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The Diplomat
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Repressive Laws Are Increasingly Being Used to Silence Activists Across Asia
From Hong Kong to India, governments are passing and weaponizing new laws to pursue and jail whoever speaks up for human rights. Four years ago, on the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, plain clothes police arrested human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist Chow Hang-tung outside her office in Hong Kong. Her alleged crime? Publishing two social media posts advertising a public vigil to remember the notorious crackdown in Tiananmen Square. At the time, Chow was the vice-chair of the now defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement of China, the main organizer of annual Tiananmen vigils. Chow is a target of Hong Kong's draconian National Security Law, which grants authorities in the territory sweeping powers to crush any form of dissent. Today, Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong are no more, and Chow remains locked up at the Tai Lam Women's Correctional Center, fighting baseless charges of subversion and sedition. Sadly, such repression is not unique to Hong Kong. Across Asia, authoritarian and democratic governments alike are passing and weaponizing new laws – in clear violation of international law and standards – to pursue and jail whoever speaks up for human rights. Today, on Nelson Mandela International Day, we call for the release of Chow Hang-tang, who is part of CIVICUS' Stand As My Witness campaign, as well as other human rights defenders unjustly locked up in Asia around the world. Beijing pushed the repressive National Security Law in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy protests a year earlier. Since then, the National Security Law, and further legislation passed in 2024, has been used to target hundreds of activists, journalists, protesters and critics. The CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks civic space conditions across the world, now rates Hong Kong's civic space as 'closed,' the worst possible ranking. Hundreds remain behind bars as police systematically use the new laws to arrest and prosecute people on trumped-up charges. Often, the process itself becomes the punishment as activists spend years in detention before they are even tried. These laws have created a chilling effect, forcing independent news outlets and civil society groups to shut down. In April this year, Hong Kong's oldest and largest pro-democracy political party moved to disband as Beijing's sweeping crackdown has left opposition groups without room to operate. Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities are trying to take their repression international, by offering bounties for activists-in-exile charged under the National Security Law and by arresting the father of a prominent U.S.-based activist, Anna Kwok. Such repression should be viewed with disdain, but rather than being an outlier, Hong Kong's National Security Laws have become something of a model for other Asian governments looking to stifle dissent. Look no further than Beijing's rival, India, often called the world's largest democracy, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government resorts to similar laws to consolidate power and silence his critics. Dozens of activists have been jailed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terror law. Under the UAPA's provisions, activists remain in pre-trial detention for long periods and are denied bail, including human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested in November 2021. His trial has yet to start, four years on. In neighboring Pakistan, the government also weaponizes anti-terror legislation against activists like Mahrang Baloch, who languishes in prison on terror charges for speaking out against ongoing violations of ethnic minority rights by the Pakistan security forces in Balochistan. In Thailand, more than 270 individuals have been arrested or prosecuted under lese-majeste or royal defamation laws since early 2020, many of whom have received long consecutive sentences from the courts. Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, for instance, received multiple convictions and 26 years in jail for calling for democratic reforms and reforms of the Thai monarchy. Meanwhile, Cambodia's Han Manet regime has used 'incitement' laws as their weapon of choice to silence activists, journalists, and members of the opposition. With legal repression spreading across Asia, the international community must do more to push back and stand with these brave activists. Foreign governments must not only speak out when activists are convicted, but step in much earlier when these human rights defenders are arrested. Diplomats should visit wrongly arrested activists in detention, monitor their trials, and engage with their families. Foreign governments must also use international platforms like the United Nations Human Rights Council and bilateral meetings to highlight their cases and call for their release. Activists-in-exile also need support and assistance, especially when they face transnational repression. The recent G-7 Leaders' Statement on Transnational Repression was a good start, but strong rhetoric must now turn into serious action. Failure to undertake such actions will see a further regression of democracy and repression of civic freedoms in Asia and elsewhere. However, foreign governments won't apply pressure unless we, as people and activists around the world, push them to take action. Wherever we are, we must use our voices to speak up for human rights defenders behind bars, including through campaigns like Stand As My Witness, which has helped contribute to the release of over 30 human rights defenders since its inception five years ago. After all, jailed human rights defenders aren't giving up on themselves or their causes. This year, on the fifth anniversary of her arrest, Chow Hang-tung went on a hunger strike behind bars to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre and to reaffirm her commitment to the struggle despite her imprisonment. It's time for all of us to stand in solidarity with her and other jailed human rights defenders in Asia and across the world.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US added to human rights watchlist over Trump moves
The United States has been added to CIVICUS's monitor list of potential human rights threats, a move the global nonprofit says is directly linked to President Trump's actions since his return to the White House in January. 'Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal,' CIVICUS interim co-Secretary General Mandeep Tiwana said in a statement. 'The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society.' The U.S. joins Congo, Italy, Pakistan and Serbia in CIVICUS's first watch updates for 2025. 'Gross abuses of executive power raise serious concerns over the freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and association,' the group wrote of the U.S. rating. CIVICUS specifically pointed to Trump's push for mass firings of federal workers, the dismantling of foreign aid programs, his treatment of the media and efforts across the country to tamp down pro-Palestinian protests. 'Americans across the political spectrum are appalled by the undemocratic actions of the current administration,' Tiwana said. According to CIVICUS, the monitor list 'draws attention to countries where there is a serious decline in respect for civic space, based on an assessment by CIVICUS Monitor research findings, our research partners and consultations with activists on the ground.' 'CIVICUS calls upon these governments to do everything in their power to end the ongoing crackdowns immediately and ensure that perpetrators are held to account,' the organization said in its news release on the update. The U.S. is among 42 countries that CIVICUS rates as 'narrowed' on freedom, which is the group's second tier after 'open' and used to signify countries where citizens face occasional violations of basic rights. 'Closed,' 'repressed,' and 'obstructed' are the most restrictive tiers. Thirty countries, including Russia, North Korea and Iran, are categorized as 'closed.' Other countries rated 'narrow' include France, Germany and Argentina. Countries deemed 'open' include Taiwan, Canada, Japan and Denmark. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
US added to human rights watchlist over Trump moves
The United States has been added to CIVICUS's monitor list of potential human rights threats, a move the global nonprofit says is directly linked to President Trump's actions since his return to the White House in January. 'Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal,' CIVICUS interim co-secretary general Mandeep Tiwana said in a statement. 'The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society.' The U.S. joins the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan and Serbia in CIVICUS's first watch updates for 2025. 'Gross abuses of executive power raise serious concerns over the freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and association,' the group wrote of the U.S. rating. CIVICUS specifically pointed to Trump's push for mass firings of federal workers, the dismantling of foreign aid programs, his treatment of the media and efforts across the country to tamp down pro-Palestinian protests. 'Americans across the political spectrum are appalled by the undemocratic actions of the current administration,' Tiwana said. According to CIVICUS, the monitor list 'draws attention to countries where there is a serious decline in respect for civic space, based on an assessment by CIVICUS Monitor research findings, our research partners and consultations with activists on the ground.' 'CIVICUS calls upon these governments to do everything in their power to end the ongoing crackdowns immediately and ensure that perpetrators are held to account,' the organization said in its news release on the update. The U.S. is among 42 countries that CIVICUS rates as 'narrowed' on freedom, which is the group's second tier after 'open' and used to signify countries where citizens face occasional violations of basic rights. 'Closed,' 'repressed,' and 'obstructed' are the most restrictive tiers. Thirty countries, including Russia, North Korea and Iran, are categorized as 'closed.' Other countries rated 'narrow' include France, Germany and Argentina. Countries deemed 'open' include Taiwan, Canada, Japan and Denmark.
Japan Times
04-12-2024
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan's civic space status upgraded to highest tier
Japan's civic space rating has been upgraded to reflect increased freedoms for civil society and peaceful protest, according to an annual international report released Wednesday. The CIVICUS Monitor evaluates civic space in 198 countries and territories, rating freedom of expression, assembly and association as open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed or closed. In the Asia-Pacific region, this year's report downgraded Mongolia to "obstructed" while upgrading Bangladesh, Japan and Fiji.
