May 2025 in Europe and Central Asia: A free expression and civic space round-up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Cathal Sheerin, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.

The spectre of ‘foreign agent’ legislation is haunting Europe. Introduced by authoritarians, and presented as necessary for ‘state security’, the true aim of such legislation is always to silence ...

A wave of laws cloaked in the language of national security, international compliance, and public morality is sweeping across Africa. These measures silence individuals and dismantle the organisations ...

In the Americas, constraints and pressures on civic space are mounting. While recent years have seen a rise in troubling legislation restricting access to information and enabling state surveillance, ...

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Asia face significant challenges. In countries under authoritarian regimes, they endure harassment, persecution or even outright bans. Colonial-era sedition and ...

Across the Middle East and North Africa, broad national security, counter-terrorism, and public morality laws are increasingly restricting civil society organisations. Governments are wielding vague ...

While PECA has been used to stifle journalists, it has also been used to intimidate the country’s various marginalised communities. Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid explores the effects of Pakistan’s ...

The Senegalese government is using regulatory, financial, and administrative measures to systematically clamp down on press freedom under the guise of professionalising the media. This statement was ...

The first thing worth noting is that, while called 'procedures', these are, in fact, people. The second thing worth noting is what makes them special. This group of independent experts monitor and ...

April 5 will be 245 days since 4G mobile internet was suspended in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, causing immense hardship and disruption of civilian life as well as violating the public’s ...

During the 3rd UPR Cycle, Nepal received 233 recommendations, accepted 196 recommendations, and noted 37 recommendations. This statement was originally published on freedomforum.org.np on 15 August ...

IFEX December 2024 brief: Regional Editor Reyhana Masters takes a deep dive into the issues that dominated the electoral landscape in some of the countries that held elections across the continent in ...