Interviews

Featured

UNITED NATIONS: ‘The power of anti-rights groups is growing; difficult times lie ahead’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Tamara Adrián, founder and director of DIVERLEX-Diversity and Equality Through Law, about the successful civil society campaign for the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations’ (UN) Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity.
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EGYPT: ‘Women’s rights are not a priority in the government’s agenda’

Interviews
Content warning: this interview contains references to sexual assault, rape and femicide.
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BANGLADESH: ‘Civil society made a lot of efforts to stop Japan financing the Matarbari project’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the cancellation of the Matarbari 2 coal-fired power plant project in Bangladesh with Sharif Jamil, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA), a platform that organises civil society movements against environmental degradation.
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‘Due to closed civic space, it is difficult to build the resilience of communities inside the country’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Helen Kidan, executive member of the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR), about 20 years of crackdown by the Eritrean government and continuing human rights violations.
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CAMEROON: ‘Indigenous people should be at the forefront of our own movement and speak for ourselves’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Cameroon with Barrister Unusa Karimu, board member of Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA).
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SPAIN: ‘We demand legal and safe channels for migration; attempts to stop it will only cause more suffering’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Solidary Wheels about the deadly consequences of European governments’ anti-migrant policies, in light of the deaths of migrants at an attempted crossing of the Spain-Morocco border on 24 June.
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Pakistan:‘International support to civil society must come with understanding of our political & societal context’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the political situation in Pakistan since the removal of its Prime Minister Imran Khan with journalist and researcher Rabia Mehmood.
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MONGOLIA: ‘The government makes decisions without proper consultation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with two civil society activists, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, about restrictions experienced by civil society in Mongolia and proposed new laws affecting civil society.
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TUNISIA: ‘The new constitution will guarantee the president extensive powers, enabling further violations’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Tunisia’s 25 July constitutional referendum with Amine Ghali, director of Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM).
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JAMAICA: ‘We must establish a republic – where the people are sovereign and not the Queen’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the movement to make Jamaica a republic with Professor Rosalea Hamilton, founding director of the Institute of Law and Economics and member of the Advocates Network.
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TURKEY: ‘Civilian refugees should not be used as political bargaining chips’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Bassam Alahmad, co-founder and executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), about the Turkish plan to return one million refugees to Syria.
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BURUNDI: ‘Our right to be recognised and represented as an Indigenous community is being violated’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Burundi with Severin Sindizera, Global Coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Global Forum for Sustainable Development (IPGFforSD).

TANZANIA: ‘The human rights of the Maasai people are violated through involuntary assimilation and relocation’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the unlawful eviction of Maasai people from their ancestral lands with Joseph Moses Oleshangay, a Tanzanian human rights lawyer and activist for democracy and Indigenous peoples’ land rights.
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ROHINGYA REFUGEES: ‘We want to go back home in peace’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and youth activism with Maung Sawyeddollah, founder and executive director of the Rohingya Students Network, a global network of Rohingya students and young people based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
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COLOMBIA: ‘People are tired of the long hegemony of political elites who are also economic elites’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent presidential election in Colombia with Gina Romero, executive director of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (RedLad).
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VIETNAM: ‘Failure to address torture of political prisoners should trigger a review of trade deals’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Kaylee Uland and Jessica Nguyen, co-director and advocacy officer with The 88 Project, about the criminalisation and repression of human rights activism in Vietnam.
Featured

CAMBODIA: ‘No free and fair election can take place in the current political environment’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Cambodia’s communal elections of June 2022 with Lee Chung Lun, Campaign and Advocacy Programme Officer of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL).
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GLOBAL CAMPAIGN: ‘The future of work requires a shift away from a focus on time’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the proposal for a four-day working week with Hazel Gavigan, Global Campaigns and Activation Officer of 4 Day Week Global.
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SUDAN: ‘We are back to the situation that preceded the revolution’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about Sudan’s situation under military rule with Nazik Kabalo, a woman human rights defender (HRD) from Sudan.
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BELIZE: ‘Many laws remain that keep LGBTQI+ people as second-class citizens’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Belize and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Caleb Orozco, the chief litigant in a case successfully challenging Belize’s discriminatory laws and co-founder of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM).
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UGANDA: ‘Hate speech against LGBTQI+ people comes from religious, traditional and political leaders’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Opio Sam Leticia, founder and Executive Director of Queer Youth Uganda (QYU).
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THE GAMBIA: ‘Civil society works to ensure Jammeh and other perpetrators of human rights violations face justice’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the prospects of The Gambia’s former dictator Yahya Jammeh being put on trial with Adama Jallow, National Coordinator of the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victim’s Center).
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TURKEY: ‘Refugees are the perfect scapegoat in times of crisis’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Dilan Akbayır, a social worker who works with Syrian refugees, about Turkey’s plan to send refugees back to Syria and the rise of anti-refugee sentiment and racism against Syrians in Turkey.
Featured

USA: ‘The Starbucks unionisation campaign has sparked the imagination of workers across the country’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about unionisation efforts at Starbucks with Theresa Haas, director of global strategies of the labour union Workers United.
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PALESTINE: ‘They label us antisemites or terrorists to silence us and paralyse our human rights work’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about civil society’s online activism against repression and oppression in Palestine with Nadim Nashif, executive director and co-founder of 7amleh: The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media.
Featured

ZIMBABWE: ‘Society is only starting to open up to the idea of living harmoniously with LGBTQI+ people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Zimbabwe and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Samuel Matsikure, programmes manager at GALZ-Association of LGBTI people in Zimbabwe.
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JAMAICA: ‘Laws that discriminate against LGBTQI+ people send a signal about our place in society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Jamaica and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Glenroy Murray, Executive Director of J-FLAG.
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NIGERIA: ‘People experience gross rights violations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Nigeria and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Olaide Kayode Timileyin, executive director of Queercity Media and Productions.
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CUBA: ‘All tactics used by activists have been turned into crimes’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about changes to the Cuban Penal and Family Codes and the government’s reaction to mass protests in 2021 with Marta María Ramírez, a Cuban journalist and autonomous feminist.
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ZIMBABWE: ‘We need CSOs to continue working and defending people’s rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a proposed NGO bill and the threat it represents for Zimbabwean civil society with Ernest Nyimai, the Acting Executive Director of Zimbabwe’s National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO).
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KENYA: ‘The government has put all the burden of addressing homophobia on civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in Kenya and the ongoing impacts of the British colonial legacy with Stephen Okwany, programme director of Talanta Africa.
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SRI LANKA: ‘They arrest us to stop us, silence us and instil fear in others’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Hejaaz Hizbullah, a human rights defender who was kept in detention for 22 months under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
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BERMUDA: ‘A right that the LGBTQI+ community enjoyed for four years has been stripped away’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent court decision on same-sex marriage in Bermuda with Adrian Hartnett-Beasley, a founding board member of OUTBermuda.
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LEBANON: ‘The political youth movement was a major pillar of the opposition to the ruling class’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent general election in Lebanon with Marwan Issa, research assistant with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut.
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LEBANON: ‘This election has brought to the forefront new voices speaking about rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent general elections in Lebanon with Lina Abou Habib, director of the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut.
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PHILIPPINES: ‘We fear the democracy those before us fought so hard for will be erased’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent presidential election in the Philippines with Marinel Ubaldo, a young climate activist, co-founder of the Youth Leaders for Environmental Action Federation and Advocacy Officer for Ecological Justice and Youth Engagement of Living Laudato Si’ Philippines (LLS).
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INDONESIA: ‘The Sexual Violence Bill is one step further in claiming the rights of women and children’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Nuril Qomariyah, coordinator of Perempuan Bergerak, about the Sexual Violence Bill recently passed in Indonesia and the key roles played by civil society.
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PANDEMIC TREATY: ‘States hold a shared responsibility to keep the world safe and must be held accountable’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Dame Barbara M Stocking about the need to develop a new pandemic treaty anchored in solidarity, transparency, accountability and equity.
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NIGERIA: ‘The federal government and ASUU at some point made it feel like our education doesn’t matter’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Benedicta Chisom about the current student mobilisation that is calling on Nigeria’s government to respond to teachers’ demands and end the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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NIGERIA: ‘The government is more willing to negotiate with terrorists than with striking teachers’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Olorunfemi Adeyeye about the current student mobilisation that is calling on Nigeria’s government to respond to teachers’ demands and end the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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INDIA: ‘We have achieved a historic labour rights win for female Dalit workers’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about a recent labour rights victory in India’s garment industry with Jeeva M, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU).
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INDIA: ‘Muslim girls are being forced to choose between education and the hijab’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent ban on the hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women, in educational institutions in the Indian state of Karnataka with Zakia Soman, a women’s rights activist and co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (Indian Muslim Women's Movement, BMMA).
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HONDURAS: ‘We must address the roots of the conflict: the handing over of natural resources’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the criminalisation of environmental, land and territorial defenders in Honduras with Edy Tábora, director of the law firm Justicia para los Pueblos (Justice for the Peoples) and coordinator of the group of defence lawyers of eight defenders of the Guapinol river who were recently released from detention.
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KENYA: ‘The denial of resources for civic education has been a massive blow for civil society’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the upcoming elections in Kenya with Paul Okumu, head of the Secretariat of the Africa Platform (AP).
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INDIA: ‘An effective civil society is essential for advancing human rights’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent ban on the hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women, in educational institutions in the Indian state of Karnataka with Aiman Khan and Agni Das of the Quill Foundation.
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INDIA: ‘The hijab ban is just another tool used by right-wing politicians to remain in power’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent ban on the hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women, in educational institutions in the Indian state of Karnataka with Syeda Hameed, co-founder and board member of the Muslim Women’s Forum (MWF).
Featured

AFGHANISTAN: ‘Our fight for accountability has become a thousand times harder under the Taliban’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks with Horia Mosadiq, an Afghan women human rights defender (HRD) and founder of Safety and Risk Mitigation Organization (SRMO).
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UZBEKISTAN: ‘Advocacy for labour and human rights is a marathon, not a sprint’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the recent civil society victory in eliminating state-imposed forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry with Allison Gill, a human rights lawyer and Forced Labour Director at the Global Labour Justice - International Labour Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF).
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UGANDA: ‘Our government cares only about profit, not people’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and its potential impacts on the climate and on the health and livelihoods of local communities with Nyombi Morris, founder of Earth Volunteers.
Featured

TANZANIA: ‘The government is trying to silence those who are against the pipeline’

Interviews
CIVICUS speaks about the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and its potential impacts on the climate and on the health and livelihoods of local communities with Tanzanian climate justice activist Baraka Lenga.

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