In advance of the 24th Session of the UN Universal Period Review (UPR), CIVICUS and its partners have made five submissions on restrictions on the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression and persecution of human rights defenders (HRDs) in Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone, Singapore and Somalia. The submissions provide a number of substantive recommendations to support the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society.
In Mozambique, CIVICUS and JOINT: Liga das ONG em Moçambique examine restrictions on the right to freedom of association including for organisations working on sexual minority rights and excessive and compulsory requirements to register an association. The submission also documents limitations in practice on the free exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.
In Niger, CIVICUS outlines concerns regarding restrictions on freedom of expression and threats to journalists and the media. We highlight the judicial persecution, harassment and intimidation of human rights activists particularly those who question the actions of the government and call for change. We make several recommendations on improving the environment for freedom of expression and for human rights activists to operate as stated in Niger’s Constitution and in line with its international human rights obligations.
In Sierra Leone, CIVICUS and the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) examine threats to freedom of expression and assembly and restrictions on human rights activists and journalists. We highlight the use of libel and sedition laws by the authorities to target journalists and dissenters. The submission looks at intimidation, judicial harassment and persecution of human rights defenders and particularly land rights activists. We provide several recommendations on how to improve the enabling environment for civil society in Sierra Leone.
In Singapore, CIVICUS and MARUAH examine the continued use of overbroad legislation to suppress freedom of expression online and off-line and censor independent media. We further highlight undue policy restrictions on the free exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly and association and the routine use of judicial harassment to silence online activists, journalists and protestors. The submission further presents a number of policy recommendations to address these and other limitations on the core civil society rights.
In Somalia, CIVICUS and the National Union of Somali Journalists discuss threats faced by journalists working on a number of sensitive issues, including public security. The submission further examines the perilous environment for civil society incited by the actions of the Somali Government and non-state actors such as Al-Shabaab.