“Stifling protests, targeting activists” lands Pakistan on civic space watchlist

WEB DESK: Pakistan has been added to civic space watchlist – CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist – due to “authorities targeting activists, stifling protests and restricting digital spaces.”

In a statement issued on Monday, CIVICUS said that in Pakistan human rights defenders are arbitrarily criminalised on terrorism charges. The statement also highlighted the ban on ethnic rights movement as well as the crackdown on political protests.

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CIVICUS said that journalists in Pakistan are being targeted, adding that the “amended law clamps down on online speech”.

Journalists have been targeted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), accused of spreading ‘false narratives against state institutions.’ In January 2025, the government amended PECA to further tighten its control on online speech. The authorities have also continued to block internet and mobile phone services ahead of protests while social media site X has been down since February 2024, the watchlist monitor said.

The statement added, “Pakistan’s recent criminalisation of activists, stifling of opposition and minority protests, and digital space restrictions have resulted in the county being added to the CIVICUS Monitor watchlist.”

The countries on CIVICUS Monitor watchlist are dubbed by the platform as those “experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms”. In addition to Pakistan, the United States of America (USA), Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, and Serbia are also in the 2025 watchlist.

The statement said that the CIVICUS Monitor “flags a systematic crackdown on political opposition Protests. In October and November 2024, hundreds were arrested and charged ahead of protests under vague and overbroad laws. The authorities blocked major highways and routes to stifle the movement of protesters.”

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The new watchlist is released by the CIVICUS Monitor, an online platform that tracks the latest developments to civic freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, across 198 countries and territories. Over 20 organisations collaborate to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents.