Today, we pay tribute to Cao Shunli, and all human rights defenders targeted by the Chinese government for their commitment to uphold the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on the conflict in Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York City on October 24, 2023.

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Hypocrisy by powerful countries undermined the rules-based international order and repressions against human rights and climate activists stalled or reversed progress around the world, says the State of Civil Society Report by CIVICUS.

On International Women’s Day, the undersigned organisations renew their call on Saudi Arabian authorities to release all women human rights defenders (WHRDs), women’s rights activists and their supporters who are detained in contravention of international human rights standards.

CIVICUS calls on the authorities in Equatorial Guinea to immediately release Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS are deeply concerned over the intensifying regression of Thailand’s civic space.

CIVICUS, Global civil society alliance, welcomes Burundi President’s decision to review restrictions on media freedoms and journalists’ rights.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS call on the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to dismiss the politically motivated defamation lawsuit against Soeng Senkaruna, deputy head of the Human Rights and Land Rights Section and Senior Human Rights Investigator of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), a member organisation of FORUM-ASIA.

CIVICUS speaks about the progress being made toward legalising same-sex marriage in Thailand with Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, an LGBTQI+ activist and Human Rights Associate at Fortify Rights.

CIVICUS speaks with Sarah Tak, General Coordinator of Klimaatzaak (‘Climate Case’), about a recent ruling by the Brussels court of appeal mandating drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium by 2030.

CIVICUS speaks with Nafissatou Maiga, coordinator of the Association of Young People for the Development of Sangarebougou/Women and Initiatives for Development (AJDS/FID-MALI), about the state of civic space in Mali since the 2021 military coup.

Also available in Danish COPENHAGEN/LONDON/JOHANNESBURG – The #FreeAl-Khawaja Campaign, SALAM DHR and the global civil society alliance CIVICUS call on Denmark to do more to secure the release of jailed Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja ahead of the anniversary of Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising.

Fås også på engelsk Danmark må styrke indsatsen for at befri Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja på årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain KØBENHAVN/LONDON/JOHANNESBURG - #FreeAl-Khawaja-kampagnen, SALAM DHR og den globale civilsamfundsalliance CIVICUS opfordrer Danmark til at gøre mere for at sikre løsladelsen af den fængslede dansk-bahrainske menneskerettighedsforkæmper Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja forud for årsdagen for de pro-demokratiske demonstrationer i Bahrain i 2011.

French | Kirundi  | Swahili JOHANNESBURG - Global civil society alliance CIVICUS announced on Thursday that it has added jailed Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye to its Stand As My Witness campaign, which advocates for the immediate release of wrongly imprisoned journalists, activists, dissidents and human rights defenders around the world.

  CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are extremely concerned about demonstrations this week aimed at intimidating two human rights organisations in Indonesia for their human rights work.

Restrictions on free expression and the use of violence against protesters following Senegal’s President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the February 25 elections are against the government’s human rights obligations, global civil society alliance CIVICUS said today.

Photo credit:  Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Asia Democracy Network (ADN) strongly condemn the conviction of Mongkorn ‘BusBas’ Thirakot, a 30-year-old activist and online clothing retailer from Chiang Rai.

ARABIC JOHANNESBURG / PRAGUE – The Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) and global civil society alliance CIVICUS call on Egypt to immediately free human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim from prison ahead of her 65th birthday on Sunday January 28.

Arabic The Egyptian authorities must immediately release Badr Mohamed, who was unjustly convicted in January 2023 in connection to protests and sentenced to five years in prison after a grossly unfair trial, said the undersigned civil society organizations.

CIVICUS, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and SUARAM call upon states to use the upcoming human rights review of Malaysia at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to call out its ongoing failure to fully implement previous recommendations related to civic freedoms.

  CIVICUS, a global human rights alliance and the Asia Democracy Network (ADN) call on states to use the upcoming human rights review of China at the UN Human Rights Council to call out its ongoing failure to fully implement previous recommendations related to civic freedoms.

  Azerbaijan’s ongoing brutal crackdown of journalists must immediately stop and those illegitimately arrested must be freed, said CIVICUS global civil society alliance today.

The acquittal of prominent human rights defenders Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar by the East Jakarta District Court for defamation is a positive development and triumph of justice over repression said CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance today.

15 December 2023: On the 11-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the Lao government’s continued failure to provide necessary information as to his fate and whereabouts and reiterate our calls to the authorities to deliver truth, justice and reparations to his family.

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  A year on from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim being sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister and forming a unity government, ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS believe there has been a  lack of progress in undertaking reforms to ensure better human rights protection.

We the undersigned are writing to you to raise concern regarding the decision by several European governments to suspend or review their funding to several Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations.

  The undersigned organisations, human rights groups, and defenders are calling for the Indonesian Government to end its judicial harassment against prominent human rights defenders, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar as well as to further protect all human rights defenders in the country.

We, the undersigned organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defenders Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj, who are currently being detained in Rohini jail in India.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately and unconditionally drop charges against youth activist and stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya.

  Arabic With the start of COP28 in Dubai in a month,  346 civil society organisations call on the Emirati authorities, UN and State Parties to guarantee an inclusive COP and release jailed human rights defenders in the UAE.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are gravely concerned about the use of disproportionate force during demonstrations led by the main opposition party in Dhaka on 28 October 2023.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on Hong Kong authorities to immediately end the repeated use of solitary confinement and free lawyer and activist Chow Hang-Tung.

CIVICUS statement at the 77th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights    Agenda Item 3 (Human rights situation in Africa) Statement on the situation of environmental human rights defenders in Africa Delivered by Paul Mulindwa  Global civil society alliance CIVICUS and partners under Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition congratulate the Chair, on your re-election for the 2nd mandate as the chair of the Commission, and we commit to a continued collaboration.

Credit: Parti Sosialis Malaysia ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS are concerned by the arrests of three land rights defenders and a farmer for trying to block a forced eviction by the Perak state government on 24 October.

We, the undersigned digital and human rights organizations, join the open call for an immediate ceasefire to end the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza, to halt a humanitarian catastrophe, and to prevent further loss of innocent lives in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond.

ARABICJOHANNESBURG – Global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on the United Arab Emirates to immediately release human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor ahead of his 54th birthday on 22 October.

JOHANNESBURG – Ahead of the third anniversary of the arrest of Mexican human rights defender Kenia Ines Hernandez, global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on the country’s authorities to release her without delay.

Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS expressly condemns the continued bombardment of civilians in the ongoing conflict in Gaza and calls on all parties to stop the violence to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the Indian authorities to end the crackdown against NewsClick and release its editor and staff held under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

President of the Republic of Guatemala Alejandro GiammatteiGuatemala CityGuatemala From the International NGO Forum in Guatemala FONGI, composed of more than 30 organisations and the CIVICUS alliance, a global alliance of more than 10,000 civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists from 175 countries around the world, we write to express our deep concern about the escalating repression of peaceful protests and to ask you to act urgently.

JOHANNESBURG – Global civil society alliance CIVICUS urges the immediate release of journalist and human rights defender Samira Sabou who unidentified men arrested unlawfully from her home on 30 September.

Russian Johannesburg/Brussels - As the eighth anniversary of the unjust detention of Tajikistan human rights lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov approaches, global civil society alliance CIVICUS and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) call on the country’s authorities to immediately release him and unconditionally drop all charges.

ARTICLE 19 and CIVICUS are concerned by recent attempts by the police to harass protesters and restrict peaceful protests.

Photo credit: Odhikar Leaders of Prominent Rights Group Convicted on Trumped-Up Charges Bangladesh authorities should immediately release human rights defenders Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, quash their convictions, and end all reprisals against them for their legitimate human rights work, said 72 organizations today.

JOHANNESBURG/NEW YORK - As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly this September, global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on UN leadership to use this year’s summit to prove its value to solve the world’s compounding crises.

As citizens of the Maldives prepare to cast their votes in presidential elections scheduled for 9 September 2023, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation call upon all candidates and political parties to pledge their commitment to upholding and safeguarding civic freedoms as an integral part of their electoral mandates.

Russian With Tajikistan marking its Independence Day on 9 September 2023, global civil society alliance CIVICUS and the Brussels-based International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) call on Tajikistani authorities to immediately release imprisoned human rights defender Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov, and other activists and journalists detained for their human rights activities.