From Greece to Uganda, a Global Contagion of Civic Repression

Human Rights Research Center
6 minutes ago
6 min read

March 31, 2026

HRRC joins the international human rights community in calls upon governments worldwide to immediately repeal draconian “anti-NGO” frameworks, end the stigmatization of civil society as “foreign agents” and “internal enemies,” and uphold the fundamental right to freedom of association that remains the bedrock of democratic accountability.

Journalists Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, Antonina Favorskaya and Artem Kriger, accused of taking part in the activities of an "extremist" organization founded by late opposition politician Alexei Navalny, attend a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, April 15, 2025. [Image credit: REUTERS/Yulia Morozova]

An extensive review of recent legislation reveals a globalized playbook of repression designed to eviscerate civic space and silence critical voices in at least 66 countries, making restrictive laws the 9th most common civic‑space violation recorded that year. The dataset, which covers all registered civic‑space incidents across 196 countries, considers “restrictive legislation and regulation” to include repressive NGO laws, registration barriers, funding controls, and similar measures.

By industrializing legal frameworks originally modeled on Russian and Nicaraguan “foreign agent” laws, governments from Central Asia to the Americas are converting the rule of law into a tool of state control, weaponizing administrative bureaucracy to criminalize humanitarianism and oversight.

Here are a few recent examples:

Greece

In February 2026, the Greek government adopted a new Migration Code that effectively makes participating in an NGO a punishable offense. The law mandates a complex, costly, and intrusive "NGO Registry" as a prerequisite for any activity on Greek territory. Most critically, it introduces substantially heavier sentencing for members of registered NGOs—elevating misdemeanors to felonies punishable by at least ten years' imprisonment, and fines of up to €60,000 per person for acts of "facilitation" of migration which could include basic humanitarian aid to migrants in need.

Tunisia

Tunisian authorities have escalated an unprecedented crackdown on the Tunisian Council for Refugees and other prominent organizations. Under the pretext of fighting “suspicious” foreign funding, six NGO workers were criminally prosecuted for their legitimate work supporting asylum seekers, and face up to 13 years in prison for "providing shelter" to asylum seekers. Between July and November 2025, the state has also arbitrarily suspended the activities of at least 14 domestic and international organizations, including leading women’s rights and anti-torture groups.

The Americas

A regional pattern of “anti-NGO laws” has intensified across Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Between 2024 and 2025, these nations adopted reforms that impose disproportionate controls on NGOs, such as El Salvador’s “Foreign Agents Law,” which levies a 30 percent tax on all foreign funding. In Peru, a new law classifies legal actions against the state as a “very serious offense,” effectively stripping victims of human rights abuses of their right to independent legal representation.

Uganda

In March 2026, the Ugandan government moved to tighten control through a proposed “NGO Funding Bill,” which seeks to centralize all NGO financing and allows the state to limit the proportion of foreign funds an organization can receive. This follows a sustained campaign where NGOs are smeared as being linked to terrorism or “un-African” Western ideas, particularly targeting organizations providing vital health and legal services to marginalized LGBTQ+ populations.

A Consistent Playbook

The crackdown on NGOs is rarely a standalone event; it follows a remarkably consistent playbook of delegitimization and institutional harassment:

The “Foreign Agent” Label: Governments increasingly require groups receiving international assistance to label themselves as “foreign agents” or actors “pursuing foreign interests.” This narrative is used to fuel nationalist sentiment and claim the preservation of “authentic culture” against imported liberal values.
Stigmatization and Smear Campaigns: Prior to passing restrictive laws, authorities often label Civil Society Organisations as “internal enemies,” “traitors,” or “anti-patriotic.” This creates a climate of intimidation and self-censorship, making activists easily targetable to both state and private harassment.
Financial and Administrative Barriers: Laws often introduce vague provisions like “protecting public order” to allow for discretionary interpretation and selective enforcement. Excessive reporting rules and the freezing of bank accounts serve as covert forms of repression that paralyze NGO operations without needing a formal criminal conviction.
Policing Humanitarianism at Sea: In the Mediterranean, governments like Italy have introduced “Codes of Conduct” for Search and Rescue (SAR) NGOs, imposing disproportionate fines and impounding vessels. By treating the act of rescue as “non-innocent passage” and requiring NGOs to perform state tasks like asylum data collection, authorities seek to deter civil society from filling gaps in state-led rescue missions.

Glossary

Administrative bureaucracy — The complex system of government offices, procedures, and officials that implement and enforce laws and regulations; in this context, weaponized to create barriers for civil society organizations.
Anti-torture groups — Human rights organizations specifically dedicated to documenting, preventing, and providing rehabilitation for victims of torture.
Arbitrarily suspended — Legal term describing the cancellation or freezing of organizational activities by state authorities without due process, fair procedure, or legitimate legal basis.
ASILE Project — European Union-funded research project examining asylum systems and refugee protection in Europe.
Asylum seekers — Individuals who have fled their country and applied for international protection and refugee status but whose claims have not yet been legally determined.
CEPS — Centre for European Policy Studies, a Brussels-based think tank that produced research on justice at sea and NGO operations in the Mediterranean.
Civic space — The legal, policy, and practical environment that enables individuals and groups to participate in civic life, express views, assemble peacefully, and associate freely without fear of reprisal.
Climate of intimidation — A pervasive atmosphere of fear and threat created by state rhetoric and actions that pressures individuals and organizations into silence or self-censorship.
Codes of Conduct — Specific regulatory mechanisms, such as those imposed on Mediterranean rescue NGOs, that establish binding rules beyond standard legal requirements to restrict and control operations.
Covert — actions, information, or objects that are hidden, disguised, or kept secret rather than openly shown.
Delegitimization — The strategic process of undermining the credibility, authority, or acceptance of individuals or organizations, making them vulnerable to further repression.
Democratic accountability — The principle and practice by which those in power answer for their actions to the citizenry, with civil society serving as a crucial monitoring and oversight mechanism.
Discretionary interpretation — The power of state officials to apply vague legal provisions according to their own judgment, enabling selective targeting of disfavored organizations.
Draconian — Characterized by extreme severity or cruelty; derived from Draco, an ancient Athenian lawmaker known for prescribing death for minor offenses; describes harsh "anti-NGO" legislation.
Eviscerate — deprive (something) of its essential content.
Facilitation — In migration law, the act of assisting irregular entry or stay; the Greek law criminalizes even basic humanitarian aid as "facilitation" punishable by felony charges.
Felonies — a crime regarded in the US and many other judicial systems as more serious than a misdemeanour.
Foreign agent — Technical legal designation originating in Russian law requiring organizations receiving international funding to register as agents of foreign influence, now replicated globally to stigmatize civil society.
Freedom of association — The fundamental human right of individuals to form and join groups, organizations, or associations to pursue common interests, protected under international human rights law.
Global South — Term for developing economies primarily in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, generally characterized by histories of colonialism and disproportionately affected by global policies and crises.
Humanitarianism — the promotion of human welfare.
Impounding vessels — The seizure and detention of ships by state authorities, used against Mediterranean rescue NGOs to prevent further search and rescue operations.
Independent legal representation — the retention of a lawyer by a party to a transaction or dispute, who is completely separate from the other party and has no conflicts of interest, ensuring that the attorney acts solely in that client’s best interest. It protects against coerced agreements, unequal bargaining power, and ensures informed decision-making.
Mandates — give (someone) authority to act in a certain way.
Misdemeanors — a non-indictable offence, regarded in the US (and formerly in the UK) as less serious than a felony.
Nationalist sentiment — Public emotional attachment to national identity and interests, strategically mobilized by political leaders to frame civil society as threats to sovereignty and cultural authenticity.
NGO — Non-Governmental Organization; a non-profit, voluntary citizens' group operating independently from government, organized on local, national, or international levels to address social or political issues.
Refugees — Persons who have fled their country due to well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, with legal status defined under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Rule of law — The principle that all persons and authorities are subject to and accountable under publicly promulgated, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated laws; here, converted into a tool of state control.
Selective enforcement — The discriminatory application of laws against disfavored groups while ignoring violations by allies, enabled by vague legal provisions and official discretion.
Self-censorship — The voluntary restraint of one's own speech or expression due to fear of negative consequences, induced by state-created climates of intimidation.

Sources

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From Greece to Uganda, a Global Contagion of Civic Repression

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