Overview

Severe restrictions on civil and political rights first imposed in 2017 and 2018 intensified over the course of the year. Human rights defenders, peaceful demonstrators, labour activists and members of the banned opposition party continued to face harassment and intimidation through misuse of the justice system. The continuation of widespread arrests of people suspected of using or selling drugs led to an increase in cases of arbitrary detention and exacerbated overcrowding in prisons. Forced evictions and land expropriation by the military acting on behalf of powerful business elites remained a major problem, and land rights protestors continued to face reprisals. Freedom of peaceful assembly was arbitrarily suppressed, and civil society organizations faced ongoing intimidation.

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