Environmental activists and civil society groups in Macedonia working to defend their rights in the face of harmful development projects financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other development banks, are increasingly threatened and harassed. In an article in the Guardian, CEE Bankwatch’s Ana Colovic tells about her experience. “Over the years, I’ve taken on numerous development projects and the institutions that finance them, to prevent the literal bulldozing of the natural beauty of this country. But increasingly, the space has been shrinking for activists like myself that are critical of, and simply think or speak differently than, the government.” Read more here.
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We are excited to announce that, w/ our member @WRIEquity, we are developing a new initiative to protect Grassroots Environmental #Defenders!
The Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (#STAND) will offer training, financial support and collaborative partnerships 🧵(1/4)
📢 Save the Date! 📅 16:00CET, 9 April
Join BHRRC’s @ChristenDobson as she speaks at the online launch of new Indicators on Business & Human Rights, spearheaded by @ISHRglobal.
Register here👉: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5m9V1XgyQ0mN83ltukcjFg#/registration
🚨Today, as their hearing takes place, we urge authorities in #ElSalvador to drop all charges against 5 environmental rights defenders from @ades_sm.
The criminalization of HRDs for peacefully protecting their territory must end❗️
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/upcoming-hearing-five-community-leaders-and-environmental-rights-defenders-facing-2
Very worrying news from #Kyrgyzstan, where the president has signed the controversial law on "foreign representatives", that risks stigmatizing and silencing critical voices.
https://cpj.org/2024/04/kyrgyzstan-president-signs-russian-style-foreign-agents-law/
In a recent letter, local & intl CSOs had called on development banks to take a stance to protect #civicspace and use their leverage to push the Kyrgyz govt to stop the law.
https://rightsindevelopment.org/news/kyrgyzstan-foreign-representative-law/
Standing in solidarity with our Kyrgyz partners, we hope the govt will now withdraw the other proposed law on NGOs and will not use the new bill on foreign repr to target critics & silence dissent.
Read more in this analysis by @ICNLAlliance 👇
https://www.icnl.org/post/analysis/analysis-of-the-kyrgyz-republic-draft-law-on-non-governmental-organizations