Operational survival support

KISA - Cyprus

Related initiative

Emergency Protection and Solidarity

civil society under threat

A growing number of activists whose work revolves around anti-racism are exposed to threats and risks that emanate from policies and practices which hinder their ability to defend human rights and access funding sources. As a response to this worrying phenomenon, the ENAR Foundation has set up a support scheme to respond to emergency needs and threats experienced by Human Rights Defenders.

KISA, a long-standing member organisation of ENAR, have been deregistered and had their assets frozen under a decree in Cyprus. This action followed a period of harassment by the right-wing authorities in Cyprus, including individual threats to their activists on the ground that their work in support of migrants’ rights is in opposition to the right-wing government policies. Despite the denunciation by the United Nations human rights bodies and human rights organisations, the government refused to unfreeze KISA’s accounts, thus preventing them from mobilising their resources to maintain their activities. KISA has since challenged the unlawful government actions at the High Court and at the European Court. The grant provided support to their basic operations, to keep defending the rights of migrants coming from Middle East, Asia and Africa while they proceed with their litigation and advocacy actions against the judicial harassment by the government.