Report CIVICUS Monitor: Rights Reversed A Downward shift in civic space (2019-2023)

CIVICUS, has recently published its latest brief, the CIVICUS Monitor, which assesses the state of civic space worldwide and offers insights into related trends, setbacks and developments. Drawing on an analysis of developments from 2019 to 2023, the CIVICUS Monitor has identified the seven key trends in civic space.

A rise in the closure of civic space worldwide, with the highest number of people living in closed countries since 2019
The downgrades to the closed rating are primarily attributed to changes in the civic space situation of countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe and Central Asia. The regimes of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua have intensified their control over civic space by taking punitive measures against civil society and independent media. The closed category in Asia grew from seven to eight countries and territories by 2023, with Bangladesh joining Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Myanmar, North Korea and Vietnam. In Europe and Central Asia, three countries - Belarus, Russia and Tajikistan - moved to the closed category, joining Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Repression remains the constant in Africa South of the Sahara and Mena
Currently around three-quarters of the population of Africa south of the Sahara lives in the 29 countries where the civic space is significantly constrained or closed. To date, 90 per cent, 45 out of 50 countries and territories in the region, are rated as obstructed and repressed. Civic space is open only in the islands nations of Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Some of the themes that cut across the regions are freedom violations, armed conflict, weak rule of law and impunity, high numbers of incidents involving the detentions of journalists, rights violations against excluded groups, and intimidation and restrictive laws.The region home to some of the most repressive governments in the world remains the MENA region.

Civic space challenges arise in Europe
In 2019, Europe was the only region where the majority of people lived in countries with the two highest possible ratings of open and narrowed, with almost 20 percent of people living in open countries. Five years on, however, this figure has almost halved to just over 10 per cent, and 54.3 percent of people now face restrictions in either obstructed, repressed or closed countries. The most worrying trends in the EU have been the increasing government crackdown on the climate movement and the criminalisation of solidarity actions among civil society.

Detentions and arrests of protesters are used as a tactic to prevent and disperse protests and punish protesters
The right to seek change through peaceful protest is becoming increasingly restricted. The detention of protesters consistently ranks as a top violation of civic space documented over the past five years. Detentions took place in countries ranked in all five civic space categories, from open to closed, with at least 30 percent of such incidents taking place in countries with open to narrowed civic space, demonstrating that even countries with relatively enabling legislation and strong democratic institutions can target protesters. Used to prevent and disrupt protests and punish protesters for exercising their right, the arbitrary arrest of protesters is a widespread tactic globally and has been seen in Europe as a response to climate protests.

The COVID-19 pandemic was used as a pretext to limit civic space
During the COVID-19 pandemic, states around the world invoked legal and policy measures to curb the spread of the virus. The CIVICUS Monitor found that restrictions on protests, including the banning and prevention of protests, peaked during the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, detention of protesters was the top civic space violation documented in at least 97 countries. Emergency health measures continued to be used to restrict the right to protest even after the peak of the pandemic, particularly in Asia. In addition, people’s right to freely receive and impart information, indispensable during a global crisis, was severely restricted. 

Prosecution of human rights defenders is a growing concern
The prosecution of human rights defenders (HRDs) is a growing concern, ranking among the top 10 violations documented by the CIVICUS Monitor in the last two years. This trend is particularly concerning in the Asia-Pacific region, where it is the fourth most frequently documented civic space violation. In Central Asia, criminal prosecution is frequently used as a means of intimidation and suppression of dissent. Prosecutions of journalists and HRDs are some of the region’s most common violations, with authorities targeting dissenters with criminal charges such as slander, extortion, fraud, rioting and extremism. Examples can also be found in Africa, the Americas and Europe, which are explained in detail in the report.

Restrictive laws are being used as tools to limit civil society activities
The CIVICUS Monitor has tracked how legislation is often used to censor opposition and silence critics, and to limit or shut down CSOs and civil society initiatives. In the UAE, the increasingly retaliatory and punitive context forbids criticism of the “state or the rulers” and imposes punishments, including life imprisonment and the death penalty, for the association with any group opposing “the system of government” under the Cybercrime Law. In Belarus, by the end of 2023, 940 organizations had been liquidated by court order and 550 had chosen to liquidate due to threat of possible criminal prosecution under several laws.

Groups most involved in or affected by civic space incidents
Not all people are involved in or equally impacted on by civic space restrictions and limitations. From 2019 to 2023, LGBTQI+ people rights (a global phenomenon but particularly an issue in Africa) , environmental rights defenders (including Indigenous rights defenders and climate justice activists) and women’s rights defenders (particularly in the MENA region, where there is an ongoing struggle to advance gender equality) were consistently among those most involved in and affected by civic space incidents. 

Civil society victories: reversing repression
In every region, civil society uses advocacy mechanisms and public campaigns to raise awareness of rights violations, call for accountability and demand respect for the rule of law. Regarding instances of improvements in law and practice that have defended or expanded civic space, human rights groups have played a key role in accountability measures by helping to bring the authorities in Myanmar before the International Court of Justice for violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In Argentina, mass protests organized by the Marea Verde (Green Wave) led to the legalization of abortion in December 2020. 

Action needed for civic space to flourish in the next five years
Despite the numerous setbacks, civil society has mobilized to enact positive change and bring about openings in civic space. For civic space to flourish in the next five years, urgent action is needed now to support civil society and HRDs, in every country and context, from open to closed, with an emphasis on safeguarding the most vulnerable among civil society, including defenders of environmental, LGBTQI+ people and women’s rights. It is crucial to promote international acts of solidarity and campaigns on behalf of activists imprisoned or under pressure and to raise opposition when civic space is threatened.

Last update

1/3/2024