EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Rating Overview

Civic space continues to come under attack in the Europe and Central Asia region. Of the region’s 54 countries, civic space is rated as open in 20, narrowed in 19, obstructed in seven, repressed in two and closed in six.

In 2022, democratic backsliding continued in Europe with several authoritarian leaders, such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić, further consolidating their power, bringing increased concerns for civic freedoms. Farright leaders also made significant gains, including in Italy and Sweden, while longestablished democracies such as the UK saw further restrictions on civic freedoms.

UPgrades

Latvia

Armenia

Downgrades

cyprus

Greece

Russia tajikistan

Russia’s war on Ukraine had significant political, economic and social implications for the region, with civil society both in and outside the conflict area mobilising to support people fleeing the war.

Central Asia saw several serious crises where the authorities forcibly cracked down on mass protests and ensuing unrest in Kazakhstan,5 Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, resulting in significant loss of life and injuries. Across Central Asia people faced ongoing persecution for criticising the authorities and standing up for justice, human rights and the rule of law.

Overall country ratings in the region have worsened. The ratings of four European countries have been downgraded: Cyprus, Greece, Russia and the UK. Two of these countries are European Union (EU) member states. The situation in Central Asia has also worsened, with Tajikistan experiencing a particularly severe decline in civic space, resulting in a rating downgrade.

Cyprus has been downgraded from ‘’open’’ to ‘’narrowed’’. Concerns include the ongoing legal battle by the Action for Support, Equality and Antiracism (KISA), which was removed from the registry of associations in 2020 and since then is operating under significant restrictions. The organisation continues to legally challenge its dissolution and believes that this restriction is part of the government’s widening crackdown on those working to protect refugees and asylum seeker rights. Funding for civil society is a challenge, with national banks treating NGO bank accounts as high risk which has resulted in CSOs facing additional administrative and financial burdens.

Concerns over the repeated targeting of civil society working with refugees and asylum seekers, disproportionate responses to protests and continuous legal harassment and surveillance of journalists has prompted a ratings change from “narrowed” to “obstructed” in Greece. Several CSOs and human rights defenders (HRDs) working on migrant rights have been targeted. Four CSOs who have challenged the government in several cases of push backs, were put under investigation for ‘’possible links to smuggling’’, while activist Panayote Dimitras is accused of “setting up a criminal organisation with the purpose of facilitating the illegal entry and stay in Greece of third-country nationals’’. In addition, Greek journalist Thanasis Koukakis and several others, including opposition politicians, were subject to surveillance via Predator spyware.

In Russia, the government’s crackdown on civic space further intensified since it launched its full-scale war on Ukraine, prompting a rating change from repressed to closed. Nationwide anti-war protests have been brutally repressed, with over 19,500 people detained since February 2022. Journalists reporting on protests have faced brutal attacks. Several independent media outlets have shut down as a result of ongoing pressure from the authorities, while a recently passed foreign agents law is likely to be used to further stifle civil society. Russia’s downgrade follows its addition to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist in March 2022.

Civic space deteriorated dramatically in Tajikistan during the year, prompting a rating change from repressed to closed. The authorities cracked down on mass protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), which saw people taking to the streets of the city of Khorog to demand the resignation of the regional leader and justice for a young man killed during a police operation. In response, the authorities carried out special security operations in the region, which brought allegations of excessive force, arbitrary detentions, torture and extrajudicial killings of detainees. Since then the authorities have failed to impartially and effectively investigate reported human rights violations. As part of the crackdown, around 20 human rights activists and journalists critical of the government’s policies in the GBAO were detained and prosecuted, with others facing growing intimidation and harassment. The space for independent media remains limited, with the arbitrary blocking of independent news sites and social media networks.

A significant deterioration in civic freedoms in the UK, particularly the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, has led to the country being downgraded from narrowed to obstructed.

However, a positive shift for civil society came in the Czech Republic under the government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, prompting a rating change from narrowed to open. The new government has put forward a draft legislative proposal to strengthen the editorial independence of Czech Television. Journalists, however, continue to face harassment from the former prime minister. Latvia’s civic space rating has also improved to open. Civil society reports that there is an overall favourable environment, with CSOs being involved in decision-making, and an online portal that enables engagement in consultation processes. Civic space in Armenia has shown improvements, resulting in a rating change from obstructed to narrowed, with indications of enhanced collaboration between the state and CSOs in policy-making processes and increased transparency of allocation of state funds to CSOs. In June 2022, amendments to the Criminal Code saw the decriminalisation of the offence of grave insult.