HRD killing
Friday 17.9.2021 South Africa - Latest Developments -
Highest number of protests recorded, whistle blower and trade unionist killed
increasing waves of protest action recorded as country reaches all time high; residents of Middleburg take to the streets to denounce new tariff hikes; protesters gather outside the East London Magistrate’s Court where the bail hearing of Alutha Pasile, a man believed to have brutally murdered 23 year old Nosicelo Mtebeni, was being held; protesters under the #CodeRed Feminist movement took to the streets in various cities across the country and gathered in key national buildings including Constitution Hill and the Union Buildings to demand a Universal Basic Income Grant among other demands; Malibongwe Mdazo, an organiser of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), publicly gunned down; Read more
Thursday 9.9.2021 Nicaragua - Latest Developments -
Closure of 45 civil society organisations within one month in Nicaragua
As reported in the CIVICUS Monitor in previous updates, an unprecedented crackdown against civil society and political opposition has been ongoing in Nicaragua since the end of May 2021. Dozens of human rights defenders and members of the political opposition have been arrested on trumped-up charges. Business leaders, journalists and former allies of President Ortega have also been targeted. Read more | Read in Spanish
Thursday 9.9.2021 Palestine - Latest Developments -
Violations continue: CSOs Offices raided, HRDs arrested, women reporters attacked
On 16th August 2021, the headquarters of the Pioneers Association for Culture and Arts, and the Pioneers Vocational Training Center in Aida camp in Bethlehem was raided. On the other hand, on 7th July 2021, Israeli occupying forces (IOF) raided the home of Shatha Odeh Abu Fannouneh (Ms. Odeh) in Ramallah, arbitrarily detaining her and using gas grenades to terrorise her family. Odeh is the chairwoman of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) and serves as the Director of the Health Work Committee (HWC). Protests were staged following the death of activist Nizar Banat as a result of Palestinan security force action on 24th June 2021. According to Amnesty International, Palestinian security forces beat protesters and bystanders and used sound grenades, tear gas and other force to disperse them. Women were particularly targeted, many of them journalists, including with sexual assault during protests. Read more
Monday 6.9.2021 Philippines - Latest Developments -
Assault on civic freedoms persist in the Philippines despite UN joint human rights programme
On 24th July 2021, the Philippines government and the UN formalised a human rights programme that aims, on paper at least, to address the country’s human rights problems. Despite this, in recent months, activists have been arbitrarily arrested on trumped up charges and even killed by security forces. The government is also adopting “drug war” measures against activists and there have been cyberattacks on human rights alliance Karapatan. Read more
Thursday 26.8.2021 Myanmar - Latest Developments -
More than a thousand killed in Myanmar as repression of activists continues unabated
Over the last month, concerns have been raised by the UN around the situation of human rights defenders as arrests and attacks on activists continue. A new report shows the systematic targeting of healthcare workers. The crackdown on the media has continued with arrests and sentencing of journalists. Civil society groups criticise the exit of Norwegian telco, Telenor. Protests continued, including in prisons by political prisoners. Read more
Wednesday 25.8.2021 Saudi Arabia - Latest Developments -
CSOs Denounce Recent Intensification in the Persecution of HRDs and Dissenting Voices
Amnesty International deplores recent intensification in the persecution of human rights defenders and dissidents; (GCHR) releases a new report entitled, “Ongoing violations of freedom of expression on and off the Internet and restrictions of diverse opinions” which documents the “new era of massive violations of civil and human rights of human rights defenders; GCHR also documents repeated abuse of human rights defenders in Saudi prisons; Mustafa Al-Darwish executed after conviction at a deeply-flawed trial on charges of participation in 2011-2012 anti-government riots Read more
Wednesday 25.8.2021 Yemen - Latest Developments -
Academics, Journalists, Actors and Lawyers Targeted for Exercising Right to Freedom of Expression
Sana’a University academic, architect and online activist Dr. Mohammed Ali Naim assassinated by unidentified gunmen; journalist Fahd Yahya Al-Arhabi arrested by Houthi de-facto authorities; forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council storm the building of the Yemen News Agency (Saba); Read more
Monday 23.8.2021 Mexico - Latest Developments -
Mexico: wave of killings of journalists, environmental and Indigenous rights defenders
On 12th June 2021, Yaqui Indigenous leader and environmental defender Luis Urbano Domínguez was shot and killed as he exited a bank in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Read more | Read in Spanish
Wednesday 11.8.2021 South Sudan - Latest Developments -
Dissolved parliament, and ongoing crackdown on peaceful assembly and expression
President Salva Kiir dissolves the parliament in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018; two aid workers from Doctors with Africa CUAMM were killed in an ambush while delivering food relief in Lake State; Youth leaders arrested for protesting the dumping of waste by Dar Petroleum Operating Company (DPOC) in their town; National Security Service (NSS) raided CSO event; Journalists detained and assaulted by police officers Read more
Thursday 5.8.2021 Peru - Latest Developments -
Peru: polarised elections lead to protests and attacks on journalists
On 28th July 2021, Pedro Castillo of left-wing party Peru Libre was sworn in as president of Peru following six weeks of uncertainty around the country’s elections. Read more | Read in Spanish
