"People Power Under Attack 2018", 27 Nov 2018

CIVICUS has today released People Power Under Attack 2018, a new report showing that... civil society is under serious attack in 111 countries, almost six in 10 countries worldwide. This is up from 109 countries in our last update in March 2018... As societies fracture under the weight of rising social and economic inequalities and the increasing dominance of political leaders seeking to exploit societal divisions for their gain, civil society is bearing the brunt of a consequent drop in respect for the basic freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression. In different regions of the world, issues including the exploitation of natural resources, migration and corruption are also fuelling popular mobilisations and, in turn, repression of those mobilisations... [J]ournalists have been threatened and attacked for exposing illegal businesses. Other countries where attacks by both state and non-state actors have occurred include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea...The private sector is having a damaging influence on civic space, as documented in France and Portugal, where private companies are suing activists through lawsuits known as Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)...Findings are based on data released today by the CIVICUS Monitor a global research collaboration which rates and tracks the respect for fundamental freedoms in 196 countries.