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	Victims of human rights violations suffer reprisals and intimidation for speaking out by OHCHR, IPS, IWGIA   If you cooperate with the United Nations and complain about human rights abuses in your home country, chances are you may find yourself either jailed, persecuted, tortured or under government surveillance in a number of countries.   In a report entitled - ‘Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights’ (A/HRC/51/47), the United Nations has singled out 42 countries (out of 193 member states) for condemnation for retaliating against human rights activists and journalists.   The 42 countries include some of the world’s worst authoritarian regimes with a notoriety for extensive human rights abuses.   Highlighting a number of “disturbing trends” over the past year, the annual report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres details how people — mainly victims of human rights violations, human rights defenders and journalists – suffered reprisals and intimidation by States and non-State actors.   This included people being detained, targeted by restrictive legislation and surveilled both online and offline. People who tried to cooperate with the UN, or were perceived as doing so, were also affected.   In a third of the countries named in the report, individuals and groups, including civil society organizations (CSOs), either refrained from cooperating or only agreed to report their cases anonymously out of fear of reprisals.   “Despite positive developments, including pledges and shared commitments by Member States against reprisals, this report shows the extent to which people are pursued and persecuted for raising human rights concerns with the UN”.   “And we know that, shocking though this number is, many cases of reprisals are not even reported,” says Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris.   Dr. Simon Adams, President and CEO of the Center for Victims of Torture, the largest international organization that treats survivors and advocates for an end to torture worldwide, told IPS the UN is an impartial international organization.   “When some states or armed groups perceive civil society activists or journalists speaking to the United Nations as constituting a threat to their interests, they are violating the ‘faith in fundamental human rights’ that the UN Charter proudly encapsulates,” he said.   ‘We the peoples,’ where ever we may be in the world, have a right to speak directly to UN representatives without some malevolent authority leaning over our shoulders, tapping our phone, or threatening us with detention or disappearance,” he said.   Human rights defenders in the countries mentioned in the UN Secretary-General’s report not only deserve our respect and solidarity, they need protection, declared Dr Adams.   When Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Ales Bialiatski and the organizations Memorial and the Centre for Civil Liberties on being awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, he said this year’s recognition shines a spotlight on the power of civil society in advance of peace.   “Civil society groups (CSOs) are the oxygen of democracy, and catalysts for peace, social progress and economic growth. They help keep governments accountable and carry the voices of the vulnerable into the halls of power”.   Yet today, civic space is narrowing across the world, the Secretary-General warned.   “Human rights defenders, women’s rights advocates, environmental activists, journalists and others face arbitrary arrest, harsh prison sentences, smear campaigns, crippling fines and violent attacks,” he declared.   “As we congratulate this year’s winners, let us pledge to defend the brave defenders of universal values of peace, hope and dignity,” Guterres said.   Meanwhile, responding to a decision by the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC), to establish an independent monitoring mechanism on the human rights situation in Russia, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said her organization welcomes the decision to finally bring Russia’s human rights record under scrutiny.   Under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, she pointed out, “the country has seen its political opposition crushed, grassroots NGOs and activists outlawed, independent media shuttered, and civil society as a whole scorched to the ground”.   “Russia’s unlawful aggression in Ukraine could not be a clearer demonstration of Vladimir Putin’s longstanding disregard for human rights.”   Callamard said the establishment of this important mechanism will be a long overdue lifeline to civil society in Russia, independent media and many others standing up to repression.   “We call on all states to support the swift establishment of this monitoring and reporting mandate, and to fully support victims of human rights and humanitarian law violations committed by the national authorities”.   “We call on the Russian authorities to heed the clear message that the Human Rights Council sends with the establishment of this mechanism, and to fundamentally change course to cease its violations at home and abroad,” she declared.   Providing an update on the military regime in Myanmar, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters October 6, that according to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), at least 170 journalists have been arrested since the military takeover in Myanmar in February last year.   Nearly 70 journalists, including 12 women, remain under detention. UNESCO has also recorded over 200 incidents of media repression, including killings, arrests, detention, criminal cases, imprisonments, and raids of editorial offices.   Forty-four journalists, which include seven women, have been sentenced for criminal offences by local courts, he said. Also, media workers report that they experience digital surveillance of mobile phones and social media platforms. UNESCO remains committed to protecting and defending their press freedom.   Meanwhile, the UN report said the surveillance of individuals and groups who cooperate with the UN continued to be reported in all regions with growing evidence of online surveillance and cyberattacks. The massive digital shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic also increased challenges relating to cyber-security, privacy, and access to online spaces.   Another concerning global trend is the use and impact of restrictive legislation that prevents and punishes cooperation with the UN, resulting in some cases of people being sentenced to long prison terms or placed under house arrest. There were recurring and similar allegations of intimidation reported in a number of countries, which could indicate a pattern.   Another global trend is self-censorship, choosing not to cooperate with the UN or doing so anonymously amid concerns for their safety. Increased surveillance and monitoring, as well as the fear of criminal liability, have created what the report terms a “chilling effect” of silence, stopping people from cooperating further with the UN and deterring others from doing so, according to the report.   As in previous years, the report shows that intimidation and reprisals disproportionally affect certain populations and groups, including representatives of indigenous peoples, minorities or those who work on environment and climate change issues, as well as people who may suffer discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and gender.   “The risks affecting women victims, as well as women human rights defenders and peace builders, who share testimony and cooperate with the UN remain daunting. We will continue to work to ensure that all can safely engage with the UN,” Brands Kehris stressed, as she presented the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5147-cooperation-united-nations-its-representatives-and-mechanisms http://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4982-immediate-end-reprisals-defenders-indigenous-peoples-rights-case-anexa-alfred-cunningham.html http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/10/un-censures-42-nations-retaliating-human-rights-activists-journalists/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/journalists-investigating-pegasus-spyware/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-pegasus-project-live-blog-major-stories-from-partners/ http://forbiddenstories.org/case/the-pegasus-project/ Visit the related web page
	The Right to Protest by CIVICUS Monitor, agencies   Robust accountability key to end cycle of repression against protesters and activists. (OHCHR)   In the face of increased repression and serious human rights violations against protesters and activists around the world, victims have been denied justice while perpetrators have benefitted from a lack of accountability for their crimes, a UN expert said this week.   “This is leading to repetition and worsening of such violations,” said Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association in his report to the Human Rights Council.   “The endemic impunity for serious human rights violations has generated cycles of repression. Time and again, we see that where civic space is threatened, authoritarianism and conflicts ensue,” Voule said.   His report found that hundreds of people have faced life changing injuries and disabilities due to the misuse or abuse of so-called “less-lethal weapons” in the context of assemblies. They are urgently in need of reparations.   Voule highlighted a widespread lack of political will to ensure accountability for serious abuses against activists and protesters, with many States resorting to a policy of negation, misusing ambiguous and restrictive laws to justify an excessive use of force, punish, criminalise and detain victims.   He also shed light on States obstructing accountability or evading responsibility for crimes against protesters and activists, including by undermining the independence of national criminal justice systems.   “By contrast, States have focused on investigating, prosecuting and sentencing activists and protesters,” the expert said.   “It is the responsibility of States to take into account the different needs of victims, to repair harm done and ensure non-recurrence. Reparations must not be used as another means to evade accountability and must be provided on top of legal prosecutions, not in lieu of them,” Voule said.   While the report recognises the primary role of States to bring perpetrators of abuses to account, the Special Rapporteur urged the international community to put accountability at the center of its efforts to protect and promote the rights to peaceful assembly and of association: “I call on Member States to respond in a timely and pre-emptive manner to serious abuses against activists and protesters by upholding international human rights standards,” the expert said.   Voule also presented three other reports to the Human Rights Council, including a follow-up to his June 2022 report on the impact of restricting civil society access to resources; a report emphasising the importance of protecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for all workers, including those in the informal economy.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/06/robust-accountability-key-end-cycle-repression-against-protesters-and   The Right to Protest. (CIVICUS Monitor, agencies)   From mass protests demanding social and political change in Iran to protests around the world over the climate crisis and the rising cost of living, people continue to take to the streets to voice their opinions, express dissent and call for justice. But even though this fundamental right is guaranteed by international human rights law and standards, governments keep limiting these laws and restricting the right to protest.   Since 2017, the CIVICUS Monitor has tracked an ongoing crackdown on the right to peaceful assembly. Most recently governments have used the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to further restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to protest. Despite this, people are continuing to mobilise, including by using creative and alternative forms of protest when pandemic restrictions are applied, such as masked and distanced demonstrations and online protests.   Technology has broadened the opportunities for mobilising, but at the same time new challenges have emerged for critical voices, as governments expand their tactics to restrict online access and put people under surveillance.   Though challenges persist, protests continue to be a powerful and effective means of defending rights and advocating for their realisation.   In 2022, the rising cost of food and fuel have sparked mobilisations against corruption, mismanagement and inequality. Mass protests have taken place in many countries around the world, even in authoritarian contexts. In some countries, smaller-scale protests have drawn attention to pressing issues.   Protests initially sparked by regressive economic policies and increases in the cost of living have often turned into protests against corrupt political leaders and systemic injustice.   According to CIVICUS Monitor data, protests took place in at least 131 countries during the past year, with the majority of them considered peaceful. Out of all CIVICUS Monitor updates covering incidents related to protests, 17% documented cases in which protests became violent because of the actions of protesters. Although isolated violent incidents might have occurred, documented protests were largely peaceful.   Out of 33 categories of violations of civic freedoms tracked by the CIVICUS Monitor, since 2020 the detention of protesters has been the number one violation. Detention is a pervasive practice used by the authorities to prevent and disrupt protests and punish protesters. Women, LGBTQI+ people, Indigenous people, Black people, migrants and other excluded groups often face harsher repression due to discriminatory and unjust practices.   While restrictions used by the authorities prior to protests are challenging to quantify, due to the different state elements involved and methods employed, this paper describes restrictions by illustrating some of the most significant cases documented by the CIVICUS Monitor in the past year.   Across the globe, governments are using a range of tactics to crack down on protests. Although international human rights law and standards establish that, as a general rule, states must ensure the right to peaceful assembly, restrictions of the right often begin even before any protest occurs.   Authorities prevent demonstrations by refusing permission or blocking routes adjacent to a planned protest area. Organisers face intimidation, harassment and surveillance when planning a protest, and sometimes are subject to house arrest just before a protest.   Restrictions that precede protests create a chilling environment by generating an atmosphere of fear and violence that discourages people from exercising their right to peaceful assembly. This means that protests are more common in countries with open and enabling civic space compared to closed and repressed environments.   Detention is not only used as a tactic to stop protesters taking part; it is also used to disrupt protests as people are gathering and during protests to break them up. Excessive force is also frequently deployed. International human rights law establishes that force should only be used if strictly unavoidable. However, excessive force was used in over 57 countries during the past year.   In at least 24 countries, protesters were killed while peacefully protesting. And although every person should be able to observe and report on protests, journalists are often victims of violence and arrests while covering protests. At times, violations continue after protests, with the harassment and prosecution of protest organisers and participants.   Lack of accountability for freedom of peaceful assembly violations is common, despite the obligations placed on states under international human right law to provide adequate and prompt remedies to protesters whose rights have been violated.   This report does not provide an exhaustive list of restrictions faced by protesters. Rather, it seeks to expose the wide range of impediments and violations that protesters experience, highlighting the regional nuances and key cases that exemplify the tactics used to restrict the right to peaceful assembly.   http://protestrights2022.monitor.civicus.org/ http://www.civicus.org/index.php/state-of-civil-society-report-2023 http://www.ipsnews.net/2023/03/civicus-report-unveils-civil-society-perspective-world-stands-early-2023/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/5670/2023/en/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/01/12/iran-brute-force-used-crackdown-dissent http://www.article19.org/campaigns/freetoprotest-2/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2023/01/austerity-2023-will-fuel-protests/ http://ny.fes.de/article/food-energy-cost-of-living-protests-2022 http://blogs.prio.org/2022/12/civil-society-faces-an-uphill-struggle-to-defend-democracy/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-freedom-of-assembly-and-association http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a77171-essential-role-social-movements-building-back-better-report   June 2022   2022 State of Civil Society Report, by Mandeep Tiwana - CIVICUS   2022 is halfway through. It’s clear this is a year of immense disruption, mayhem and contestation. Horrendous war crimes are taking place in Ukraine.   The conflict is spurring soaring living costs, impacting the most vulnerable people, already faced with the adverse impacts of the pandemic and extreme weather caused by climate change.   In this scenario, concerned citizens and civil society organisations are responding by protesting misgovernance, campaigning for justice and helping out those worst affected. CIVICUS’s 2022 State of Civil Society Report analyses global events and outlines the current state of play.   Five findings with implications for the future stand out and are highlighted below.   1. Rising costs of fuel and food are global protest triggers   Governments around the world are failing to protect people from the impacts of massive price rises worsened by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Fossil fuel companies are banking record-breaking profits while many people, already strained by the pandemic, are struggling to make ends meet.   Public anger at corruption and dysfunctional markets is rising. In Sri Lanka, mass demonstrations against crony capitalism recently led to resignation of the prime minister. In Indonesia students protested over the rising cost of cooking oil. In Spain, increases in food, energy and fuel prices brought thousands to the streets in early 2022.   In more repressive contexts protests are met with state brutality. In Kazakhstan over 200 civilians were killed with impunity following protests over fuel price increases in January.   Reported lethal violence has also come in response to recent food price protests in Iran. In contested political environments such as the occupied Palestinian territories the potential for renewed cycles of protest and state violence remains high.   2. These are harrowing times for democracy but there are successes too   Institutions and traditions of democracy are facing increasing attacks from anti-democratic forces. Military coups are making a comeback. In Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Myanmar, Sudan and Thailand armies are running governments.   In Tunisia hard-fought gains are being reversed by a president who dismissed parliament, took control of the judiciary and is rewriting the constitution. India’s constitutional commitment to secularism is being strained by religious intolerance promoted by its ruling party. In El Salvador, a president with a legislative supermajority is removing democratic checks and balances.   In Nicaragua, a sitting president organised a fraudulent election, enabled by mass repression. In Turkmenistan, the outgoing president bestowed the office to his son. The Philippines election saw two authoritarian dynasties enter into an alliance to win the presidency and vice presidency through a campaign of disinformation and falsification of history.   Nonetheless, there have also been bright spots, with successful mobilisations to strengthen democracy. In the Czech Republic and Slovenia political leaders who fostered divisiveness were voted out. In Australia, the incumbent government, with its failure to act on climate change, was defeated after almost a decade in power.   Meanwhile, Chile elected its youngest and most unconventional president ever, and his choice of cabinet reflects the country’s diversity and his commitment to social justice. Honduras elected its first woman president, who ran on a progressive platform to address poverty, expand women’s sexual and reproductive rights and tackle corruption.   3. Struggles for justice and equality are gaining momentum   Despite severe pushback by anti-rights groups on hard-won gender justice gains in Afghanistan and on women’s sexual and reproductive rights in countries such as Poland and the USA, the overall global trajectory is leaning towards progress.   In several Latin American countries including Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Mexico, restrictions on abortion have been eased. While opportunistic politicians in Ghana and Hungary have to sought to gain political advantage from the vilification of LGBTQI + people, globally the normalisation of LGBTQI+ rights is spreading.   Recently, the people of Switzerland voted in favour of an equal marriage law. Even in the challenging context of Jamaica advances have been made by civil society through the regional human rights system.   Steps forward have come after years of campaigning by civil society, which is increasingly modelling and proving the value of diversity. A new, young and diverse generation is forging movements to advance racial justice and demand equity for excluded people. They are embedding demands for rights for everyone with potential impacts for better democracy and inclusive economies.   4. Action on climate justice has transformative potential   The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change through its recent reports has made clear that greenhouse gases must be cut drastically to avoid catastrophe. As the brunt of climate change continues to be disproportionately felt by excluded populations, renewed urgency is being demanded by civil society movements for governments to make ambitious emission cuts.   Activism, including mass marches, climate strikes and non-violent civil disobedience, is likely to intensify as the impacts of destructive storms, heatwaves and floods are being felt by growing swathes of populations.   Vital street action will continue to be supplemented by other tactics. Climate litigation is growing, leading to some significant breakthroughs, such as the court judgment in the Netherlands that forced Shell to commit to emissions cuts.   Shareholder activism towards polluting industries and their funders is intensifying, and pension funds are coming under growing pressure to divest from fossil fuel companies. The intersectionality of the climate movement holds hope for the future.   5. The UN needs to revitalise itself   A key purpose behind the formation of the UN in 1945 was to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’. Experience from the past few years, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel region, Syria, Yemen and many other places shows that the UN’s record in preventing and stopping conflict is patchy at best.   Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and brutal attacks on civilian populations have further exposed fundamental weaknesses. The UN Security Council is hamstrung by the veto-wielding role of Russia as one of its five permanent members, although the UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.   The UN’s top leadership are expected to ‘reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights’ and ‘establish conditions for justice under international law’ but have often struggled to find their resolve when powerful states have committed grave human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity.   A lot of the UN’s energies appear focused on humanitarian response and management of crises over effective preventative diplomacy and justice for victims. Meaningful civil society engagement and access to key arenas can help overcome these bureaucratic shortcomings. Regardless, courage and vision will be needed from within and outside to reinvigorate the UN.   The world as it stands today is characterised by crisis and volatility, where regressive forces are mobilising a fierce backlash against struggles for equality and dignity, but also where determined civil society actions are scoring vital victories for humanity.   http://civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/5874-civil-society-holding-the-line-in-contested-times-2022-civicus-state-of-civil-society-report http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/protect-the-protest/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/07/unprecedented-threats-right-protest-rise-world-wid http://www.christianaid.org.uk/news/how-covid-19-has-shrunk-civic-space http://actalliance.org/act-news/development-needs-civil-society-the-implications-of-civic-space-for-the-sustainable-development-goals/ http://www.forus-international.org/en/custom-page-detail/88297-new-report-looks-at-the-power-of-positive-narratives-and-digital-rights-to-support-activism-worldwide http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/07/un-expert-warns-dangerous-decline-media-freedom http://www.maplecroft.com/insights/analysis/101-countries-witness-rise-in-civil-unrest-in-last-quarter-worst-yet-to-come-as-socioeconomic-pressures-build/ http://www.article19.org/gxr-22/ http://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3956409 http://www.article19.org/resources/right-to-know-day-2022 Visit the related web page
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