According to the CIVICUS Monitor, civic space in Chile is rated as “narrowed”. During 2022, civil society groups in Chile have been able to celebrate important victories including adopting legislation legalising same-sex marriage and rejecting an extractive project that would have affected one of the country’s most delicate ecosystems. Initiatives to provide reparation for human rights abuses and to establish a framework to protect HRDs and journalists led to an upgrade in Chile’s rating in 2022 from obstructed to narrowed. Chile is also in an ongoing process to draft a new constitution to replace the one left by the Pinochet dictatorship. 

Despite these positive developments, concerns about impunity for the use of excessive force against protesters and the lack of meaningful police reform to prevent the recurrence of this violation persist. The south of the country also saw continued unrest and militarisation, with the government failing to advance in solutions to the longstanding conflict with the Mapuche people.

The World Press Index ranks Chile 83 out of 180. This is the lowest position the country has ever had. The 2023 RSF report highlighted that although Chile’s constitution and legal system guarantee freedom of the press, it is not consistently upheld in practice. Investigative journalism is diminishing, and there is a growing trend of assaults on journalists. Legal actions against media organisations and reporters are increasingly used as a tactic to suppress their voices. On a positive note, Chile’s legislators continue to discuss the bill on the protection of journalists and media workers.

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