Since anti-corruption protests began on September 20, 2019, the government of Egypt has arrested more than 3,120 people, including respected civil society leaders and the lawyers defending them. On October 12, 2019, armed plainclothes officers kidnapped Egyptian activist and journalist Esraa Abdelfattah in an escalating crackdown on civil society leaders. Abdelfattah is detained under investigation for “disseminating false news”…
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Clement Voule, ended his 10-day visit to Zimbabwe on September 27, 2019, and issued a statement calling for the government to do more to reduce the recent series of attacks on civil society activists and to encourage dialog between political…
On June 7, 2019, Russian authorities arrested investigative journalist Ivan Golunov on multiple drug-related offenses, in what many believed to be an attempt to silence his anti-corruption work. In the days following, journalists, civil society activists, celebrities, and everyday citizens raised their voices in support of Golunov. Although non-approved protests are banned in Russia, an…
On March 11, 2019, the World Movement for Democracy submitted a general comment on Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), outlining the rights of peaceful assembly and association established by international law and regional norms. The World Movement’s response focuses on the right of individuals and associations, including civil…