No right for digital participation in many regions of the world In many regions of the world the freedom of the Internet is just an illusion. Especially in Arab countries, the neighbouring states of Russia and Subsahara-Africa the year 2015 marked the lowest point for democratic participation and civil liberties. By Ute Schaeffer
Maina Kiai: "Our Ideas keep living on" United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, explains in this interview with Christine Meissler why he will never give up fighting for democracy and human rights. By Christine Meissler
Authoritarian repression under the pretext of sovereignty The repression of civil societies activites in countries like Egypt and Russia are justified with the "protection of the states sovereignity" and the "principle of non-intervention". When unwelcomed critique is silenced, activists need all our solidarity and support. By Wolfgang Kaleck and Simon Rau
Protecting and expanding civil society space nationally and internationally An analysis carried out by CIVICUS indicates that in far too many countries and in all global regions the conditions for civil society work and activities has worsened. Some of the solutions to this problem could be taken by civil society itself. By Andrew Firmin and Mandeep Tiwana
Repression and restriction: Egypt's civil society on the defensive The civil society in Egypt is facing a disastrous suppression and realignment by the government. By returning to normal foreign policy operations this weakening condition for civil society could be even strengthened. By Jannis Grimm
Shrinking civic space in Pakistan In Pakistan NGOs face harsh restrictions and human rights activists risk imprisonment and harrasment. It is important that the government recognizes the role of civil society and promotes a culture of cooperation and trust. By Zulfiqar Shah
LGBTI Civil society organizations and the rights to peacefully assemble and associate Civil society organisations can be a vanguard of progress for the LGBTI community. Despite the growing number of laws and policies impeding LGBTI advocacy, activists and organisations successfully challenge these trends. By International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
“Reconceptualising solidarity with civil society” State repression against non-governmental organizations is increasing globally. In this interview, Barbara Unmüßig calls for a reconceptualisation of solidarity with civil society and puts the issue of shrinking and closing spaces at the very top of the political agenda. By Barbara Unmüßig