Nowadays, we seem to take many of our freedoms for granted. We could no longer imagine Germany without fundamental liberties such as freedom of assembly or freedom of association. In some EU countries, however, these are increasingly being restricted.

Liberties' latest Rule of Law report finds that civil society organisations in Europe are dealing with increased hostility on all sides. Faced with over-regulation and under-protection from the law, 2021 saw long-standing issues go from bad to worse.

Most EU governments are neglecting their democracies, according to the new ‘Liberties Rule of Law Report 2022’.

Did you know? Today is International Human Rights Day. So we've released a new messaging guide for civil society organisations promoting human rights & other progressive causes. It's full of tips on how to counter smear campaigns & build public support.

Márta Pardavi of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee discusses the status of democracy and civic space in Hungary, and Israel Butler discusses how progressive campaigners can grow support for their issues simply by changing how they talk about them.

What are SLAPP lawsuits and why are they such an important issue? We take a look at a tool increasingly used to silence watchdogs and stifle democratic participation.

Given his attacks on journalists and activists, the claim by Slovenia's PM that he will champion free speech while holding the EU Presidency is laughable. If he were serious, here are things things we'd expect to see.

A new Liberties report finds that authoritarian governments in the EU upped their attacks against critical journalists and citizens' groups using COVID-19 as cover. But governments in traditionally stronger democracies have also done damage.

Authoritarians in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia abused the pandemic to continue eroding democratic standards, but traditionally strong democracies also disappoint.

With our new member from Slovakia, the Liberties network is now active in 18 countries across Europe.