform has surprisingly made the second round of the presidential race – and the prospects for democratic change and opening up civic space.
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SIERRA LEONE: ‘Civil society plays a crucial role in ensuring free and fair elections’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Sierra Leone’s 24 June general election with John Caulker, founder and executive director of Fambul Tok.
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COP28: ‘We are worried that the host country, the United Arab Emirates, restricts civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Gideon Abraham Sanago, Climate Coordinator with the Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Organizations’ Forum (PINGOs Forum).
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COP28: ‘Political momentum should translate into adequately funded collective action’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Caroline Owashaba, an eco-feminist and gender inclusion specialist and Executive Director of Action for Youth Development Uganda (ACOYDE).

UNITED STATES: ‘Every country should do their part to welcome people in need’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about new US immigration regulations with Aaron Nodjomian-Escajeda, policy analyst on asylum and human trafficking at the U.
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LITHUANIA: ‘Civil society must humanise the public narrative around irregular migration’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a new law enabling pushbacks of asylum seekers at the Belarus-Lithuania border with Mėta Adutavičiūtė, head of Advocacy at the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI).
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SRI LANKA: ‘We’ve held Pride celebrations since 2004; we’re very proud of what we have achieved’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the status of LGBTQI+ rights and progress being made towards decriminalising homosexuality in Sri Lanka with Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, founder and Executive Director of EQUAL GROUND.
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NORTHERN CYPRUS: ‘Civil society is not involved in decision-making and is considered a nuisance’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Derya Beyatlı, Director of the Human Rights Platform, about the space for civil society in Northern Cyprus and the prospects for reunification in the context of the 2023 Cyprus and Turkish presidential elections.
Featured

UN CYBERCRIME TREATY: ‘Civil society is fact-checking the arguments made by states’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Ian Tennant about the importance of safeguarding human rights in the ongoing process to draft a United Nations (UN) Cybercrime Treaty.
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UGANDA: ‘Shrinking civic space means affected communities are not able to make their voices count’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the hopes and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Ireen Twongirwe, a climate activist and CEO of Women for Green Economy Movement Uganda (WoGEM).
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THAILAND: ‘People understood election monitoring was important to ensure checks and balances’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the 14 May election in Thailand with Yingcheep Atchanont, executive director of Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw).
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UN CYBERCRIME TREATY: ‘This is not about protecting states but about protecting people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Stéphane Duguin about the weaponisation of technology and progress being made towards a United Nations (UN) Cybercrime Treaty.
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CAMEROON: ‘Communities must benefit from what comes from their land’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the aspirations and roles of civil society at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit with Estelle Ewoule Lobé, co-founder of the Cameroonian civil society organisation (CSO) Action for the protection of environmental refugees and internally displaced people in Africa (APADIME).
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ASEAN: ‘There is a lack of a consistent approach and political will to address the Myanmar crisis’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, a globally recognised human rights advocate and the new Executive Director of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), on the state of civic space in the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the regional body’s response to the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Featured

ITALY: ‘Accusing activists of vandalism is much easier than implementing renewable energy policies’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Gabriella Abbate of Last Generation about climate activism and its criminalisation in Italy, a country that has recently experienced both drought and devastating floods.
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TURKEY: ‘The government does not tolerate opinions different from its own’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with lawyer Eren Keskin, chair of the Human Rights Association (IHD), about the Turkish government’s attacks on critical media and the state of press freedoms in the context of Turkey’s current elections.
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HUNGARY: ‘The government is masking anti-LGBTQI+ legislation under the narrative of children protection’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the Hungarian government’s anti-LGBTQI+ campaign with Imre Zsoldos of the Hungarian LGBT Alliance.
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TURKEY: ‘All critical voices are repressed under the pretext of combating disinformation’

Interviews
In the run-up to Turkey’s general election, CIVICUS speaks with Fatih Polat, editor-in-chief of Evrensel, about the state of press freedoms and the Turkish government’s attacks on critical media.
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PARAGUAY: ‘Very tough years are ahead for civil society that promotes human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS discusses Paraguay’s recent general election with Marta Ferrara, executive director of Seeds for Democracy (Semillas para la Democracia).
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UN RESOLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘The climate crisis is a human rights crisis’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Hailey Campbell about the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the environment, which enables the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on states’ obligations to address climate change.
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SINGAPORE: ‘Being a human rights lawyer has had a huge personal cost’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate M.
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GUATEMALA: ‘Judicial harassment and criminal prosecution have wearing effects’

Interviews
On World Press Freedom Day, CIVICUS speaks with Carlos Ernesto Choc, a Q’eqchi’ Mayan journalist with almost two decades of experience, about the criminalisation of journalism and the media in Guatemala.
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THE NETHERLANDS: ‘People are beginning to realise that we need real and systemic change’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Sieger Sloot, an actor and climate activist from a Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion (XR), about climate protests and the criminalisation of climate activism in the Netherlands.
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UN PLASTICS TREATY: ‘It is up to civil society to speak up for the public when their governments won’t’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the progress being made towards a United Nations (UN) Treaty on Plastic Pollution with Aidan Charron, End of Plastics and Canopy Project Coordinator with EARTHDAY.
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PAKISTAN: ‘They put a black hood over my face and took me to the airport’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Syed Fawad Ali Shah, a writer and journalist from Pakistan, about the situation of journalists in his country and his experience of persecution, exile and deportation.
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KENYA: ‘We have concerns about state functions being used to dictate and define morality’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about LGBTQI+ rights in Kenya and the criminalisation of activism with Ivy Werimba, Communications and Advocacy Officer at galck+.
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ISRAEL: ‘We dream of hundreds of thousands demonstrating for democracy, equality and human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about current protests against judicial changes in Israel with Debbie Gild-Hayo, Director of Public Advocacy of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
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UN PLASTICS TREATY: ‘Human health and the environment must come first’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the progress being made towards a United Nations (UN) Treaty on Plastic Pollution with Vito Buonsante, an environmental health lawyer and technical and policy advisor at the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN).
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GREECE: ‘The criminalisation of solidarity has had a chilling effect’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Melina Spathari, Director of Strategy and Programmes at HumanRights360 (HR360), about the prosecution of civil society activists working with migrants and refugees in Greece.
Featured

EL SALVADOR: ‘Rather than a real security policy, what the government has is an electoral strategy’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the one-year state of emergency in El Salvador with César Artiga, founder and coordinator of the National Promoting Team of the Escazú Agreement and of the National Promoting Group for Resolution 2250 on the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.
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MOLDOVA: ‘There are attempts to replace the pro-European government with a pro-Kremlin puppet regime’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about recent political changes in Moldova in the context of the global energy crisis with Victoria Nemerenco, coordinator of the Europeanization, Foreign and Security Policy Program at the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE).
Featured

BELARUS: ‘There is a pro-democracy civil society that opposes the war and advocates for democratic reforms’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Anastasiya Vasilchuk of Viasna about the escalating repression and criminalisation of civil society in Belarus.
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GEORGIA: ‘Civil society must be ready for any further regressive move the government attempts’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Georgian civil society’s successful campaign against the draft Agents of Foreign Influence Law with Nino Ugrekhelidze, co-founder of the CEECCNA (Central Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central and North Asia) Collaborative Fund, and Guram Imnadze, Director of the Democracy and Justice Programme of the Social Justice Center.

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