organization:civil society

Burundi: Musicians menaced, silenced and fleeing the country | Freemuse

▻http://freemuse.org/archives/11067

http://freemuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/burundi_youtubequote.jpg

Burundian artists are confronted with ever-shrinking possibilities for open and free political speech. Well-known singers and band members are being targeted and, if possible, manipulated to change their artistic or political style. Several musicians have fled the country.

By John Banram, Freemuse correspondent – reporting from Burundi

Since April 2015, the central African country Burundi has been going through political turmoil. President Pierre Nkurunziza was finishing his second term, and according to the country’s constitution he would not be eligible to run for a third term. Nkurunziza disputed and overruled both the constitution and the Arusha agreements from 2000, which had brought peace to the country that has been through more than three decades of civil war, and in July 2015, he won a new term in office after a contested election which was boycotted by the opposition.

The last months since then have showed acts of violence and harsh repression against opposition members and civil society actors as well as media practitioners. Freedom of expression has been extremely limited, especially when five of the most popular private radio and television stations were attacked and burned during the month of May 2015. With the closing down of these stations, the new and upcoming generation of Burundian artists lost their outlets. Some of the artists were also engaged in the campaign against the third mandate of the president, mainly through songs that informed and sensitised the people of Burundi in their local Kirundi language. Some of these songs have been considered examples of expressions of hate speech, because they openly accuse and denounce the “others”.

#musique #burundi #censure

Comment interpréter les protestations nées de la crise des ordures à Beyrouth ?
Dans ce texte, le journaliste Moe Ali Nayel tente de concilier une analyse en termes transclassistes avec les discours de haine de classe et de haine confessionnelle tenus par différents groupes de l’élite, y compris les organisateurs du mouvement Vous puez.
La question est de savoir si jeunesse turbulente qui semble tenir le haut du pavé ces derniers jours est téléguidée par une élite réactionnaire qui tente de reprendre le contrôle des événements et de défendre un régime corrompu en décrédibilisant le mouvement social par la violence et le confessionnalisme ; s’il exprime une tentative de prise du pouvoir par l’alliance aounistes-Hezbollah, dans un cadre régional marqué par l’opposition en Syrie entre Arabis Saoudite et Iran (vision du 14 mars) ; ou bien si cette jeunesse exprime une revendication authentique et représente dès lors la pointe avancée et active d’un mouvement social transclassiste - ce qui pose alors la question de l’encadrement politique de ce mouvement. La comparaison avec les premières manifestations tunsiennes ou égyptiennes étant alors tentante, avec tous les scénarios noirs qui en ont résulté.
On notera que l’interprétation de Moe Ali Nayel est proche de celle défendue tous ces jours derniers par la journaliste Scarlett Haddad dans l’Orient Le Jour ou Angry Arab.

Quick Thoughts : Moe Ali Nayel on Lebanon’s Garbage Crisis and Protest Movement
▻http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/22501/quick-thoughts_moe-ali-nayel-on-lebanon%E2%80%99s-garbage-

The “You Stink” campaign’s calls for protests, which began in late July 2015, created space for those from a different social class than those who created the campaign. Since the first protest, youths from marginalized and poverty-stricken areas continued what they had previously been doing alone, without any social media campaigns. These youths do not generally function in the orbit of so-called civil society organizations but have been protesting on their own initiative since last summer’s severe water and power cuts. This summer, their protests escalated in reaction to the garbage crisis, and their proximity to the downtown area made it possible for them to join the demonstration called for by the “You Stink” campaign. While burning trash and blocking the streets leading to downtown Beirut during the first protest, these youths exclaimed, “We are with you, but this is our way of protesting.” It was then and there that they simultaneously expressed their anger toward the government’s security measures, power cuts, and water shortages.

[...]

To put it simply, the protest that sparked violence against state violence was not an act of “thuggery” by “saboteurs” who were told to do so by Amal movement leader and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri. People who allege such dynamics do not recognize the daily economic abuse the majority of Lebanese have been enduring for years. It was a whole bouquet of angry Lebanese who found unity and struck back against a state that has been failing them in all aspects, and a state security apparatus that has been particularly brutal in the year since Mashnuq became interior minister. The most marginalized youth, those from Dawra, Burj Hammoud, Khandaqal-Ghami’, Sabra, Tariq Jdideh, and Shiyyah, were those who struck back with all the vengeance accumulated in their bitter souls against state authority. These are the victims of the same social order that has their brothers languishing in jails without trial for simply smoking a joint, or being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Two young men I spoke with told me, “We are on the street, jobless, and with no place to go. We pop pills to forget the shit we live in.” The scooter they had purchased on credit was confiscated by the government because they could not afford to register it, yet they needed it to work and earn money. These disenfranchised young men see the law being used to punish them for being poor. All this while a small ruling class cruises around town in its fifty-thousand-dollar SUVs, drives in convoys with tinted windows, running over, beating up, and sometimes killing anyone who stands in its way. This latter group is given state security protection and legal immunity. One group of angry teenage boys were rounded up two weeks ago and brutally beaten up by the Internal Security Forces (ISF), only to be told the next day that it was a case of mistaken identity. They weren’t even given an apology.

Thus, on the night of 22 August, and as a response to this violence and neglect, an unusual sense of solidarity exploded and a revolutionary spirit reached a climax that manifested itself in the large numbers on the street the next day. The trajectory of the protest thus far is one of inclusion. It is bringing together different strata of Lebanese society in an unusual way to confront an exploitative economic and political system.
[...]

Since we are affected by the region, we must realize that this movement could fail and could even open a path to military rule. However, there seems to be a consensus building among grassroots protesters that the street will be occupied until this corrupt ruling class falls. All that seems to matter on the street right now is to shatter the status quo that has long held Lebanon and its people prisoner.

If we can call this an uprising, then it is important to look at the dynamics on the ground: the street and the forces that reclaimed it. Many Lebanese at this particular moment are breaking away from the confines of their social-sectarian boxes. To understand the core of this protest movement, one ought to be where the leading sentiment of this rebellion exists. It is a mix of anger and vengeance by jobless, impoverished, socially alienated youth from different sects; LGBT individuals and activists who have been subject to violence and harassment by a patriarchal state; a variety of grassroots leftist movements; feminist activists and networks that have become increasingly active and visible in recent years; young mothers and fathers who struggle to provide an adequate life for their children.

Lebanon’s youth has followed one uprising after another in other Arab countries, recognized its possibilities, and yearned for real change. So far, this campaign appears to be the one and only opportunity that has—thus far—managed to unite us outside the political straightjacket of the March 14 versus March 8 political blocks, demanding the downfall of their politics. It is precisely this sentiment, this sort of anger, that we need to focus so as to further develop, and thus deliver a blow to the status quo.

Where racism and xenophobia are manifest in Germany

Official statistics show that most racist crimes in Germany last year occurred in the country’s eastern-most states and Berlin. A civil society expert says that’s no surprise.

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2015 Change Readiness Index | KPMG | GLOBAL

▻https://home.kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2015/06/2015-change-readiness-index.html?cid=twtp_soc_gov_sm_global_2015_0408_cri

Ça vaut c que ça vaut, je le référence parce que c’est un indice/index

The 2015 Change Readiness Index (CRI) indicates the capability of a country – its government, private and public enterprises, people and wider civil society – to anticipate, prepare for, manage and respond to a wide range of change drivers, proactively cultivating the resulting opportunities and mitigating potential negative impacts. Examples of change include:

shocks such as financial and social instability and natural disasters
political and economic opportunities and risks such as technology, competition and changes in government.

Since 2012, the CRI has evolved to become a key tool that provides reliable, independent and robust information to support the work of governments, civil society institutions, businesses and the international development community.

#cartographie #visualisation #indice #index

Can Fifa end child trafficking from Africa to Asia? - BBC News
▻http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33602171

The Paris-based non-governmental organisation, Foot Solidaire, helps send boys back to Africa after they have been tricked by unscrupulous agents and empty promises into leaving the continent.

It estimates that 15,000 teenage footballers are moved out of just 10 West African countries every year - many of them underage.

Jean-Claude Mbvounim, Foot Solidaire’s founder, says that agents can pocket anywhere between $3,000 (£2,000) and $10,000 for each child they send to a fictitious trial at an imagined club - and says football needs help to combat the issue.

“Fifa has to do more with public authorities, governments and civil society because this issue is a social issue,” says Mbvounim.

“Today we have criminal activists threatening world football and the young players, so it’s important to work together. Fifa will have to be on top of this battle.”

#enfants #foot #traffic

Saakashvili signs reforms deal with US on regional support for Odesa
▻http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/saakashvili-signs-reforms-deal-with-us-on-regional-support-for-odesa-39393

Odesa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has signed a memorandum with the United States, assuring American support in reforming the region. The memorandum was counter-signed by William R. Brownfield, assistant secretary of state for drugs and law enforcement. It marks the first agreement between the U.S. and a regional Ukrainian government.

Posting pictures of the ceremony on his Facebook page, the former Georgian president said that the U.S. will assist in “reforming customs, administrative services and the provision of free legal services to volunteers.” Police officers from California, who are training Odesa’s new police patrol, were also present during the signing ceremony.

The U.S. State Department announced the forthcoming agreement Brownfield’s visit via a website update on July 6, stating that it “strongly supports” Odesa’s anti-corruption initiative.

“We are funding an anti-corruption action team of Ukrainian and international experts in the governor’s office, and launching a new anti-corruption grants program to broaden and deepen our cooperation with civil society partners,” according to the State Department announcement.
[…]
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing held on July 17 at the U.S. embassy in Budapest, Brownfield stated that he was “proud of the newly-trained police” in Odesa, but asked that “you not hold us to a standard of seeing nirvana and paradise arrive in 24 hours.”

He continued: “Any new police institution requires time to understand their communities and their people.”

UNHCR urges Hungary not to amend its asylum system in a rush, ignoring international standards

The UN refugee agency is deeply concerned about a set of proposals to amend Hungary’s asylum act that have been put forward this week to the Hungarian parliament for debate. UNHCR is urging Hungary not to rush the process without proper consultations with civil society and UNHCR on the legality of the proposals and their consequences for people fleeing war and conflict.

▻http://www.unhcr-centraleurope.org/en/news/2015/unhcr-urges-hungary-not-to-amend-its-asylum-system-in-a-rush-ig
#Hongrie #réfugiés #asile #migration

2015 Change Readiness Index | KPMG | GLOBAL

▻http://www.kpmg.com/global/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/2015-change-readiness-index/pages/default.aspx

A prendre avec beaucoup de pincettes mais je référence parce que je pense à faire une recherche sur la fabrication des indices/index (HDI, GINI, etc...)

015 Change Readiness Index heat map

This map provides a world-level view of change readiness levels in 127 countries. Click on a country to be taken to its entry in the CRI online tool where you’ll find an in-depth country profile including specific strengths and opportunities, a breakdown of scores across the three pillars (Enterprise capability, Government capability and People & civil society capability), and country, region and income level comparisons.

#indice #Index

To mark International Refugee Day, UNITED is publishing an updated edition of its List of Deaths, a new website and an interactive map. We call on civil society to protest against the fatal policies of Fortress Europe that lead to the deaths of desperate people looking for safe refuge.

►http://unitedagainstrefugeedeaths.eu/map
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/8iiz533sa68tyvf/united-map-morts-aux-frontieres-europe.png?dl=0
►http://unitedagainstrefugeedeaths.eu

#frontières #europe #morts_aux_frontières #cartographie

It’s the Planet Stupid!: Capitalism and The Destruction of the Commons
▻http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/its-the-planet-stupid-capitalism-and-the-destruction-of-the-commons

The stakes are high. The outcome will determine whether we live in a dystopian chaos, or a civil society; whether we preserve our natural life support system, or live on life support.

At the...

#G7 food initiative driving hunger in African countries, say global civil society groups
▻https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/270-general/52771-g7-food-initiative-driving-hunger-in-african-countries-say-globa

Launched by the G8 in 2012, the New Alliance provides aid money from the G8 countries and helps big business invest in different countries in the African agricultural sector. But in return, African countries are required to change their land, seed and trade rules in favour of big agribusiness companies. In the last year, controversies associated with the New Alliance have included:

In Ghana a proposed bill – dubbed the ‘Monsanto Law’ - would bolster the power of multinational seed companies whilst restricting the rights of small farmers to keep and swap seeds. This bill, which is being brought in as part of the Ghanaian government’s commitment to the New Alliance, will see the control of seeds being transferred away from small farmers and into the hands of large seed companies.
Farmers in Nigeria’s Taraba State are being forced off lands that they have farmed for generations to make way for US company Dominion Farms to establish a 30,000 ha rice plantation. The project is backed by the Nigerian government and the New Alliance.
In Tanzania about 1,300 people are at risk of losing their land or homes to make way for a sugarcane plantation, which is a New Alliance project. An area of land the size of Washington D.C. will be used by a plantation to produce sugar for biofuels.

#nasan

FOR ENDORSEMENT: Call of CSOs to governments on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa
▻http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/24942

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We, social movements, grassroots organizations and civil society organizations engaged in the defense of food sovereignty and the right to food in Africa, met at the World Social Forum in Tunis in March 2015 to unite those opposing the G8 “New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition”. Social movements and organizations from Africa shared their experiences and analysis about the impacts of the New Alliance in their countries and participants from all over the world agreed to support their struggles against this threat to food sovereignty and agro-ecology. As such, we joined the Global Convergence of Land and Water Struggles and adopted its Declaration.1 This statement reflects our discussions and our demands to governments engaged in the New Alliance and expresses support for the call on the G7 Presidency made by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa

#nasan #résistance #souverrainté_alimentaire #Afrique

Bangladesh: Slum dwellers are worse off than villagers in terms of health | The Daily Star
▻http://www.thedailystar.net/editorial/slum-dwellers-are-worse-villagers-terms-health-76834

APPROXIMATELY 30 to 45 percent of slum dwellers are ill and 60 percent of their children chronically malnourished. Along with this disquieting finding a study by #Bangladesh Health Watch Report, a civil society advocacy and monitoring initiative, also reveals that the health status of people who live in slums is worse than those who live in the villages.

#santé #bidonvilles

Bolivian Consumers Declare Opposition to GMOs : Food First
▻http://foodfirst.org/bolivian-consumers-declare-opposition-to-gmos

We are a collective of diverse activists, organizations, youth, women, and civil society movements 1 who have come together with the common goal of building a “network for responsible consumption” that supports small and medium producers and promotes healthy and ecologically produced food. With this statement, we outline our position regarding the reopening of the debate on GMO crops set to occur at the Agricultural Summit (Cumbre Agropecuaria) March 26-27, 2015 in the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

#ogm #bolivie #paysannerie #alimentation

Azerbaijan Progress Report
▻http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/pdf/2015/azerbaijan-enp-report-2015_en.pdf

❝Nevertheless, these achievements were overshadowed by regression in most areas of deep and sustainable democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms. As a result, Azerbaijan made very limited progress overall in implementing the ENP Action Plan. The frequency of political dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan also decreased, and this had a knock-on effect on the formal human rights dialogue.

Based on the assessment of its progress in 2014 on implementing the ENP, Azerbaijan should focus its work in the coming year on:
• respecting and implementing its commitments as a member of the Council of Europe on fundamental rights and freedoms, the rule of law (in particular by strengthening the independence of the judiciary and the right of defence/equality of arms); improving
democracy and human rights in the country in almost all related areas; respecting and implementing the rulings of the European Court for Human Rights;
• creating a more conducive political environment for civil society, in particular making the related legal framework less restrictive, allowing civil society organizations to carry out their activities;
• stepping up efforts towards reaching a comprehensive peace settlement in accordance with the commitments made in the Minsk Group; refraining from actions and statements that could heighten tension and undermine the peace process; creating an environment conducive to making progress in resolving the conflict and to encouraging and supporting related peace-building activities; ensuring that EU representatives working in support of conflict transformation activities have unimpeded access to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions;
• reinvigorating steps to upgrade the existing partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan in order to better reflect new realities in mutual relations;
• bringing electoral legislation into line with OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and ensuring effective implementation before the forthcoming parliamentary elections;
• continuing the reform of the judiciary, adopting the 2014-20 Judiciary Reform Programme and ensuring full independence of the judiciary. This will include the following measures: passing a law on the role of the Judicial Legal Council; analyzing shortcomin

L’Egypte accepte la plupart des recommandations de l’ONU sur les droits humains - en dehors de celles à l’encontre de la ’sharia’ - mais les violations s’aggravent - mada masr (La sharia instrumentalisée) ▻http://www.madamasr.com/news/egypt-accepts-most-un-recommendations-improve-human-rights-groups-say-viol

A staggering 300 recommendations were issued during Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN headquarters in Geneva last November, of which Egypt has pledged to accept 243, or 81 percent. Ramadan, Egypt’s UN representative, said this number demonstrates Egypt’s “great openness and complete seriousness" to ameliorate its record.

Every four years, UN member states are given the opportunity to outline the actions they have taken to protect human rights in their nations. Rights groups in the country under review are allowed to submit reports and opinions to be discussed during the session, which are considered alongside a report authored by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

During its UPR last year, Egypt was put in the hot seat when its recent spate of human rights violations was brought into question.

The other UN member states said they had serious concerns regarding what they described as a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests, as well as the repression of civil society and human rights organizations. They also criticized Egypt for consistently failing to respect the freedom of expression and the press, for restricting political plurality, and for committing acts of torture and levying mass death sentences against the opposition. Egypt was also failing to protect the rights of women and the LGBT community, as well as other basic social and economic rights, they said.

Egypt has accepted the recommendations that align with its 2014 Constitution, the Penal Code and the international human rights declarations and treaties to which it is a signatory, Ramadan explained. Egypt also declared its commitment to review legislation that pertains to citizens’ rights, he said.
However, the state rejected certain recommendations that it claims violate the Penal Code and the Constitution, Ramadan said. He pointed in particular to Articles 2 and 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Article 2 of the convention stipulates full equality between men and women, and prohibits discrimination against women in any forms. Article 16 mandates taking all necessary measures to eliminate discrimination against women in matters relating to marriage and family relations. Egypt says that it can’t implement recommendations that violate the principles of Sharia.
“Rejecting some of the recommendations, which happened in a very limited manner, may be due to their contradiction of the Constitution — for example, the Constitution’s stipulation that Sharia is the main source of legislation,” Ramadan clarified.

That line of thinking was echoed in the recent Foreign Affairs Ministry statement responding to the European Union Parliament’s condemnation of human rights abuses perpetrated under Egypt’s new government. The statement firmly refuted the EU’s pleas to protect LGBT rights and end capital punishment, and chastised the EU for bringing up “issues in a manner that does not suit Egypt’s cultural, religious and social specificity, which further angers the Egyptian public due to the EU’s insistence on imposing values that are far from the values of Egyptian society.”

Certain recommendations were also rejected because they contradicted the rights granted to sovereign states under various international covenants and agreements, such as the right to preserve capital punishment, Ramadan added.

But the government did accept all recommendations pertaining to the international human rights covenants that Egypt has signed, the review of legislation concerning non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the drafting of a new law on the right of association, Ramadan said. He added that Egypt has renewed its commitment to review laws related to peaceful protest and the right of assembly, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and discrimination.

Hafez Abou Seada, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, told the UN Human Rights Council that its recommendations should function as a national plan that would be implemented with the participation of civil society organizations.

Legislative reform should be the state’s top priority, he added, with the contentious Protest Law, NGO Law and a bill on torture topping that list.

Leading a delegation of nine other human rights organizations, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) declared that the UPR’s success could only be measured by the improvement of human rights conditions on the ground. But despite the UN’s 38 recommendations on the right to peaceful assembly and protest, violations of those freedoms continue to worsen, the group claimed.

Furthermore, attacks on NGOs continue unabated, CIHRS said, adding that the “Egyptian government’s ability to combat terrorism will not be realized unless its citizens and civil society enjoy the full array of rights. It is rights and representation that hold the key to stability and prosperity in Egypt, not the current model of brutality and repression.”

U.S. bipartisan bill would seed funding for Israeli-Palestinian civil society programs - Diplomacy and Defense - Israel News | Haaretz
▻http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.648179

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress would seed $50 million a year to promote civil society engagement between Israelis and Palestinians.

The bill “would establish a multi-national fund to support grassroots programs that promote peace and reconciliation in the region,” said a statement Friday from the office of Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) who is joined in the initiative by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.).

The U.S. contribution would be $50 million annually and further funding would come from the public and private sectors.

The Alliance for Middle East Peace, an umbrella for Israeli-Palestinian civil society groups which lobbied for the bill, noted that there were already hundreds of successful grassroots efforts underway. The fund would “provide the resources and expertise to scale up these initiatives to impact millions of people, and ultimately permit peace to thrive.”

Civil Society Review issue 1 - January 2015: Revisiting Inequalities in Lebanon: the case of the “Syrian refugee crisis” and gender dynamics | Civil Society Knowledge Centre
▻http://cskc.daleel-madani.org/resource/civil-society-review-issue-1-january-2015-revisiting-inequalitie

The objective of the Civil Society Review is to bring civil society practitioners, experts, activists, and researchers together to develop knowledge, as well as to innovate new tools and practices so as to strengthen Lebanon’s civil society and its voice. The Civil Society Review produces evidence-based research and analysis and disseminates findings and recommendations to promote civic engagement, shape policies, and stimulate debate within civil society spheres in Lebanon.

This first issue of the Civil Society Review reflects the core of Lebanon Support’s mission and mandate to create a space for reflection, collaboration and debate between scholarly research, expertise and activism in Lebanon. Its themes were informed by, if not imposed by, the current problematics that civil society actors have been facing in the past few years in Lebanon, and that are structuring their work. While we are aware of the fetishization of the concept of “civil society”, our approach seeks to introduce a critical and distanced reflection to its underlying contents and implications, and to consider it as a social and political construct in the Lebanese context rather than a given.

visualizing #palestine — Visualizing Palestine
▻http://visualizingpalestine.org/#about

http://visualizingpalestine.org/assets/visualizing-palestine-facebook-share-1ca9c86e66a582a185160306455c429f.png

Visualizing Palestine creates data-driven tools to advance a factual, rights-based narrative of the Palestinian-Israeli issue. Our researchers, designers, technologists, and communications specialists work in partnership with civil society actors to amplify their impact and promote justice and equality.

Launched in 2012, VP is the first portfolio of Visualizing Impact (VI) an independent, non-profit laboratory for innovation at the intersection of data science, technology, and design.

#visualisation #israel

Bordermonitoring.eu | #Refoulements en #Bulgarie

Le 21 avril 2014 Border Monitoring Bulgaria (BMB) a enregistré un autre cas de refoulement d’une mère célibataire syrienne avec ses quatre enfants (âgés de 10, 17, 22, 24 ans). Ce push-back a été accompagné par de graves violences policières. La famille des victimes a indiqué que dans leur tentative de bénéficier d’une protection en Bulgarie, la famille a été renvoyée de force en Turquie. Après une journée passée en Bulgarie, la famille se trouve aujourd’hui en Turquie, sans que leur demande d’asile n’ait été respectée, entendue, ou évaluée. Le BMB a parlé des victimes de ce #push-back qui sont maintenant dans un hôpital en Turquie en train de faire soigner leurs membres et côtes cassés.

❞

▻http://www.asile.ch/vivre-ensemble/2014/07/14/bordermonitoring-eu-refoulements-en-bulgarie
#frontière #migration #asile #réfugiés #Turquie #Bulgarie

Australia
Australia has a solid record of protecting civil and political rights, with robust institutions and a vibrant press and civil society that act as a check on government power. The government’s failure to respect international standards protecting asylum seekers and refugees, however, continues to take a heavy human toll and undermines Australia’s ability to call for stronger human rights protections abroad. In 2014, Australia introduced new overbroad counterterrorism measures that would infringe on freedoms of expression and movement. The government has also done too little to address indigenous rights and disability rights.
▻http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/australia
#Australie #réfugiés #asile #migration

Between Local Patronage Relationships and Securitization: The Conflict Context in the Bekaa Region | Civil Society Knowledge Centre
▻http://cskc.daleel-madani.org/resource/between-local-patronage-relationships-and-securitization-conflic

he details of the Shebaa operation show that the Resistance’s operational arms are extremely flexible — whether in terms of meeting the political needs to choose an appropriate military target; in terms of preparing the right weapons and timing to achieve proportionality with the enemy; or in terms of delivering a tough message, whose significance surpasses the mere number of casualties.

Third: The nature of the Resistance’s military and intelligence response to the operation is indicative of its ability to avoid a compulsive emotional response. It also shows that the enemy even if, in theory, it had calculated the coming response, it was still unable to implement measures on the ground to protect itself from such an attack.

Des ONG défendant les droits de l’homme quittent l’Egypte accusant le pouvoir « de leur avoir déclaré la guerre » - Ahram

▻http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/117591.aspx

An Egyptian human rights group has said it will transfer its regional and international activities abroad because the state has “declared war” on civil society groups.
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) said on Tuesday that it feared “constant threats” against non-governmental organisations and a clampdown on all “critical voices” would hinder its work.

The group citied a government ultimatum to thousands of groups, which expired on 10 November, to register under a law from the era of Hosni Mubarak as one of the main motives behind the move.

The centre said it feared it would also be obliged to relocate its local activities “if the hostile climate against independent human rights group continues.”

Regional activities will be moved to Tunisia, where the group is legally registered, the centre said.

Some regional activities were relocated to other Arab countries amid restrictions that either impede or bar foreign rights campaigners and academics from entering the country, a statement by the centre said.

Last month, the government gave a deadline for groups doing NGO-type work and registered as civil companies or law firms to correct their status by registering under the Mubarak-era statute.

NGOs also fear a new draft law regulating their activities will further strengthen the state’s grip on them and severely restrict their operations.

Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali said she was “astonished” by the group’s move, in comments carried by state news agency MENA.

The minister said she had previously accepted the group’s call for a dialogue, stressing that the government has taken no legal action against the group or cracked down on it.

Wali said the institute had not asked the government for a correction of its status.

Some rights groups have already shut their offices in Egypt, including a democracy watchdog founded by former US president Jimmy Carter.

The Carter Centre said it had closed its Cairo office in October because “the current environment in Egypt is not conducive to genuine democratic and civic participation.”

Abu Aardvark:
Domination and Tunisian Politics

▻http://abuaardvark.typepad.com November 15, 2014

I recently returned from a short trip to Tunis, where I had the chance to check in with a variety of folks about the current political scene. I met with senior members of both Nedaa Tounis and the Ennahda movement (including Rached Ghannouchi), along with a variety of journalists and civil society activists. I was particularly interested in exploring the role of the media in post-uprising Tunisia, for a paper I’ll be circulating soon (spoiler: like in Egypt, it’s played an extremely negative role).

But I was also keen to look for answers to a question which has been nagging at me ever since last month’s Nedaa Tounes victory in the Parliamentary elections: why doesn’t anyone seem to be as worried by the prospect of Nedaa Tounes “dominating” Tunisan politics as they were by the prospect of Ennahda “domination”? Or is that only for Islamists? Should Nedaa be looking to form an inclusive coalition rather than governing from one side of a polarized public? Should Ennahda be worried that an explicitly anti-Islamist government would try to crush it Ben Ali or Sisi-style? 

After years of the world’s agonizing over the prospects of its domination, Ennahda chose to not field a candidate in the upcoming Presidential election (if only Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood had done the same), and surrendered the Prime Minister position in the face of an intense political crisis earlier this year. But Nedaa has done nothing of the sort. After winning the Parliamentary election, its candidate Beji Caid el-Sibsi is a shaky frontrunner to win the November 23 Presidential election. His victory would give Nedaa control over both the legislative and executive branches, with likely support for any sort of anti-Islamist agenda forthcoming from the unreformed judiciary. Shouldn’t everyone be worried about one side of a polarized political arena poised to potentially dominate all branches of government in a fragile democratic transition? 

The most common answer I heard in my conversations was that nobody believed that Nedaa could hold itself together long enough to actually dominate. They pointed to the tensions between different parts of the Nedaa coalition, which includes both fervently anti-Islamist leftists and a neoliberal capitalist elites. Nedaa won only a narrow Parliamentary victory, and will have to form a coalition of some kind to govern. With only Sebsi and hatred of Ennahda holding Nedaa together, there would be no ideological consensus to impose upon Tunisia and numerous opportunities for the new party to fragment and turn upon itself. With Ennahda defeated, or if Sebsi passes from the scene, most seem to believe that the Nedaa coalition will fall apart and normal politics will ensue.❞

In Egypt, Business as Usual : l’édito du NYT critique la conférence US organisée en Égypte pour les investisseurs américains en dépit des violations des droits humains

▻http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/opinion/in-egypt-business-as-usual.html?smid=tw-share

The Obama administration’s Egypt policy — to the extent that one can be discerned — has been characterized by a combination of mixed messages, wishful thinking and a willful disregard of inconvenient truths.

It is nonetheless stunning that the State Department saw fit to help organize a large investment conference for American businesses in Cairo next week, coinciding with a deadline the Egyptian government imposed in a blatant effort to shut down independent groups that promote civil society and human rights.

A State Department official called the timing “inadvertent,” and said the gathering of more than 65 American executives, which is being billed as the largest of its kind, in no way diminishes Washington’s concerns about Egypt’s efforts to throttle pro-democracy organizations. Inadvertent or not, the conference will be seen by Egyptians as an unequivocal endorsement of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose ruthless authoritarianism is making Egypt’s past dictators look almost benign.

Under Egypt’s draconian 2002 Law on Associations, nongovernmental groups must be licensed by the state. Because the government has not accredited those that have brought to light government abuses and promoted democratic reforms, most such groups have operated in a gray legal area. By announcing a Nov. 10 deadline for all organizations to be accredited, authorities in Cairo are signaling that a new crackdown on such groups could be imminent.

The message has been reinforced in recent months as some of Egypt’s smartest and bravest activists have been encouraged by officials in the government to leave the country or face arrest. Some have slipped out, feeling fearful and resigned.

Adding to the angst, the Egyptian government recently promoted the architect of the last crackdown on civil society organizations, Fayza Abul Naga, to the post of national security adviser. This appointment of an official who in 2012 sparked a diplomatic crisis with Washington by prompting a criminal inquiry that ensnared American pro-democracy workers is an ominous move.

Ms. Abul Naga’s crusade, which sought to vilify foreign-financed nongovernmental organizations, prompted the United States in February 2012 to pay $4.6 million in forfeited bail money that was essentially a judicial bribe. As it has threatened watchdogs and critics, Mr. Sisi’s government has had a freer hand in cracking down on Islamists, a diverse segment of Egypt’s population that the government has branded as terrorists.

That campaign took an alarming turn in recent days when Egyptian officials started leveling houses along the country’s border with Israel in an effort to shut down smuggling tunnels. The government gave thousands of residents 48 hours to leave homes along the border, an arbitrary measure that is certain to be used by extremist groups to foment hatred of the state.

American executives taking part in the Cairo business conference next week should think long and hard about whether investing in Egypt now is worthwhile if it means strengthening a despotic system.