Limiting Space for Civil Society in Afghanistan: the implications of policies and legislations on NGOs Report Emergence of diverse and inclusive Civil Society organizations, such as NGOs and associations are among the mentionable gains during the last two decades of Afghanistan history. Nevertheless, beside increasing threats of insecurity, NGOs are constantly faced with challenges of laws and policies. By Abdul Wahed Zia Moballegh
Hungary to imprison NGO workers helping asylum seekers and other migrants The Hungarian Government has voted to further deteriorate refugee people's rights and justify the imprisonment of NGO workers and attorneys who attempt to help them. By Nóra Köves
Hungary 2017: Detained refugees, persecuted NGOs, lack of legal certainty Hungary has reached a point where people fleeing from war and persecution can be detained, beaten and deprived of their rights, while those who endeavour to help them are cast as national security risks. By Nóra Köves
An eclipse of Myanmar’s civil society? Myanmar’s transition to democracy has earned the country a lot of appraisal on the international stage. But over the last year, the boundaries between what is permitted and what will get people in trouble slid back and blurred again. By Dr. Stefan Bächtold
Shrinking Spaces and the G20 When the 19 member countries and the EU gathered in Hamburg for the G20 Summit one important topic was not on the agenda: from China to Mexico, Turkey to Russia, Saudi Arabia to India – the respect for fundamental human rights can no longer be taken for granted. By Barbara Unmüßig
We Will Stay and Fight Interview On Tuesday, 13 June, Hungary’s National Assembly passed a law that requires NGOs which receive foreign funds above the annual threshold of 24000 EUR to register and label themselves as “foreign-funded organisations” on their websites and in their publications. By Anna Frenyó
Towards a democratic and globally just resource policy Germany depends on the import of metallic, mineral and fossil fuel resources. The extraction of these raw materials takes place at the expense of the environment and leads to human rights violations. The German Federal Government has to take these consequences adequately into account.
Balázs Tóth: "The Hungarian government aims to prevent the emergence of critical voices" Balázs Tóth is head of the Law Enforcement Program at the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a public benefit human rights organisation that provides legal help to refugees, detainees and victims of law enforcement violence. Kristóf Szombati met with Balázs, who has been working for the organisation since 2004, to discuss the challenges faced by civil society organisations in Hungary. By Kristóf Szombati
Macedonia: a captured society The hostile environment created by the government makes the work of civil society actors practically impossible. To be a human rights activist in Macedonia is to be a person that is constantly threatened, attacked, and demonized. By Xhabir Deralla
ICAN at the UNGA On Thursday the 27th of October, United Nations adopted a landmark resolution to launch negotiations in 2017 on a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons. By Daniel Högsta