Urgent action needed to protect civic space against misuse of counter-terrorism, ODIHR event underlines

The misuse of counter-terrorism measures against dissenting voices has reached alarming levels in the OSCE region, participants concluded at an event on counter-terrorism and shrinking civic space organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 4 October 2022. The event took place in the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

“Civic space is under sustained pressure in many parts of the world, and the OSCE region is no exception,” said Anne Charbord, Senior Legal Adviser to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism. “Too often counter-terrorism measures as well as various measures to counter ‘extremism’ are used as weapons to silence civic activists, human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful political opposition.”

The 50 participants included representatives of OSCE participating States’ delegations, international organizations, civil society and academia. They discussed how expanding counter-terrorism legislation and policies lead to the further narrowing of civic space by undermining the ability of civil society to operate freely and without undue interference by authorities. They also shared examples of anti-terrorism measures used in some OSCE participating States to justify repression against social unrest, demonstrations, or simply criticism of the government and its actions. Ways to promote stronger support for civil society, human rights defenders and other critical voices targeted by such measures were also discussed.

Using a counter-terrorism narrative as a pretext to justify repressive measures against critical voices is against human rights, fundamental democratic principles, and directly undermines the credibility and legitimacy of genuine counter-terrorism efforts in the OSCE region. Speakers and participants agreed that there is an urgent need to confront this growing trend.