The CIVICUS Monitor, a global research collaboration that rates fundamental freedoms in 196 countries, downgraded the United States’ rating from “Narrowed” to “Obstructed.” Read the full story at C&SN News. (December 8)
The letter states a temporary general license is needed because, “The pandemic has laid bare the ways in which our broad application of sanctions is undermining public health systems.” Read more at C&SN News. (December 10)
Despite setbacks for human rights, including use of emergency powers to suppress civil society, there are promising signs that multilateral organizations are beginning to address the disconnect between counterterrorism measures and humanitarian and human rights obligations. Read the latestC&SN Blog. (December 10)
While C&SN takes no position on BDS itself, we believe this is an effort to weaponize and politicize programs and organizations engaged in legal activities and in the case of U.S. persons, actions protected by the First Amendment. Read the full statement at C&SN News. (December 10)
A new report from CIVICUS finds that governments are using national security to limit rights of free speech, peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. Kate Hodal reports at The Guardian. (December 9)
Ugandan government is exploiting vague definitions of counterterrorism law to harass nonprofits they accuse of influencing politics. Derrick Kiyonga writes at the Daily Monitor. (December 6)
UN experts argue for greater protection of civil society from abuse of counterterrorism law, “Speaking up for human rights does not make a human rights defender a terrorist; it makes them a defender of international law and the rules that we all, in theory, uphold.” Read more at Just Security. (November 30)
Nonprofits in Kazakhstan that receive foreign funding are being targeted by tax authorities in a “cynical attempt to silence independent and critical voices precisely when these voices matter the most.”Human Rights Watch reports. (December 3)
The Pakistan government is reportedly deregistering small nonprofits across the country without notice or communicating regulatory requirements. Mohammad Ashfaq reports at DAWN. (November 30)
Jessica Davis argues that traditional forms of counter terrorist finance such as sanctions and de-risking need to be reevaluated to deal with the evolution of terrorist threats. Read the full story at Lawfare. (December 6)
Congress approved the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes expansion of the Bank Secrecy Act’s purpose and regulatory power. Peter Hardy provides analysis at JD Supra. (December 7)
John Byrne at AML RightSource explains what nonprofits need to know about the Bank Secrecy Act Fact Sheet published by FinCEN on November 19. (November 23)
Treasury reiterated that sanctions include exceptions for humanitarian trade, despite widespread international concern that sanctions are undermining both diplomatic and humanitarian work in Iran. John O’Donnell reports at Reuters. (December 8)
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) proposed to Congress the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Middle East Monitorreports. (December 4)
Designating Houthis as a terrorist organization would severely limit the ability of humanitarian organizations to work with approximately 80 percent of the Yemeni population. Eric Schwartz and Harden Lang write at Just Security. (December 3)
Gregory D. Johnsen argues the designation could lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable civilian deaths, undermine peace talks, and strengthen the relationship between Houthis and Iran. Read more at Lawfare. (December 1)
