Based on the analysis of its research partners, among which BCSDN, providing analysis on the situation of the basic human freedoms in the Balkans, Civicus Monitor presents the recent Civic Space updates on the freedom of expression violations. According to the analysis, the right to information is vital during a public health emergency, and the restrictions must be provided proportionally and followed by law. However, states across the globe have used the pandemic to inflict unjust limitations on the freedom of expression. The CIVICUS Monitor identified the following trends: the use of restrictive legislation to silence critical voices; censorship, and restrictions on access to information, including through the suppression or imposition of content relating to COVID-19 and the suspension of media outlets; attacks on journalists over their reporting of the pandemic, including physical attacks, harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention. Read more here.
Source: Civicus Monitor