• Indian police use water cannon to end gang-rape protest in Lucknow. (The Guardian) • As King Juan Carlos abdicates, anti-monarchy demonstrators take to the streets in Spain to demand a referendum on abolishing the monarchy. (RT.com) • Bring Back Our Girls demonstrations banned for “security reasons” in Abuja, Nigeria. Ban is “insane,” says protest group’s lawyer. (The Telegraph) • 13 demonstrators arrested in protest against Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, police (four days autopsy report revealed police had shot a homeless man in the back in March). “All we asked is to talk to the mayor,” said one protester, just before being handcuffed. (Albuquerque Journal) • British Colombia (Canada) students plan walkout to protests labor dispute between teachers and government. “We’re not taking sides,” says Grade 12 student leader. (Globe and Mail) • EU Neighborhood survey finds most of Europe’s neighbors don’t know what the term “civil society” means – but still think it can make a difference. (EU Neighborhood Info Centre) • Hungarian government raids three NGOs with ties to Norway. (Reuters) • And over the weekend, big clashes in Turkey over the one-year anniversary of the Gezi Park protests (Haaretz). Even a CNN reporter got roughed up a bit:... Continue reading →
• 1,000 troops seal off one of Bangkok’s busiest intersections to prevent a protest, as deputy national police chief says protests will no longer be allowed. “We have to keep the law sacred,” he says. (ABC News) • Cambodian court convicts 25 for "acts of violence" during garment strikes - then frees them (Reuters). Related: Jeans maker Levi-Strauss reduces sourcing from Cambodia to "minimize supply-chain risk." (just-style.com) • The Economist predicts Brazil protests unlikely to disrupt the World Cup, but an early exit for the national team could spur unrest. “Social movements are quietly cheering for Brazil to lose,” remarks one activist, “even to arch-rival Argentina.” • War widows from Libera’s 14 years of conflict protest for benefits. (ABC News) • Earlier this week: Oxfam’s former head of counter-fraud jailed for stealing from charity. Pled guilty in March to making £64,612.58 in payments to fictitious firms. (Civilsociety.co.uk) • Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson: US diplomats should speak up on Malaysia human rights abuses (The Malaysian Insider). Also from HRW: Kyrgyzstan should reject trio of repressive legislative proposals: A “foreign agents” law for NGOs accepting foreign money, a bill criminalizing “homosexual propaganda,” and new... Continue reading →
• Civil society forms “watch committee” in Rakhine State, Myanmar, to “see whether their aid goes to the right places.” (In March, mobs attacked UN and aid group offices in Rakhine, forcing many INGOs to flee; they were accused of favoring the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group). (Myanmar Times) • The EU is pumping €674K into civil society into Armenian civil society focused on healthcare, agriculture and social security. (ARKA News Agency) • In Cambodia, civil society condemns the (currently one-party) National Assembly’s passage of three “flawed judicial reform bills” (the opposition party continues its 10-month boycott of parliament due to allegedly flawed elections last summer). (Asian Human Rights Commission) Special Rapporteur Surya Subedi has chimed in as well. • The .ngo website suffix comes online in October 2014. (Nonprofit Quarterly) More here. • Is Israel jumping on the “foreign agent” NGO law bandwagon? Proposed bill “directed at left-leaning groups.” (Haaretz) • In Brazil, Rival World Cup protest songs jostle for football fans’ attention. “Rival tunes, anti-FIFA raps and instrumental lamentations challenging the poorly received official theme,” writes Jonathan Watts. (The Guardian) • Violinists’ protest video goes viral after they... Continue reading →
