During the 24th UNHRC Session, 9-27 September 2013, CIVICUS facilitated the participation of a number of human rights defenders to discuss the challenges faced by civil society across a range of countries. Through these interventions CIVIUCUS gave support to and provided a platform for civil society partners and members experiencing threats and intimidation to make a number of inputs into Council processes, including the UN Universal Period Review (UPR).
CIVICUS and its partner organizations made several oral interventions on Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Syria and Uzbekistan to raise awareness about restrictions on civil society and reprisals against civil society activists for cooperating with UN bodies including:
Joint statement on threats to civil society in Azerbaijan
Joint statement on the deteriorating environment for human rights defenders in Bahrain
Statement on continued harassment of independent media in Sri Lanka
Joint statement on harassment and imprisonment of civil society activists in Uzbekistan
Joint statement on intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders
CIVICUS also co-sponsored panel discussions on the on-going crackdown on CSOs and activists in Russia and Bahrain. The side events, panelled by a number of national civil society activists, examined recommendations made to both countries during the UPR process and discussed the continued invocation of regressive legislation to silence independent dissent.
Side event on the state of civil society in Russia
Side event on Bahrain’s implementation of UPR Recommendations