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Singapore: Jolovan Wham’s sentencing highlights repressed civic space

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The sentencing of Singaporean activist Jolovan Wham highlights the increasingly repressive space for activists and human rights defenders in Singapore, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Think Centre in a joint statement today.
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Unified and coordinated international response a must in face of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine

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Read the statement in Russian Global civil society alliance CIVICUS stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and calls for a swift, unified and targeted international response on Russia.
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Mexico: Investigate the killing of human rights defender Francisco Vazquez

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The brutal assassination of human rights defender Francisco Vazquez in Morelos, Mexico, by unidentified armed men should prompt the authorities to hold those responsible accountable and put a stop to these senseless acts of violence against human rights defenders and others, global civil society alliance, CIVICUS said today.
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Sudan: Free women detainees!

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CIVICUS joins civil society groups in calling for the immediate release of Sudanese women human rights defenders in detention, and accountability for the crimes committed against them.
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Tanzania: Reversal of Ban on Four Newspapers a step in the right direction

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS welcomes the decision of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to lift the ban on four newspapers – Mwanahalisi, Mawio, Mseto, and Tanzania Daima – that was imposed by the late President John Magufuli between 2016 and 2020.
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Cambodia: More arrests and increased harassment of striking NagaWorld union activists

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CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) are gravely concerned about the escalation of harassment against the NagaWorld union members and further arrests this week by the Phnom Penh police under the pretext of violating a pandemic law.
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Turkey: CIVICUS joins call for the release journalist Sedef Kabaş

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We join the Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) and other press freedom organisations and journalists in calling on Turkey to release senior journalist Sedef Kabaş.

One Year after the Illegitimate Military Coup in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

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Joint LGBTIQ+ Civil Society Statement We will never forget.

Myanmar: Hold the junta accountable

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Human Rights Defenders call on ASEAN and the international community to hold the junta accountable for grave human rights violations and atrocity crimes in Myanmar.
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Global Call to Join a Diplomatic Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

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Beijing Olympics Begin Amid Atrocity Crimes Global Groups Call for Action on Rights Concerns
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Egypt: Quash Verdicts and Stop Unfair Trials by Emergency Courts

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We, the undersigned organisations, call on Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi to immediately quash the verdicts against seven arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, activists and politicians.
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India: Ongoing targeting of activists under anti-terror laws for their protests against citizenship law

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We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are deeply concerned about the ongoing harassment of 18 human rights defenders under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in reprisal for their advocacy work against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019.
Photo by Adam Jones via Wikimedia Commons.
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Amendments on the Media Services Act of 2016 of Tanzania

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS welcomes the commitment by the Tanzanian authorities to review the restrictive Media Services Act of 2016 and create a more enabling environment for media outlets and journalists.
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India: Release human rights defender Khurram Parvez & stop harassment of activists in Jammu & Kashmir

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Ahead of his upcoming hearing on 21 January 2022, CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the government of India to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Khurram Parvez.
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Rights Groups in Indonesia stand in solidarity with the People of Myanmar

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We, the undersigned civil society organisations in Indonesia, and organisations with presence in Indonesia, express solidarity with the people of Myanmar and condemn the ongoing grave violations committed by the military junta.
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India: Halt judicial harassment of rights groups over foreign funding

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CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, condemns the recent case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the Centre for Promotion of Social Concern (CPSC) and its programme unit called People's Watch on allegations of 'conspiracy' and 'illegal foreign funding withdrawal' under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976.
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ASEAN: Refrain from legitimising junta and enhance cooperation to address human rights situation in Myanmar

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Civil society organisations urge the regional-bloc under Cambodia Chairship to halt further measures that will bring legitimacy to the junta military of Myanmar.
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Hong Kong: Restrictions on civic space increase as independent media outlets are forced to close

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🇭🇰#HongKong🚩Forced closure of independent media outlets🚩Judicial harassment of #journalists🚩Further deterioration of civic freedoms & democracyWe urge the international community to stand with the people of #HongKong & call out these violations: https://t.
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Algeria: Marked regression in human rights underscored by proliferation of baseless terrorism prosecutions

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Arabic The undersigned organisations are deeply concerned and alarmed by the sustained repression of fundamental freedoms and legitimate human rights work in Algeria, including the marked proliferation of prosecutions on baseless terrorism charges against human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful activists.
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Egypt: Release human rights defenders Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohamed El-Baqer and Mohamed Oxygen

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Ahead of the Emergency Court verdict on 20 December, we, the undersigned organisations, call upon the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohamed El-Baqer and Mohamed Ibrahim “Oxygen” and to drop all charges and cases against them.
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Bangladesh: Drop charges against Odhikar Leadership & stop harassment of Human Rights Defenders

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Bangladesh authorities must end the harassment of Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, respectively Secretary and Director of the human rights group Odhikar, who have been targeted through the misuse of the criminal justice system, eleven rights groups said today.
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Laos: Nine years on, civil society worldwide still demands answers on Sombath's enforced disappearance

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On the ninth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned organisations, reiterate our calls on the Lao government to determine his fate and whereabouts and deliver justice to him and his family.
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Philippines: Human rights defender Teresita Naul released after courts dismiss trumped-up charges

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CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, welcomes the release of human rights defender Teresita Naul.
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ASEAN must step up its efforts to address deteriorating human rights and civic space situation in Southeast Asia

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Under the Chairmanship of Cambodia in 2022, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must meaningfully address the regressive human rights crisis in the region, including the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar, said rights groups at a webinar today.
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Poland debates prison terms for abortion in new blow to women’s rights

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🇵🇱#Poland: Today the Polish Sejm will discuss a bill which proposes a total #AbortionBan, jail time for having an abortion & criminalises those who provide assistance.
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Honduras: Trial of Guapinol defenders begins as state continues to ignore calls for their release

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The trial of the Guapinol human rights defenders begins on 1 December, after 2 years of unlawful detention.
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Winners of the 2021 Innovation Awards!

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Winners of the 2021 Nelson Mandela-Graça Machel Innovation Awards reflect the power of collective action.
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Over 100 Global foundations & donors pledge solidarity with blacklisted Palestinian civil society groups

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Philanthropic leaders urge governments to uphold democracy and human rights by protecting civil society against repressive policies More than 100 global foundations and donors, most of them U.
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Honduras: Int. Law Experts file an amicus curiae brief requesting the cessation of criminal proceedings against the defenders of the Guapinol River

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🇭🇳#Honduras: Together with ten other human rights organisations we have filed an amicus curiae challenging the unjust and arbitrary detention of the #GuapinolWaterDefenders.
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Sri Lanka: Two years on, escalating assault on freedoms by the Rajapaksa administration

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Two years on from the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, the state of civic freedoms in the country continues to regress.
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Sri Lanka: Release human rights defenders detained for advocating for education rights

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🇱🇰#SriLanka: Ahead of their trial tomorrow, the courts must grant bail to 5 human rights defenders detained for participating in peaceful protests to protect education rights, pending their release.
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ASEAN: Cambodia Chairmanship Should Thoroughly Address Crisis in Myanmar

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We, the undersigned organisations, call on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) to increase its effort to address the ongoing human rights crisis in Myanmar, which was triggered by the attempted coup in February 2021.
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Five reasons why the elections in Nicaragua do not guarantee human rights

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On 7 November 2021, general elections will be held in Nicaragua in the context of a deterioration of the human rights crisis that began with the repression of protests in April 2018.
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A decline in civic freedoms is anything but ‘silly’  

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UK Member of Parliament, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s belittling of the CIVICUS Monitor's Watchlist is further evidence of the disregard for civil society and citizen activism in the country.
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The International Community Must Support and Protect Palestinian Civil Society

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بالعربية As a group of 242 regional and international organisations, we express our full solidarity with Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders as Israel continues to escalate its attacks to shut down critical human rights work and silence opposition to its occupation of Palestinian territory and apartheid over the Palestinian people as a whole.
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Hongkong: Civic space deteriorates as another civil society group plans closure

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#HongKong: The closure of @amnesty & other civil society groups highlights the devastating impact of the draconian #NationalSecurityLaw on #civicspace.
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Malaysia: IPCC bill is a step backwards for police accountability

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Today, we—Amnesty International Malaysia, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Human Rights Watch—call on Members of Parliament in Malaysia to reject the deeply flawed Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) bill and move quickly to table a bill to establish a police accountability mechanism that is truly independent and capable of ensuring adequate police oversight.
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Vietnam: Immediately release journalist and human rights defender Pham Doan Trang

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  Ahead of her upcoming trial on 4 November, the undersigned 28 human rights and freedom of expression organizations today condemn the ongoing arbitrary detention of independent journalist and woman human rights defender Pham Doan Trang.
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Poland: A Year On, Abortion Ruling Harms Women

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Anniversary Marks Ongoing Assault on Women’s Rights, Rule of Law Women, girls, and all pregnant people have faced extreme barriers to accessing legal abortions in the year since a Constitutional Tribunal ruling virtually banned legal abortion in Poland, 14 human rights organizations said today.
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Sudan: Stop harassing journalists and human rights defenders

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🇸🇩#Sudan: Over the last few weeks, the Sudanese authorities have used criminal provisions which carry lengthy penalties to harass and intimidate journalists and human rights defenders.
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Afghanistan: Assault on peaceful protests highlight deteriorating space for civic freedoms

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Global civil society alliance CIVICUS condemns the excessive use of force and arbitrary arrests by Taliban security forces as they crack down on protests in Afghanistan.
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Honduras: After two years in pre-trial detention, release arbitrarily detained Guapinol human rights defenders

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🇭🇳#Honduras: Today marks 2 years since the pre-trial detention of the #GuapinolWaterDefenders for defending their land, water & environment.
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Uganda: Lift restrictions on NGOs and respect freedom of assembly and expression

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🇺🇬#Uganda: The closure & suspension of over 50 #NGOs is a new low for human rights in a country with a history of severe restrictions on civil society groups.
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Myanmar: Activists behind bars

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Following the February 2021 military coup, thousands in Myanmar have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, and attacked including human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, political and student activists, poets, writers, and monks.
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Zambia: New government must lift restrictions on civil liberties

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🇿🇲#Zambia: We urge President @HHichilema to undertake commitments for a bold human rights agenda & revive civil liberties.
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Pakistan: Three years on, Prime Minister Imran Khan has overseen an assault on civic freedoms

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Three years after Imran Khan took office as Pakistan’s Prime Minister in August 2018, global civil society alliance CIVICUS has documented an ongoing assault on civic freedoms.
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CIVICUS stands with indigenous peoples and calls for a new social contract

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#IndigenousDay: Across the world, indigenous peoples continue to face marginalisation & exclusion.
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Thailand: Immediately repeal emergency regulation that threatens online freedoms

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🇹🇭#Thailand: Joint statement by 1⃣7⃣ international CSOs calling on the authorities to immediately repeal emergency regulation that threatens online freedoms.
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Cambodia: A year on, the persecution of human rights defender Rong Chhun and other activists continue

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CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, calls on the Cambodian authorities to drop the baseless charges against trade union activist and human rights defender Rong Chhun and to release him immediately and unconditionally.
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Indonesia: Unilateral renewal of Special Autonomy and arbitrary arrest of protesters in West Papua

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CIVICUS and TAPOL regret the revision and renewal of the Special Autonomy Law in West Papua (Papua and West Papua Provinces), which further strips critical aspects of decentralisation and autonomy for the region.

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