On May 13, 2017, Iraqi Parliamentarians delayed the passage of a draft of the Law on Freedom of Expression, Assembly, and Peaceful Demonstration after citizens, civil society organizations, and trade and labor unions protested the proposed legislation. Through constructive dialogue, the coalition persuaded Members of Parliament to indefinitely postpone a vote on the bill, which…
Venezuela: On May 23, 2017, Venezuelan activist, Antonietta Ledezma, spoke at the Oslo Freedom Forum, a global human rights conference, where she advocated for the release of all Venezuelan political prisoners. Ledezma explained that Venezuela is “going through the cruelest dictatorship of [its] history,” and has witnessed a complete “criminalization of politics.” Ledezma is one…
Former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, released his final thematic report to the UN Human Rights Council entitled “Mapping the Achievements of Civil Society.” The report highlights successes of civil society across a variety of sectors over the past decade by identifying vital contributions…
On May 9, 2017, Hassan Shire, the Executive Director of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (DefendDefenders), addressed the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and encouraged them to play a stronger role in protecting human rights on the continent. Shire drew attention to a number of recent human rights…