Today, on the International Day of Democracy, CIVICUS underlines the critical importance of active citizen participation. Open civic space is essential to safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms which are the foundation of democracy.
We call on citizens around the world and their movements to come together to defend and promote democracy, civic freedoms and human rights — and to resist the growing threats posed by authoritarianism, disinformation, and the shrinking of civic space. Now more than ever, global solidarity and collective action are vital to ensure that democratic values are upheld and that every voice is heard.
CIVICUS stands in solidarity with activists, advocates, journalists, and groups who stand against abusive governments and anti-rights movements. Despite today’s bleak circumstances, CIVICUS acknowledges the tireless efforts of our members, partners, and civil society working to defend democratic principles.
Last week, citizens in Indonesia and Nepal protested against corrupt governments. Youth led the protests, facing violence and even loss of life. Similar violations of assembly and expression are occuring in countries such as Togo, Mali, and Turkey.
Every day, democracy faces significant challenges, including blatant violations of human rights and humanitarian laws. State attacks target human rights defenders, activists, and journalists, and violently crackdown on protests demanding accountability. Democracy is also attacked through election interference, proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, digital restrictions. Growing inaction from multilateral institutions and government laws repressing civil society further worsen human rights abuses.
According to 2024 People Power Under Attack Report, seven in ten people now live in countries with closed or repressed civic space. Compared with last year, an additional 1.5 percent of global population now live in closed or repressed spaces.
Now, more than ever, we are witnessing a brazen display of power at the expense of people’s lives. Israel continues to commit daily atrocities in Gaza, killing, starving and displacing civilians, and has announced plans to occupy and ethnically cleanse Gaza City. Globally, people and organizations supporting Palestine are facing backlash for their advocacy.
Repressive laws restricting civil society’s freedom of association are rapidly increasing worldwide. Countries like Georgia, El Salvador, Slovakia, and Hungary have recently adopted Foreign Agents laws, citing transparency and national security but often using them to hinder, stigmatise, and criminalize civil society.
The digital space, once a tool for citizen action and human rights education, has been dominated by major tech companies aligned with right-wing populists, including the Trump administration. Technology is increasingly used for surveillance of activists and opposition groups. Misinformation and disinformation are weaponised to discredit human rights, framing them as ideological colonisation or threats to national sovereignty. These tactics are also used to manipulate election outcomes in many countries.
Regional contexts
Americas
The democratic situation in the Americas is deeply concerning. In the USA, Donald Trump’s second administration has weakened democratic institutions, undermined the multilateral system, and emboldened regional authoritarianism.
Restrictive legislation targeting civil society organisations is rapidly spreading. “Foreign agent” and “anti-NGO” laws once associated with authoritarian contexts like El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are now being adopted in countries such as Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
Human rights defenders face extreme risks. Environmental and land activists are being killed, making it the most dangerous region for them worldwide. In Guatemala and Mexico, the judicial system is abused to criminalise those exposing corruption and abuses of power. In Haiti, activists face spiralling violence.
Asia-Pacific
Democracy in the Asia-Pacific region is faltering, particularly due to shrinking civic freedoms, reprisals against pro-democracy activists, and the growing use of repressive laws to stifle dissent. Governments are increasingly resorting to arbitrary detention, excessive force during protests, and vague or broad laws - often under the banner of national security, public order, or anti-terrorism - to silence critics and human rights defenders.
In China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, activists are prosecuted on charges such as “subversion of state power,” “propaganda against the state,” or “disclosing state secrets.” They are detained under harsh conditions with little accountability. Pro-democracy activists in Thailand are being criminalised under the royal defamation law while in India and Pakistan, anti-terror and public order laws are used to prosecute or detain activists on trumped-up charges. Protests are frequently met with violence and arrests, and at times even excessive force and unlawful killings as seen recently in countries like Nepal, Indonesia.
A worrying trend is the extension of reprisals beyond national borders, along with digital attacks such as doxxing, internet shutdowns, social media takedowns and surveillance spyware.
There are bright spots for democracy in countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Timor-Leste. This includes oversight by the media and courts and people power in response to repression.
Europe and Central Asia
In Europe and Central Asia, civic space is narrowing even in long-standing democracies. Across the region, civil society organisations face growing bureaucratic and financial constraints, while protesters are increasingly met with excessive force and surveillance. In the United Kingdom, recent months have seen a disturbing escalation in the policing of peaceful protests. Pro-Palestine demonstrators, climate activists, and trans rights advocates have faced aggressive police tactics, including the use of facial recognition technology, and mass arrests. These developments reflect a broader trend of shrinking civic space across the region, even as people continue to mobilise in defence of rights and democratic values.
Middle East and North Africa/ Southwest Asia and North Africa
The occupied Palestinian territories ivic space continues to deteriorate amid escalating violence. Over 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed.
Iran detained over 18,000 activists, students, and journalists since 2022 protests began. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have carried out arbitrary detentions and unfair mass trials against human rights and pro-democracy activists. In Egypt and Tunisia, political opponents and candidates have faced waves of arbitrary detentions and prosecution.
The most common violations in the region include the prosecution of human rights defenders, detention of journalists, censorship, and surveillance.
Yet, despite these crackdowns, public support for democracy remains strong. Surveys in 2023–2024 found that at least 73% of respondents in countries such as Kuwait, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, and Mauritania still view democracy as the best form of government.
Sub-Saharan Africa
As of 2025, civic space in Sub-Saharan Africa is marked by sharp contrasts. Some countries experience growing repression through restrictive laws, internet shutdowns, and targeted surveillance. While others like Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa continue to support resilient civil society and independent media.
Authoritarian tactics remain widespread, but activists are using regional courts and digital platforms to push back, even as the environment for advocacy becomes more challenging and fragmented.
To uphold democratic values and protect civic space, CIVICUS urges governments to:
- Take measures to foster a safe, respectful and enabling environment in which civil society, activists and journalists can operate freely without fear of attacks, harassment, intimidation or reprisals.
- Repeal any legislation or policy that seeks to repress freedom of association such as Foreign Agents Laws and other anti-NGOs laws.
- Desist from using excessive force against peaceful protesters, stop-pre-empting and preventing protests and adopt best practices on freedom of assembly.
- Refrain from instituting policies that seek to sanction freedom of expression based on vague concepts such as ‘fake news’ or ‘disinformation.’ Rather, initiate and support initiatives against misinformation and disinformation consistent with democratic principles.
- Institute mechanisms and policies on transparency, accountability, and efficiency in governance.
- Create spaces for meaningful citizens participation
- Ensure that human rights commissions and similar institutions are supported to perform their mandates in promoting human rights and addressing any form of violation.
- Respect the right of people to protest in solidarity with people in the Occupied Palestine Territory and refrain from arrests and violence towards protesters and human rights defenders.
