The United States is in the midst of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. All 50 states, as well as the federal government, have now declared emergencies and issued a range of executive orders to combat the spread of the virus. While COVID-19 is a serious threat to public health, measures to address it should not become a serious threat to civil liberties. Emergency

In this issue of the Civic Freedom Digest, ICNL highlights some of the key challenges and opportunities for civic freedoms across the Asia-Pacific region.

In this inaugural publication of the Civic Freedom Digest, ICNL highlights some of the key challenges that digital technologies pose to civic freedom, as well as successful civil society efforts to combat these threats.

This legislative briefer focuses on how critical infrastructure bills can undermine protesters’ right to peaceful assembly by creating draconian penalties for trespass as well as severely penalizing vaguely defined interference with the construction or operation of critical infrastructure sites.

In the past several years, activists who are part of the BDS movement have called for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS).

Review of the many of the poorly written aspects of FARA and where confusion, manipulation and abuse may take place.

On June 12, 2019, UN Special Rapporteur Clement Voule issued a report (A/HRC/41/41) on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association in the digital era.

The UN Human Rights Committee recently announced that it would issue a General Comment on Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the right to peaceful assembly).

Immediately after he was sworn into office on January 1, 2019, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro imposed sweeping changes on the structure of the Executive Branch, including a new provision on government oversight of domestic and international NGOs.

Strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, are a type of lawsuit that impedes the ability of civil society to advocate on issues of public importance.