The ruling party will promote a bill to limit civil society access to international funding

Venezuela Impact | Negative Probability | High Civicus Rating | Repressed The publication in early March of the Legislative Plan of the National Assembly for 2021 heralded the reappearance of a long-circulating bill in the national government: the regulation and control of access to international funding by domestic civil society organizations.  Already in 2006, 2010 […]

President makes effective law allowing for life imprisonment in “hate crimes” cases

Nicaragua Impact | Negative CIVICUS Rating | Repressed  On January 19, the National Assembly hastily approved a constitutional reform setting a penalty of up to 30 years imprisonment for those convicted of serious crimes in “circumstances of cruel, degrading, humiliating and inhuman hatred” causing public outrage, repudiation or anger across the country. President Daniel Ortega […]

President proposes eliminating national agency for access to public information

México Impact | Negative Probability | Medium CIVICUS Rating | Repressed On January 7, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that plans are afoot to eliminate a selection of decentralized and autonomous agencies regarded as inefficient and costly. Among them is the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), […]

International organizations demand Venezuelan authorities end attacks on civil society

Venezuela Impact | Negative CIVICUS Rating | Repressed In a January 14 statement signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Washington Office for Latin American Affairs, Conectas and the International Commission of Jurists, the government of Nicolás Maduro is singled out for promoting ‘stigmatization campaigns’ against the media. This comes after several media outlets […]

Opposition deputies propose auditing of companies with State participation

Salvador Impact | Positive CIVICUS Rating | Obstructed The Economy Committee of the Legislative Assembly has begun to study a bill promoted by the opposition that aims for companies and corporations with state ownership to be audited and monitored every year by the Court of Accounts (CCR, in Spanish). These entities, currently operating with limited […]

The government publishes a protocol to restrict the use of force in social protests

Colombia Impact | Positive CIVICUS Rating | Repressed On January 5, the National Government approved by decree a set of guidelines for the use of public force in social demonstrations in order to guarantee citizens’ right to peaceful protest and assembly. After its publication, a group of Colombian civil society organizations published a statement outlining […]