Wave of Constraint

Recent Developments in Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras, Iran, Bahrain, and Cambodia

Global Trends in NGO Law, Volume 2, Issue 2 (December 2010)

Between November 22 and December 1, 2010, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law received reports that Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras, Iran were planning to amend their NGO laws to restrict the operations and activities of civil society, and that Bahrain had already done so. Shortly thereafter, news surfaced that Cambodia was also planning a restrictive new law governing NGOs.

The restrictions proposed in these laws will create a burdensome web of regulations for civil society groups and are evidence that the backlash against civil society is ongoing, transcending legal systems and political cultures. ICNL has received numerous requests for more information about these laws, which have captured the attention of civil society and governments alike. We are publishing this Special Edition of Global Trends, to focus on the most recent wave of proposed restrictions on civil society.

This issue reflects the status of these laws as of late December 2010; ICNL will continue to post information on them on its NGO Law Monitor, https://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/, as events unfold.