Civil society groups express fear over intimidation by politicians, corporates

Bogota, Colombia: Human rights activists have raised concern over the growing threats to civil organizations from political elite and businesses.

Meeting in Colombia at the13th gathering of International civil society week, participants said the threat mostly from governments and corporates is likely to roll back democratic gains and open up a new chapter of oppression to citizens across the World.

"The threats range from murder, intimidation and changing laws to silence activities of human rights bodies, and the worry is that this happens even in mature democracies," noted Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, the Secretary General CIVICUS. "

"This will undermine citizens’ effort to demand for accountability and champion human rights especially among the minority groups," he added.

Dr Sriskandarajah said fear of dissenting voices questioning suspicious activities has led to a strange collaboration between politicians and businesses targeting to muzzle voices of third forces like civil rights activists and the media.

He said big businesses now own political processes in many countries and politicians on the other hand try to protect these entities leading to their strange merger to undermine activities of human rights groups.

CIVICUS which is the global civil society Alliance says it is currently tracking major threats to fundamental freedoms of speech, expression and association in over 100 countries and in 2015 the murders of 156 human rights defenders were recorded.

This sharp global crackdown has continued in 2016 with the horrific deaths of Honduran human rights activist Berta Caceres and South African community leader Sikhosiphi Bazooka Rhadebe. 

Of concern to CIVICUS also is a move by governments to make foreign funding of NGOs illegal and state surveillance of online activities which it says is on the rise as authorities fear the power of civil society and social media to mobilise citizens to protest. “Intimidation is affecting the ability of people to fight for a range of human rights.”

‘Civil society faces a worsening global crisis’ says Nobel Peace Prize winner Ali Zeddini. ‘Human rights defenders are being detained, tortured and killed as governments try to shut down civic space and shut up dissenting voices. We need to find new ways to defend activists and hold governments to account for these violations as well as the progress they must make in the fight against poverty, inequality and climate change.’

They made the remarks on the sidelines of this year’s International Civil Society week in Bogota, Colombia where over 930 people from 130 countries are gathered to tackle challenges facing human rights, democracy and development struggles.

Speakers include Nobel Peace Prize winner Ali Zeddini, of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, Yara and Mazen Darwish, of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, Jose Ugaz Chair of Transparency International and Kumi Naidoo, former Executive Director of Greenpeace and now Director of the Africa Civil Society Centre.