The assault on civil society and fundamental freedoms in Asia is getting worse, according to a new report from the civic rights group CIVICUS, which found only one of 25 territories in the region could be considered free.
In a report released on Wednesday, the Johannesburg-based group said it downgraded two more countries to the “repressed” category, leaving Taiwan the only place considered ‘open’.
The report said it was “particularly alarmed by the regression of fundamental civic rights” in India, the world’s largest democracy, and Brunei, an absolute monarchy in Southeast Asia.
China continues to be the main offender on censorship, it added.
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“The percentage of people living in Asian countries with closed, repressed or obstructed civic space is now at 95 percent,” Josef Benedict of CIVICUS said in a statement published online.
Global News 
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