According to the CIVICUS Monitor, civic space in Bolivia is rated as “obstructed”. In recent years, local organisations have raised concerns about the right to protest being repeatedly restricted. Common documented tactics to unduly restrict the right to peaceful assembly were the arbitrary arrests of protesters, cases of provocateurs working with the state to repress protests, criminalisation of the right to protest, and the use of excessive force by the police towards protesters. 

The Inter-American Press Association expressed concern about the acts of violence against journalists covering protests. The attacks on journalists and the barriers to access to information continue to undermine the freedom of expression in Bolivia.

Violations of freedom of association considerably increased in 2022 compared to the previous year’s figures. Barriers to activists’ ability to defend rights and criminalisation of individuals and groups of activists are increasingly seen in Bolivia as well as the government’s failure to protect human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk and threats against HRDs. 

For more information about the country, visit https://monitor.civicus.org/country/bolivia/