Research brief from the CIVICUS Monitor.
October 2020.
- Civic activism continues during the COVID-19 pandemic and people have continued to mobilise to demand their rights.
- Violations of protest rights have been documented: protesters are being detained, protests are being disrupted and excessive force is being used by states.
- Restrictions on the freedom of expression and access to information continue.
- States are enacting overly broad emergency legislation and legislation that limits human rights.
In April 2020, just one month after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, we highlighted a series of alarming civic space violations by states. As noted in our previous brief, in many countries the emergency measures introduced to tackle the pandemic have had troubling impacts on human rights and the space for civil society. After more than six months of the pandemic, violations and restrictions on civic space continue.
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